Hands All Over
by Love Ink
Summary: A funeral home is not a normal place to meet a girl, but when the guys went to visit Skeeter, Juice met her. A girl with a strange job and an interesting past. Yes, the summary sucks. The story is better.
1. First Sight

**Hello, Sons Fandom! :) This is my first SOA fic and I plan to follow along all four seasons. I'm trying my best to eliminate copying the dialogue verbatim from the show because I assume that you've all seen it and love it and don't need to read it again…though sometimes its necessary, I'm trying my best to avoid it!**

**Please feel free to tell me _honestly_ what you think about it! Be as critical as necessary and I'll try to change the things you don't like and improve the story!**

**Anyways, this story starts out in Season 1 episode 2, "Seeds"…**

**I took the title from the Maroon 5 album/song because I thought it was sort of fitting and fun and I love that whole album. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC!**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 1: First Sight_

_By Love Ink_

The first thing Juice noticed as they pulled up to the funeral home was the girl leaning up against the hearse blowing bright blue bubbles with her gum. She was dressed formally, a black vest over a low cut white tank top with black slacks. Her dark hair was braided away from her face, the long plait hanging over her shoulder, its end just brushing across her cleavage. One manicured eyebrow lifted up over her mirrored aviators when she caught him looking, a small smirk pulling up the corner of her full lips. He wondered what a hot girl like her was doing in a funeral home of all places. Chibs called his name, pulling him from his study. With a small hop, he chased after the rest of the guys into the room with the incinerator where Skeeter was working, catching one last glimpse of her as he closed the doors behind him.

He stood near the door as Jax and Chibs took the lead on the conversation, his thoughts still on the girl outside. Who was she? What the hell was she doing at a funeral home?A few parts of the conversation stood out to him, the part about Skeeter being done with gambling and not wanting their money especially. Jax was able to work something out though, seemed the creepy old guy wanted some pussy more than money. Skeeter informed them where they could find the bodies they needed; one was already six feet under.

"You mean we gotta dig it up?" the Prospect asked apprehensively.

Jax smirked. "Who said anything about 'we'?"

Skeeter grinned widely and headed towards the door. He nodded at the girl who was still leaning against the hearse. "Ang! Come over here a sec," he called out to her.

She pushed herself off of the black car, popping the bubble with a snap before heading over. Juice didn't miss the sexy swing of her hips as she walked, nor did he miss the sliver of tan skin that peeked out between where the bottom of her tank top ended and her pants began. He could just make out a bright splash of ink across the skin of her hip. He stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. " 'Sup Skeet?" she asked, her voice light as she pushed her sunglasses into her hair. Her dark brown, almost black, eyes surveyed each of them quickly before she looked back at Skeeter. If she noticed Juice staring, she didn't say anything.

"Guys, this is my apprentice, Angela," he introduced casually. He didn't say their names and she didn't ask. "Ang, I need you to drive this gentleman here to the Morales grave. Need to exhume him for somethin'. I got a body in the oven, think you can help?"

"Exhume? Fuck, Skeet, we just buried him. I'm not gonna do it again," she replied on a scowl.

"Don't worry about it, darlin'. We got the Prospect here to do that shit for ya," Jax reassured her with a smile.

She studied him for a brief moment, her dark brown eyes hesitant before she nodded. "Fine," she muttered, grabbing a shovel and thrusting it at Half-Sack. "Follow me, Prospect."

Jax hung back with Chibs and Juice, all eyes on her as she got into the burgundy colored van with the Prospect. "Can we trust her?"

"Who? Angie?" Skeeter questioned. At Jax's nod, he shrugged. " 'Course you can. Might want to give her a tip though, if you know what I mean. She gets pissy with shit like this."

He nodded, taking a few bills out of the envelope they were going to give to Skeeter anyway. "We'll give it to her when's she's done. Thanks, Skeeter. We'll be back later."

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><p>Angela nodded towards the pile of dirt that was surrounded by flowers. The grave was so fresh, the headstone hadn't even been installed yet. She'd worked all morning filling it and making sure the dirt was even so they could roll sod over it and make it match with the others. "See how flat that grave is? You know how fuckin' hard that is to do?" she asked the Prospect, leaning against a nearby headstone. At Half-Sack's blank look, she rolled her eyes. "Have at it. Go 'head. Ruin all the hard work I did."<p>

Half-Sack sighed as he dug his shovel into the dirt. "This is so wrong," he muttered more to himself than to her. "So wrong."

She bobbed her head in agreement. "What do you need a dead Mexican for anyway?"

"Club business," he explained on a grunt as he started a pile of dirt. He glanced at her, head quirked to the side. "You gonna stay here and watch me the whole time?"

"Yep. Quality control."

He sighed again. "Awesome," he mumbled sarcastically. "So you dig graves?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I fill 'em sometimes when we're backed up, but I'm actually a mortician. I make the dead guys pretty."

"Pretty…" he repeated, watching as she took a folded knife out of the waistband of her slacks and unfolded it, cleaning her fingernails with its tip. It was an unusual knife, its blade black instead of silver.

"Yep," she said, blowing another bubble gum bubble. "Like yesterday, we had this guy who shot himself in the face. I put some putty in there, glued it together. You couldn't even tell."

The Prospect greened a little at her description. "Gross."

She chuckled in response. One of her favorite things to do was describe her job and see peoples' reactions to it. She didn't stop until they looked like they were going to be sick. Unfortunately, the Prospect hadn't lasted very long. She sighed. "So you got a name other than the Prospect?"

He nodded, grunting as he tossed another shovel full of dirt onto a pile. "Half-Sack."

"That the name your Mama gave you?" she questioned, one eyebrow arched over her eyes.

He shook his head. "Nah, its Kip."

"That's much better," she said on a smile. "Do the guys you were with have funny names too?"

"Jax, Chibs, and Juice," he answered on a nod. "It's a club thing. Like they have real names but…I don't know. We all have nicknames. 'cept Clay. He's just Clay."

She thought about reminding him she had no idea who he was talking about, but decided against it. It was obvious not many people actually listened to him so she let him ramble on. "Weird," she mused to herself. She unbuttoned her vest, hanging it on the grave she was leaning against before stretching out on the ground next to where he was working. At his questioning glance, she shrugged. "Might as well get a tan while you work. I may work with dead people, but I don't have to be pasty like one."

Sack laughed, shaking his head at her. "I'm gonna fuckin' burn."

"That's what happens when you're a ginger," she teased, blowing another bubble. She frowned when she realized it was out of flavor.

He caught her flicking the gum into his dirt pile and raised an eyebrow. "Ain't that like sacrilegious? You're trashing this guy's grave."

"He's not going to be in there much longer," she pointed out, shrugging as she pulled out a packet of gum. The foil crinkled as she popped out a square and stuck it in her mouth. "Plus, you're the one digging up his grave. If anyone's being sacrilegious it's you."

Half-Sack raised his eyebrows as he nodded. "Touche."

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><p>After about an hour, Angela heard Half-Sack hit the wood of the coffin and grinned. Getting up from her prone position, she sat down at the edge of the grave, dangling her legs into the six foot hole. The Prospect looked up at her warily which only made her grin. "He's not going to jump out at you," she teased.<p>

"He smells," he complained, looking up at the grinning girl. "I thought he was embalmed. They supposed to smell like that?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Embalming _stalls _the decomp process, it doesn't stop it," she explained. "The heat doesn't help either."

"Fantastic," Half-Sack muttered to himself as he began digging around the box. It took another few minutes before he got it cleared enough to open the coffin. He shook his head, hating his life when he saw what the man inside looked like. "That's great. That's great. Not only do you stink, but you're a fat bastard."

Angela chuckled at him; she'd known exactly what the dead man looked like and had known it was going to be quite a shock for the young guy. " 'Ey beware the zombie bikers!"

Her laugh grew louder when Half-Sack jumped like a scared kid. "Jesus Christ, you scared the piss out of me," Half-Sack muttered, glaring at the Scottish man.

The biker with the mohawk sat down beside her, giving her a grin that made her stomach do a little flip before jumping down into the hole. "Who's your friend?" he asked, clapping Half-Sack on the shoulder while looking at the dead guy.

"It's really bad karma digging up a grave," Half-Sack said nervously.

"Nah, as long as it's not your grave, karma's just fine," the blonde commented.

The mohawked one looked down at the big guy in the coffin. "So, how we gonna get him out?"

"I think we're gonna need a tow truck," the Scot replied.

Angela shook her head. "Nah. I got it," she said maneuvering her legs out of the hole to stand. She was surprised when the blonde biker extended a hand to help her up. She muttered her thanks before wiping her dirty hands on her pants. "We use a CLD to get them down there. I'm sure it can be used to get him out. Want to help me get it, Scotty?"

Chibs raised an eyebrow at Jax who chuckled and nodded. Pushing himself off the ground, he followed the girl towards the funeral home. "Name's Chibs, not Scotty."

"Nice to meet you," she said, turning around and walking backwards so she could face him. "I'm right though, you're Scottish not Irish."

He nodded. "Aye."

"Win," she proclaimed with a smile and a pump of her fist.

Chibs gave her a crooked smirk. She was on odd one, this girl. "What's a CLD?"

She opened the back of the van, happy she had forgotten to take the CLD out before giving the Prospect a ride. "A Coffin Lowering Device," she explained, grabbing the metal bar and pulling it out of the car with a grunt. He grabbed the other end before it could hit the ground. It was heavier than he expected it to be, but she didn't seem to have a hard time managing it. "Okay put it down around the hole," she instructed, before looking at the contraption. "I'm thinking it could if we use it lower those things down there, who's to say it can't lift them back up?"

"Sounds good to me," Chibs commented on a shrug. "Better than a goddamn tow truck at least."

With her careful instruction from above, all four guys managed to get the coffin on the straps. "Great. Now one of you needs to come up here and crank this sucker up."

Juice was out of the hole and ready in seconds. Anything to help out the pretty girl. He put all his strength into cranking that little handle, fighting off a grin when he caught her checking out his arms. Little by little, the coffin raised until the guys were able to easily move it onto the ground beside the hole.

Jax nodded to the girl, clapping a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Good idea, Ang."

She shrugged a shoulder. "Thanks. You might want to pull whatever you're putting him in around so you can just dump him. I'll get you a bag."

Juice watched her head back towards the van, once again noticing the confident swing of her hips and round ass as she walked. "Cool chick," he said, turning to look at Jax and Chibs. "Weird, but cool."

"She's got nice tits too," Chibs put in with a knowing smirk. "You interested, Juicy boy?"

He grinned in response, nodding his head. "A little bit," he admitted shamelessly. "You gotta admit she's hot."

Jax chuckled, shaking his head at his brother. "Have at it, bro," he said handing him an envelope filled with money. "Give her the whole thing. I'm sure she'll like you even more."

"Awesome," he said on a chuckle. As Chibs, Jax, and Half-Sack started loading the dead body into the Suburban, Juice approached the strange girl, extending the envelope to her. "That's for having to hang out with Sack all day."

She smiled, opening the envelope and flipping through the cash. "Thanks…" she paused awkwardly, unsure if this one was Juice or Jax.

"Juice," he filled in with a big goofy grin.

"Juice," she repeated, shoving the envelope into the back pocket of her jeans. "This is some weird shit you guys are doing."

He nodded, glancing back at where Half-Sack was groaning under the weight of the dead guy. "Not something we do every day, I swear," he assured her. "Which is why your silence would be much appreciated."

"Oh, don't worry about that," she said with a wave of her hand. "This isn't that exciting of a story to tell. Just make sure your Prospect gets back with time to fill up that hole. I just finished scraping the dirt out of my fingernails."

She left him wondering what _was_ an exciting story to tell in her book. He bet she had all kinds of them since she worked with dead people and all. "Will do," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Nice to meet you, Angel."

Angela opened her mouth to correct him then decided against it. She didn't mind the way the nickname sounded coming from the handsome man's lips. "You too, Juice. You guys have my number if you need anything else, right?"

"Maybe I'll take it down again," he said, pulling out his personal phone. "Just so I have it."

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><p><strong>So? Good? Bad? Ugly?<strong>

**I love and welcome all kinds of feedback! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	2. Back Again

**New chapter! YAY!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted, etc.! :) I was both surprised and happy to see all the reviews and read some honest comments about the story! Honest, well written criticisms are so rare that when I get them, I take them to heart! Hopefully this chapter shows that!**

**Keep your reviews, comments, critiques coming! I love reading them!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 2: Back Again_

_By Love Ink_

Angela was just finishing up embalming someone when her cell phone rang. Raising an eyebrow, she took off one set of gloves and reached for it. "Angela Ruiz," she answered in work mode, cradling it between her shoulder and her ear as she put another pair of gloves on. She always double gloved, you could never be too careful around dead people no matter how much disinfectant was put on them.

"Angel? It's Juice," came the voice on the other end. "We met today…when we needed a body…"

She smiled, she didn't need the reminder; his goofy grin had stayed with her all day. "I remember. What can I do for you?"

"Is the uh...oven free? We need it and we know Skeeter's a little…distracted," he said for lack of a better word. Skeeter was probably having the time of his life with the Croweater he'd sought out as payment.

"Yeah, sure," she replied on a shrug. She figured Skeeter already knew about it. She knew they'd probably need it for something that wasn't exactly legal, but her moral compass had never pointed true North and Skeeter had explained how important the Sons of Anarchy were in Charming. If they needed her, she was more than happy to help out. "Come over whenever. I'll be here."

Juice found that interesting. "Do you live there?"

"Yeah, actually," she answered on a light laugh. "There's an apartment over the parlor."

"Creepy."

"You get used to it, I guess. These bodies…do they need anything special done to them?"

She could hear him sigh as he thought. "Um…no, probably not. I don't know. Do bodies usually need something special?"

"Well, are you taking their ashes with you?"

"I don't think that'll be necessary, though I'm not a hundred percent sure. Tig's a weirdo."

Angela didn't know who Tig was, but she made a mental note to turn the cremulator on, just in case. "Okay. Just let me know when you're out back."

"Sounds good," he sang and she could hear the smile in his voice. "See you later then, Angel."

"Later," she said, taking off both pairs of gloves and tossing them into the trash. She looked down at what she was wearing and cursed. Of course, a bunch of hot biker men would be coming over when she was in sweats and a tank. Quickly, she went over to the incinerator and turned it on so it would heat up before rushing into the parlor.

She ripped open the door that hid the stairs to her apartment. Taking the steps two at a time, she bounded into her place. The apartment had originally been slave quarters for the huge plantation house but when Skeeter's old man transformed it into a funeral home, he'd converted it into a decent sized apartment complete with a small kitchen. It was cozy, if not a little morbid.

Once in her bedroom, she quickly changed into a pair of tight ripped jeans before throwing on a red plaid shirt over her white wife beater. She slipped her feet into her favorite pair of Converses and re-braided her hair so that it was nice and neat. She finished just seconds before her phone went off. "Angela Ruiz."

"We're outside," Juice's voice answered.

"Be right there," she said already on her way down the steps. Instead of going out of the front door, she went around back. That's where the boys had gone before, and she was pretty sure that's where they'd be again. She spotted five bikes and a truck as she rounded the corner. Their owners were leaning against the building, a few of them smoking, one of them looking down at his feet.

Juice pushed himself off the wall and headed her way. "Hey Angel," he greeted with a big goofy smile that made her heart skip a beat. "Thanks for doing this on such short notice."

"No worries," she said on a shrug. She watched as the rest of the men headed her way and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you all going to go in there for this?"

"Guess so," Juice answered, following her towards the separate building, his brothers behind him.

She unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. One of the older looking men nodded to her, his patch read 'Secretary'. "Maybe you should go take a walk while we get ourselves situated," he hinted, nodding towards the other side of the building. At her hesitation, he smiled. "Don't worry, darlin'. We won't break anything."

Angela nodded and walked in the direction he'd nodded to, shoving her hands in her pockets as she kicked at the gravel on her trek. She took a seat on the front steps and pulled out her cell phone to play some Snake while she waited. She'd just gotten a high score when she heard the motorcycles start up again. The sound of footsteps alerted her that one of the men had stayed behind. She looked up from her game and smiled as she saw Juice round the corner, hands in his pockets.

"All done?" she asked, ending the game and tucking her phone back into her pocket.

"Yeah, thanks," he answered on a nod.

"No worries," she replied, standing up from her seat. She raised an eyebrow when he didn't leave. "You staying?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "Quality control. How long does it usually take?"

She smirked as he threw her own words back at her. She wondered how much the Prospect had told him about their little chat. "Little over an hour. Want a beer?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, bobbing his head. He let her lead the way into the main entrance of the parlor. The place smelled strongly like fresh wood and flowers. His eyes darted toward the left to find a room filled with coffins, most likely the source of the woody smell. He felt a chill go down his back. "Not gonna lie, this place kinda creeps me out," he stated, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Why? The people are dead. What are they gonna to do to you?" she asked, opening the door that led to her stairs. She flicked on the light and turned to find his light brown eyes regarding the steps suspiciously. He didn't comment on the sketchy stairs, just followed slowly after her, his boots clunking loudly on the wooden steps.

"Don't you watch zombie movies? That's some scary shit!" he exclaimed, his hands gesturing as he talked.

"I don't watch scary movies for that exact reason," she stated with a smile as she opened the door to her apartment.

The smell of coffee and vanilla hit him as soon as he stepped foot in the room. It was a much better smell than that of the parlor. Homey and comforting. He half-expected to see freshly baked cookies sitting on the counter. "A hidden apartment in a place full of dead people," he commented, looking around the sparse apartment. "Yep, still creeped out."

She laughed lightly, shaking her head at him as she headed towards the small kitchen. As she leaned over to grab something out of the fridge, he took the opportunity to check out her round ass that was well highlighted by her tight jeans. His fingers itched to just grab it and squeeze, and had she been a Croweater, he would've done it, but something told him she wouldn't be so happy about it.

"That's because you watch too many scary movies," she quipped, popping the top of each bottle with the bottle opener that was built into the edge of the counter.

"Fair enough," he said, watching her as she lifted herself up onto the counter and leaned back, her head resting against the cabinets behind her. Her position put her chest in his eye line, so he looked his fill; Chibs was right, she _did_ have nice tits.

Angela wasn't stupid, she knew exactly where Juice was looking. Rolling her eyes, she took a sip of her beer before placing the mouth of it under his chin to tilt it up so his gaze was on her face instead. "Sorry," he said as he grinned up at her, his tongue pushed up against his teeth. The grin told her he was anything but.

"Uh-huh," she said, shaking her head at him. Typical man.

He studied her face, looking for a trace of anger or annoyance, instead her dark gaze was curious; as if she was trying to figure him out. "You been in Charming long?" he asked, making the first move.

"Nah," she said, shaking her head. "Just a month or two. My cousin found this job, suggested I take it. I figured nothin' too bad can happen in a town called Charming, right?"

Juice didn't miss the sarcasm in her question. He wondered how much she knew about the MC, or if she knew anything at all. The intelligent gleam in her eyes told him she probably knew more than she was letting on. "Guess not," he said, smirking at her. "You see a lot of messed up cases?"

"Not from Charming. The bad cases we get are guys from Charming that left and get sent here for their final resting place. Usually we just get old people."

"We do our best to keep the bad shit out," he explained smoothly.

Angela took a sip of her beer and nodded. "You do a good job. Our cases are boring as hell. At least the hospital has good coffee."

"You go there a lot?"

She nodded. "I spend my mornings there. Grab some coffee, talk to the cafeteria workers, pick up dead people."

"Nice routine you got there."

She gave him a facial shrug. "It keeps me entertained. I bet your routine is very…different."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Now why would you think that? I'm just a mechanic and Harley enthusiast."

"Uh-huh _sure_," she teased a smile blooming on her face. He found that he liked her smile. It was sweet and natural, not at all like the forced "come hither" smiles some of the Croweaters wore. "From what I gather, and I may be wrong, Jax is VP and that guy with the crazy hair is the secretary and you are…blank."

Juice followed her gaze to the blank right side of his cut. He had yet to earn any patches to put there. No "Man of Mayhem" or "Unholy Ones" and he didn't hold an official patch office. He frowned slightly. "Well, at least I know you can read," he quipped, earning him a smirk from Angela. "I'm the Intelligence officer."

"Hacker," she teased.

"Intelligence officer, hacker, incredibly sexy computer wizard, call me what you like," he rattled off, waving his hand. He found talking to Angela was easier than talking to most girls. She wasn't at all intimidating and she was smart enough to carry on a conversation that was about more than sex which was a plus. "And you're the grave digger, I'm guessing."

"Mortician," she corrected easily. "Mortician, undertaker, smart, beautiful embalmer. Take your pick."

"Copy cat," he accused, watching as she slid down from the counter to her feet to throw away her empty beer. The movement pulled up the corner of her shirt, revealing more of the colorful ink along her hip. "What's that?" he asked, pointing the mouth of his empty beer bottle towards her hip.

She lifted the hem of her shirt, tugging down the waist of her jeans to reveal the full tattoo. "It's a koi fish."

Juice gaped in awe at the intricate ink. The brilliant orange and yellow colors of the fish stood out against the deep blue and white waves it was battling against. The design curved perfectly over her hip bone, the tail of the koi flapping up onto her side just above the ridge of her pelvic bone. The colors seemed to glow against her tan skin. "That's awesome," he said, reaching out a finger to trail over the curve of the fish's back.

His touch set fire to her skin and she swallowed hard, pulling her shirt back down before she did anything stupid. He pulled his hand away with a cocky grin. _Fucker_, she thought to herself. He seemed to know exactly the effect he'd had on her. "Thanks," she mumbled. Hesitantly, she trailed one finger over the tribal designs on the side of his head. "Those are neat. Bet they hurt."

"Not really," he lied. He had seen the way his touch had effected her, watched the lust fill her eyes, but he was unprepared for the rush of feeling that flowed through him as she traced the designs on his head. Unlike her, he didn't pull away. He caught her gaze and held it. It was rare he took enough time to look at a girl to consider her beautiful. Usually, his eyes were drawn to one thing. Well, two and from there the description was either sexy or hot. Standing in front of Angela, he noticed the darkness of her eyes, the fullness of her slightly parted lips, the small dimples in her cheeks when she smiled. Yeah, she was beautiful.

The loud buzz of her cell phone alarm ended the staring contest in a stalemate. Angela smiled up at him as she stepped around him. "Time to check on the oven," she called over her shoulder. She turned around to face him, walking backwards towards the door. "You comin'?"

"Yeah." He pulled up his pants and jogged after her. He watched the swing of her hips as she strode confidently into the room with the incinerator, taking a seat on the steps so he was out of her way.

Angela pulled the apron back over her head and turned down the fire as she stood on her toes to peek in through the glass window. "They're about done," she said more to herself to him as she put on the heavy duty, flame retardant gloves. "That was faster than usual."

"Tig cranked it up all the way," Juice explained deciding to leave out the fact that the bodies were already burnt to begin with. There were some things she just didn't need to know. He watched the delicate muscles in her arms flex as she opened the heavy door. He could only guess she got muscles like that from her daily work which was kind of hot in a creepy way. He liked that she worked with her hands.

"Awesome."

Juice peaked over her shoulder to see for himself, the front of his cut just barely brushing against her back. "That doesn't look like those ashes you see in movies," he commented.

"They need to be put through the cremulator first," she explained, aware of how close he was to her and desperately trying to ignore it.

"What's that do?"

She pulled the ashes out, stepping around him to dump the remains into the machine figuring they'd be easier to dispose of that way anyway. "Grinds the remains into a nice powder for loved ones to put wherever they desire. Urns, oceans, necklaces."

"Gross."

Angela laughed and nodded. She never did like the idea of cremation. When she died, she wanted to be laid to rest in one piece, not scattered like sand. "People are weird," she commented on a shrug. She put the ashes into a box and handed it to him. "All done."

He looked down at the simple plastic box and then back at her. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?"

She shrugged a shoulder, a laugh escaping her lips at the completely confused look on his face. He was cute when he was confused. "I don't know. Throw it away? Flush it down the toilet? Give it to your friend?"

His eyes widened when he realized she was serious. He hadn't been expecting this. What would he do with a box of ashes? "Real helpful, Angel," he said scowling at her. He knew what would happen if he tried to give it to Tig; he'd end up with a face full of ashes. "You're seriously gonna make me handle this?"

Angela laughed as she took the box back from him, her gloved hands brushing against his. "_Just_ kidding," she teased, laughing harder at the relieved look on his face.

He let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head at her. "Almost gave me a fuckin' heart attack."

She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Uh-huh," he said, noting that she was within arm's reach. If he wanted to, he could wrap his hands around those round hips and pull her in, closing the distance between them. His phone rang loudly in his pocket, stopping his train of thought. He frowned, pulling it out before his eyes widened. _Shit_, he thought. He was running late for Gemma's dinner! "I gotta go."

She nodded, smirking when he didn't move. What was he waiting for? "All right. I guess I'll see you around…"

"Right," he breathed, that big smile spreading across his face. He took two steps towards the door before stopping and turning around to face her again. "Hey, I'm going to Funtown tomorrow with the guys. You want to come?"

Angela fought against the blush that was threatening to show on her cheeks. Was this is way of asking her out? As asinine as "FunTown" sounded, she honestly wanted to go. She liked spending time with Juice; he was interesting and goofy. She needed some of that levity in her life. Frowning, she shook her head. "As fun as that sounds, I can't. We got a big funeral tomorrow and Skeet said it'd probably take all day which is…awesome."

"Bummer," he said, his own frown matching hers. "Another day?"

"Yeah, sure," she answered honestly. "I'd like that."

He nodded, his smile getting bigger which she hadn't thought was possible. "Cool. I'll hit you up sometime."

She gave him a quick nod. "I'll be here."

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><p><strong>:)<strong>

**Thanks for reading and please review! I love to hear all your thoughts and if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave those too!**

**~Love Ink**


	3. Diapers and Zombies

**I'm trying to update as fast as I can! I have most of the first season written all the way through and about half the second season so as long as you readers are still interested, I'll keep posting! :)**

**Again, all of your reviews are very much appreciated and well love no matter the length, content, etc. so keep 'em coming! :D**

**To give you a frame of reference, this chapter is set towards the end of Season 1, episode 3. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 3: Diapers and Zombies_

_By Love Ink_

A few days went by and Angela hadn't heard anything from Juice. She chalked it up to mixed signals; apparently, he hadn't been as into her as she had thought. It still didn't stop her whipping her head around at the sound of a Harley to see if it was him. She pulled the funeral home's huge burgundy van into the St. Thomas parking lot and slid out of the seat, hitching up her pants as she went to grab her cart from the back. She spotted the black motorcycle sitting by the steps and a flicker of hope blossomed in her chest. Maybe he was there. She saw Jax heading towards the bike and immediately felt stupid for hoping it was the mohawked biker with the goofy smile.

He spotted her and smiled. "Hey Ang," he greeted with a nod as she rolled the cart towards the hospital. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Getting a cup of coffee and then maybe I'll pick up a body."

"Just maybe?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately, bodies don't just walk to the funeral home. You have to go get 'em."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Good luck," he said as he strapped his helmet on. He watched her push the cart up the ramp before an idea struck him. " 'ey Angie! Go by the police station on your way home. I hear there's some pretty interesting scenery over there."

She quirked an eyebrow at him but nodded anyway. "Sure thing. See you around!"

After enjoying a quick cup of coffee in the cafeteria, she loaded the body into the empty van and climbed up into the driver's seat. Remembering what Jax had said, she took the long way home, driving by the police station on her way to the funeral home. A big laugh left her lips as she saw exactly what Jax had meant when he said there was some "interesting scenery". Juice was walking down the avenue in just a diaper and his big work boots, a very confused look on his face.

She slowed to a stop next to him, honking to catch his attention and laughing when the sound scared the crap out of him. "Look at that, a lost baby," she teased through her open window.

Juice just gave her his trademark grin, not at all ashamed of his state of undress. Angela wasn't surprised, his body was well toned and quite a sight to behold. He had no reason to be embarrassed about that…maybe the diaper though, she thought decidedly, he should be embarrassed about the adult sized diaper that was riding low on his hips. "Oh hey Angel," he greeted, leaning into the van through the passenger's window. "How's your day goin'?"

"Better than yours," she shot back, unlocking the door. "Need a ride home?"

He scratched at the back of his neck, still trying to figure out where he was. "Sure, I guess," he said, opening the door and groaning as he hopped into the car. He could only guess that his sore muscles were a result of sleeping on the ground. "Where'd you come from?" he asked, looking around the van.

"The hospital," she said, nodding to the body bag in the back. "Needed to pick something up."

There was a cup of coffee in the cup holder, steam coming from the opening in the lid. "Coffee?" he asked sarcastically. He was well aware of the body in the back of the van, but he was doing his best to ignore it. Leaning forward, he took the Styrofoam cup from the cup holder and took a long sip of the warm liquid.

"Hey! That's mine!" she exclaimed, reaching for the cup.

"It's still hot!" he said, holding it away from her reach. He took another sip, letting the warmth of the drink warm up his body. The after taste of it was sickly sweet and he pulled a face. "Shit, how much sugar is in here, Angel?"

She laughed, taking the cup from him when he handed it over. "Enough," she answered vaguely.

"Gross," he said scrunching up his nose. "Fuck, its cold in here."

Angela felt bad as she watched him rub his hands up and down his arms. "Sorry, it keeps the body from smelling. What happened to you anyway? Are you all right?"

He nodded lethargically. "Fine. Just sore," he said around a big yawn. "I'm never taking Vitamins from Tig again. Fuckin' lunatic."

"Did he tell you to take them?"

"No, he gave me this bag and told me to hold onto them."

Angela let out a loud laugh before she could stop herself. "So you took one?" she exclaimed, through her laughter.

"I didn't know what they were!" he defended, a smile tugging up the corner of his lips. He liked hearing her laugh and liked that he could make her laugh.

"So you took one?" she repeated.

"Yeah."

"You're such a goof!"

Juice found himself laughing at the insult. He much preferred 'goof' to 'idiot' or 'moron'. It was sweeter, not as negative as the other two. "Well, I learned my lesson."

"I hope so!" she said, a big smile on her face.

He nodded emphatically. "So this guy? What are you doing to him?"

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Umm…him…I am embalming this one."

"Huh," he said, cocking his head to the side. He'd seen the cremating process and now was a little curious about the embalming one. "Can I watch?"

Her dark eyes widened in surprise. That was a request she'd never heard before. "You want to watch me _embalm_ someone?"

He shrugged a shoulder, not at all surprised by her shocked response. "Sure. Why not?"

"I don't know. It's just weird. Most people don't want to see stuff like that."

"I've seen you cremate someone. I want to see this one too. I'm an intelligence officer, this is recon," he replied on a shrug. "C'mon, I won't bother you."

She laughed a little. Him bothering her was not something she was worried about. She was more concerned that he'd start throwing up and she'd have to deal with it. "It's not as easy as the whole cremation process, you know. It's kind of…gross."

Juice rolled his eyes. "I can handle it, Angel. C'mon. I'll keep you company. Make sure the zombies don't get to you while you're working."

Angela smirked as she nodded. "All right, all right. I've been looking for a person to protect me against zombies, anyways."

"In that case, drop me off at my place so I can change and get my zombie shooting gun," he said, pointing out the turn to the clubhouse. "I can't do very much in a diaper. I'm not Tommy Pickles."

"Is that a Rugrats reference?" she asked, a little surprised. She didn't imagine big bad biker boys watched a lot of Nickelodeon.

Juice winked at her as he jumped down from the car. "A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do!" he exclaimed, running towards the front door before anyone else could see him.

He headed inside but not before he heard her shout. "Goof!"

* * *

><p>Juice waltzed into the work room just as Angela uncovered the body. He stopped in the doorway, eyes wide. "Woah," he said, looking at the stiff old dude on the table.<p>

"Nice to see you too, Juice," Angela quipped with a smile. His light brown eyes lifted from the dead body to her face, his shoulders relaxing a bit when he saw her smile.

He took a few more steps in, making a wide arc around the table, his big black boots clunking against the ground with every step. "This is weird."

"I told you," she reminded him, watching as he heaved himself up onto the counter, leaning back against the glass cabinets filled with supplies.

His eyes were wide as he watched her work off the old man's wedding ring. She walked towards him and placed it on the pile of clothes that was resting next to his thigh. "Are those…" he trailed off, still a little put off by the whole thing.

"Yep. That's what's he's going to be wearing."

He let out a long breath and nodded. "Okay," he said, rubbing a hand over his mowhawk. "Now what?"

She shifted awkwardly from one boot to the other, biting her lip. "Now, I clean him off and…um…massage him."

His eyebrows skyrocketed to his hairline at her statement, a surprise sound escaping his lips. "Shut the fuck up," he said, an incredulous look on his face. "No you don't."

She blushed a little and nodded, spraying the body down with a germicidal solution. "Yeah. It relieves rigor and helps the embalming fluid get to where it needs to go."

"Weird."

That was the word of the day. _Weird_. Everything about this whole situation was weird, but he had to admit he liked watching her work. Loved watching the careful way she bended and flexed each limb, her lithe fingers rubbing over the muscles. For a brief moment, he pictured those fingers kneading his own muscles, her warm body pressed against his as she stroked her fingers over his back. He swallowed hard, shaking his head; this was _not_ the right place to be thinking that.

She caught the dark, almost lusty look in his eyes and a shiver went down her spine. "What?" she asked, one eyebrow arced over her dark eyes.

He wondered what her reaction would be if he admitted what he was thinking, than decided against finding out. This was only the second time they'd hung out, and he didn't want to scare her off. He cleared his throat, managing to smile. "Nothin'. Just…watching."

"Goof," she teased, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I'm not the one rubbing up a dead guy."

She rolled her eyes and continued doing her job. When she was satisfied with it, she headed towards the tank of fluid. "Now, I'm going to fill him up and drain him out."

"Awesome," he said on a light chuckle.

Angela grinned at his enthusiasm as she found the right artery and vein. She stuck the embalming fluid tube in the artery before putting the draining one in the vein. She started the machine and took a step back. "Now we wait," she said with a shrug. She rolled the small stool she usually sat on toward him. "How was Funtown?" she asked, leaning against the cabinets next to his foot.

"Fun," he answered simply. "Lots of rides and shit. I won a basketball."

"Congrats," she said, a small smile on her face. "Was it a Disney Princess one?"

At her teasing, he nudged the side of her arm with the toe of his boot. "No, it was a Knicks one, thank you very much."

She smiled up at him, laughter in her dark eyes. "Okay, big shot," she teased. Her face grew serious for a brief moment. "I heard about what happened to that poor girl. Someone should cut that asshole's balls off."

Juice chuckled, if she only knew. "He'll get what's comin' to him," he said confidently. "Karma's a bitch."

"True that," Angela agreed on a nod.

His phone blared loudly in his pocket and he grimaced as he hopped down off the counter. Another moment with Angela interrupted. "Got to go. Duty calls," he said, showing her the ringing phone. "I'll call you later."

She waved goodbye to him, feeling the smile slowly fade from her face as he left her alone. The heaviness of the situation set in once he left the room. Being around him made the depressing task at hand go by a lot faster and a lot easier. It wasn't that she didn't like her job; she loved it. Sometimes, though, it got to her. Having Juice in the room made the weight of death feel just a little bit lighter. She hoped he stayed in her life awhile longer.

Scoffing, she rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. "Get a grip, Ang," she mumbled to herself as she went back to work.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer 2: <strong>I don't own Rugrats...or the Disney Princesses...or the Knicks...but I bet you already knew that. ;)

**Yes, I could've put a lot more detail into the whole embalming process but its really unappealing and I don't feel like grossing you all out so its been sugarcoated significantly. Sorry if that bugs you! :\**

**Please take the time to review! I love hearing from you! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	4. Learning More

**Another chapter! Yay! :)**

**Many thanks so all who favorited, alerted, etc. but mostly to those who took the time to REVIEW! You guys are awesome! Thank you! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 4: Learning More_

_By Love Ink_

Angela was sitting at the desk in the main office going through some papers when her cell phone rang, loud and obnoxious in the dead silence of the funeral home. Sighing, she prayed it wasn't the hospital asking for a pick up. "Angela Ruiz, how can I help you?" she asked flatly.

"Don't sound so excited," Juice's voice came over the other line.

She smiled, relaxing back into the chair. "Sorry, I thought it'd be someone trying to get me to work."

"Nah," his response was immediate. "Just wanted to know if you wanted to get some lunch or somethin'. I'm hungry."

At the mention of food, her stomach gurgled. "Sounds good," she agreed. "Where do you want me to meet you?"

"I can pick you up. No big," he replied easily. "I'll be there in fifteen."

Her stomach did a flip flop at the thought of riding bitch with him on his motorcycle. She'd been on a fair share of motorcycle rides and knew the intimacy that riding on the back of a motorcycle entailed. The feeling of your thighs pressed up against theirs, your chest against his back, arms slipped around his waist. "Yeah, okay," she managed to get out before saying her goodbyes and hanging up the phone.

She climbed the steps to her apartment two at a time, wondering how she could get ready in fifteen minutes. At least she'd showered that morning, but she'd just pulled her hair back in a lazy braid. Taking it out, she grimaced at the crazy waves but left them that way, deciding she should get dressed before she messed with her hair any more. Kicking off her slacks, she pulled on her favorite pair of ripped jeans before pulling on a pair of black boots. She took off her fancy blouse, leaving behind the simple black wife beater she was wearing underneath it. The lace of her blue bra peeked out over the neckline and she grimaced, about to change when she heard the motorcycle pull up. "Shit," she muttered to herself. _Maybe he won't notice_, she thought, raking her hand through her hair once more and tying it in a ponytail at the nape of her neck before running down the steps and out the door.

He was leaning against his motorcycle looking all kinds of sexy in his dark jeans, white shirt, and cut. Dark sunglasses shielded his eyes so she couldn't tell where he was looking, however the naughty grin on his face gave him away. Oh yeah, he'd noticed. "Hey Angel," he greeted on an up nod.

"Hey you," she replied heading over to him.

"You hungry?" he asked, setting his extra helmet on her head when she was close enough. She smiled when he did up the chin strap for her as if she couldn't do it herself, his calloused fingers lingering on her skin for a minute before he pulled away. "I know a good deli."

Angela nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds perfect."

"Hop on." He swung a leg over his Dyna and patted the seat behind him. "You ever ride before?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Once or twice."

"Get on then."

She swung a leg over the motorcycle, sliding her arms around his middle as she settled into the seat. She let out a squeak of surprise when he grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer. "I don't bite," he assured her. "Hard."

She laughed as she gave him a quick squeeze. "I don't mind," she shouted as the motorcycle roared to life.

Juice could feel the vibrations of her laugh against his back and smirked. He liked this girl. As he left the lot of the funeral home, he rode at break neck speed, trying to impress her. She clung to him tightly, her face pressed against his back, thighs pushing up on his own as she slid closer to him. It was a short ride to the small Italian deli, too short in Juice's opinion. He wouldn't mind having Angela pressed up against him like that all day if it was possible.

As they walked into the deli, Angela glanced around at the simple décor. It was a quaint little place with a small mural of the Italian country side and the smell of freshly baked bread hanging in the air. When she'd first moved there, she would've given anything to have a Subway nearby, but as she got used to the quaint little town, she liked the absence of the commercial chains. Plus, she was willing to bet a sandwich from this little deli was going to be a hundred times better than one from Subway.

After ordering, Juice slid into the booth across from her, sitting sideways his back to the wall, feet propped up on the seat in front of him. His long fingers played with the plastic number marker absentmindedly as they waited for their sandwiches. "So…where you from?" he asked, his tone hinting that he knew it was an obnoxious question.

"Really?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. "I'm surprised you haven't done your intelligence officer job and searched my files."

He raised a shoulder indifferently. "Haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Hacker," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him. "Ask me a better question," she demanded, sliding the salt shaker back and forth between her hands.

"This dead people thing…how does a hot girl like you get into it?"

Angela felt her stomach do a little flip. He'd just called her hot. No, it wasn't as nice as him calling her 'beautiful' but she'd take it. "Dead people are easier to deal with than live ones," she answered simply. At his unsatisfied look, she sighed. "I wanted to be a make-up artist, but it's a hard field to get into. My cousin actually pushed me into the whole undertaking thing. Said he didn't think I could do it, so I did it to prove him wrong. When I realized I was good at it, he told me I'd never get into the mortuary school over in Tacoma. I applied, got in, but I wasn't going to go. Then the asshole comes in and practically forces me to go. Guess that'd been his plan the whole time."

He looked her over, noticing just the slightest hints of make up on her face; a little eyeliner, a spot of lip gloss, nothing too crazy. Not like other make-up artist he'd seen. "But at least you like it."

"Yeah, guess so." She nodded in response. He was right, it could've been worse. She could be doing something she hated. "So how'd you get into this motorcycle club?" she asked, already ready with her own question.

Juice smiled, shrugging a shoulder. "Came over from New York. The Sons needed help with something, I helped them. They liked me, I prospected for a year and then got in," he explained, keeping the details vague on purpose.

"New York, huh?"

"I thought we weren't going into origins," he teased, murmuring a thank you to the waiter as he set their food in front of them. He didn't miss the way the man's eyes had lingered on Angela's chest. A strong protective urge rose up in him, but he beat it back. Angela was not his girl. He had no right to smack the guy for looking.

"We're not, we're not," she said, holding up her hands in defeat. "_Gratzie_," she told the waiter before he left.

Juice raised an eyebrow. "How many languages do you know?"

"Two fluently; English and Spanish," she replied, taking a bite of her sandwich. "What about you?"

"Just the one. My Ma never taught me Spanish like all the other PRs in my neighborhood."

"Bet she never called you Juice either."

"Nah, Juan Carlos," he answered, speaking with his mouth full.

"Do I want to know how you got Juice from that?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, you really don't."

Angela laughed, wondering what the story was behind it, but not wanting to push. They spent the rest of their lunch asking each other random questions; keeping away from the personal ones. By the time Juice had finished with his sandwich, she'd only gotten through half of hers.

He didn't bother asking her if he could eat the rest. Instead, he just picked up the sandwich and started in on it. "I wasn't done with that," she said, scowling slightly.

"Want it back?" he asked, opening his mouth to show her the chewed up bite. She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head in disgust. He swallowed his mouthful before shrugging and handing her the sandwich back. "Just wanted a taste."

"Go ahead and finish it," she offered, pushing it towards him. "I'm stuffed."

He gave her a big grin as he grabbed the remaining part of her sandwich. "Thank you," he said before taking another bite. "What are your plans for later tonight?"

She ran her finger over the rim of her glass as she shrugged. "Watch a movie, play some video games. Nothing crazy. What are your plans? A wild party with tons of blondes and badass bikers?"

"Not tonight," he said, polishing off the sandwich and licking his fingers. "I'm drivin' to Nevada to…visit some friends."

"That's a long ass drive."

"I got one of my brother's keepin' me company," he answered on a shrug. "Maybe I'll call you up and bug you if he falls asleep."

"You better not," she said, fixing him with a glare. "I like sleeping, thank you very much. If you want to hang out before then, though, I bet I can kick your ass at Mario Kart."

He nodded enthusiastically, his competitive side kicking in. "Oh you're on."

* * *

><p>Juice couldn't help but admire the view of Angela's round ass in her tight jeans as she got down on all fours to plug in her classic Nintendo 64. When she said she had Mario Kart, he'd been expecting her to have downloaded it onto an X-box or something. He hadn't seen a real N64 in years. "How old is that thing anyway?" he teased, nodding towards the obviously well loved game consol. He took a seat on the floor, his back against the brown leather couch. "Shouldn't you update to something better?"<p>

She scowled at him as she blew on the game cartridge before pushing it into the slot. "It's a classic," she defended, handing him a green controller while taking the red one for herself. She sat down on the floor next to him. "Plus, you need money to update and blowing a few grand on a new system and games isn't in my budget."

"Fair enough," he said on a chuckle. He watched as she scrolled through the characters, finally choosing Toad. "Toad. You're choosing Toad. You might as well just give me the win!" he teased as he selected Bowzer.

"Say what you want but lightweight characters are easier to maneuver than the heavyweight ones. Better acceleration too," she said as she worked on selecting a course.

He looked at her with smirk, a little turned on by her nerdy, gamer talk. Not only was she smokin' hot, she knew he way around video games too. "You're a nerd, aren't you? A closet nerd who spends her nights looking up Mario Kart stats. I bet you looked up cheats too, huh?"

She scowled at him, shaking her head. "Cheats are for quitters," she said, selecting one of the easier courses.

"Amen to that," Juice agreed with a nod. Fingers ready as the numbers on the screen counted down.

Juice let her win the first race, just playing lazily and taking time to watch her as she played. He noted her graceful fingers sliding over the buttons, moving the joystick and more dirty thoughts invaded his head about those fingers doing very different things. "Stop creepin' and play the game Juice," she said, a small smirk on her lips.

He fought the urge to laugh; girl didn't miss a thing. "I'll get you on this one."

She snorted. "Not likely. I'm pickin' Rainbow Road."

"That's my best level," he said cockily.

"Oh yeah, you like rainbows?" she teased, smiling when he scowled at her innuendo.

"Just shut up and start the race, Ang," he replied, fingers ready, eyes glued to the screen.

But she still won. By a lot. "What the fuck?" he exclaimed, glancing over at her to find a wicked smile on her face.

"I thought that was your best level?" she said flippantly.

"Are you cheating?" he asked, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.

"No!" she proclaimed, trying to keep the grin off her face. She had learned one small trick on that specific track that saved her a hell of a lot of time, but she wasn't going to admit that to him.

He lunged for her controller. "Did you mess with the controller?" he asked, trying to grab it. His ringed fingers brushed against her stomach as he reached, making her jerk underneath him, a giggle escaping her lips. He grinned sneakily, he'd found a ticklish spot. He flexed his fingers, brushing over the spot once again and she laughed, trying to push his hands away.

"Stop! Stop!" she shouted, writhing around on the floor as he tickled her, controller forgotten on the floor beside her. His fingers slipped under her shirt for better access. "Juice!" she squealed, trying to get away from him.

He stopped, looming over her, his weight supported on his hands. His light brown eyes seemed to sparkle in the light of the lamp doing things to Angela's stomach that made her want to burst into more giggles. She bit her lip to keep them at bay. "You're a cheater," he accused, making no move to back off of her.

She sat up as he leaned back just a bit. His face was so close to hers, she could feel his warm breath across her cheek. "Am not," she replied breathlessly, watching as his eyes darted to her lips then met her gaze.

Juice wanted to kiss her. Wanted to kiss her so bad. She looked beautiful with her cheeks all flushed and eyes shining, brimming with happy tears. As if she could sense what he was thinking, she swiped her tongue across her lips. That was the end of his self control. He leaned forward to kiss her but when he was just inches away, his phone blared. Cursing the little piece of technology, he pulled away and checked the time. "Shit, I'm late," he muttered, running a hand over his mohawk.

He pushed himself off of her and stood before extending a hand to her up. She took it, a sound of surprise escaping her lips as he pulled her to her feet. Once again, she found herself dangerously close to him. Her lips parted in anticipation. And then his phone rang again.

"Shit, all right, fine," he muttered to his phone, a disappointed frown on his face. "I got to go but I'll see you when I get back. If you want. I don't know."

"Yeah, definitely," she answered, nodding her head enthusiastically as she walked him to the door that led to the outside instead of the parlor. He paused there as though there was something he wanted to say. Smiling, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Have a safe trip, Juice."

He scratched at his neck nervously as he backpedaled out the door, his cheek tingling in the spot where she'd kissed him. "Yeah, thanks," he managed to get out as he turned, heading down the steps towards his bike.

Angela leaned against the stair railing, watching him as he swung a leg over his bike. He gave her an awkward wave goodbye before starting the bike and heading off into the night.

* * *

><p>Juice glanced at Tig. The older man had his head tilted against the window, eyes closed, breathing deeply. The asshole had fallen asleep on him. Juice knew better than to wake him up, though. He'd already gotten the man mauled, letting him sleep for another hour wasn't going to kill anyone. Digging through his pockets, he pulled out his cell phone and flicked through the address book. Stopping on her name and hitting the send button. He hadn't expected her to answer the phone. In fact, he figured she'd take one look and reject the call. She did answer though, on the last ring.<p>

"I swear I told you not to call me," Angela's voice came over the phone, slow and sleepy.

"You didn't have to pick up," he shot back, smiling to himself when he heard her yawn. "Tig fell asleep. I have like an hour to go. Humor me."

"Should you really be talking on the phone while driving?"

"Better than sleeping and driving."

"Mmm," she hummed tiredly. "Why don't you wake up your friend?"

Juice sighed, wondering how much of the story he should go into. "Do you know what happens when you give a dog crank?"

"Crank as in meth?" she asked for clarification.

Juice nodded shortly. "Yeah."

"I'm thinkin' it'd go insane. Meth being an upper and all…" she trailed off before yawning again.

"How the hell do you know that?"

Her sleepy laugh did weird things to his heart. He could picture her lying on her side, phone placed lazily between her ear and the pillow, brown hair spilling all over the place. "You gave a dog meth, didn't you?" she asked rather than answer his question.

"Two grams! I thought it'd overdose or somethin'!"

"Goof," she murmured sleepily. "Did you get your ass bit?"

Juice smirked as he looked over at the awkward way Tig was sitting. "_I _didn't. Tig wasn't so lucky."

"Poor guy."

"You going to the fundraiser this weekend? We should go together," he suggested, excited at the thought of exposing her to a club event even if it was just a small one like the fundraiser.

"Sounds good to me," she said, a smile evident in her voice. "Skeeter's been excited for some lady's chili all week."

Juice chuckled. "Gemma's chili is the best."

"Mmm," she muttered noncommittally and he could tell he was losing her to sleep.

He could see the sun just breaking over the horizon and yawned himself. "You see the sunrise?"

"I'm trying not to."

"It's nice. You should get up and take a look, lazy ass."

"No thank you," she said on a sigh. "I'll have you know my bed is the warmest, coziest bed in the whole world."

"I'll have to try it out some time," he replied, smiling as he heard her laugh once again.

"Maybe sometime," she agreed around another yawn.

Juice liked that answer. It was almost like an invitation, a way of saying that she wouldn't mind him at all in her bed. He knew he wouldn't mind being pressed up against her in her bed…on the couch…in the kitchen….wherever. "I'll let you get back to sleep, Angel."

"You're not gonna crash, are you?"

His head was swimming with more than one scenario of him and her together. He was pretty sure he could make it the hour and a half they had left without falling asleep. "Nah, I'll be fine. Night baby." Maybe it was his lack of sleep that made the endearment slip out. He certainly would never have said it to her otherwise, but it slipped out too fast for him to take it back.

He expected her to freak out, call him on it. Instead, that sleepy laugh filled his ear, sending shivers down his back. Her response was whispered in a rough, sexy voice. "Night, goof."

* * *

><p><strong>Thoughts? Opinions? Critiques? Bring it on in a review!<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	5. New Discoveries

**Thank you to everyone for the feedback on the last couple of chapters! You all rock! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 5: New Discoveries_

_By Love Ink_

A few days later…

Angela drove her gunmetal gray Mazda 3 hatchback into Teller-Morrow Automotive feeling a nervous knot in the pit her stomach. When Juice had called her and asked her to stop by the garage, she was shocked. He was inviting her to take a step into his world just as she had invited him into hers when she let him sit in on an embalming. She pulled into the parking lot and got out, her eyes raking over the lot hoping she found Juice before another one of the brothers spotted her and questioned her being there. Fortunately, Juice had seen her pull in and was currently making his way over to her. "Hey you," she greeted, pushing her mirrored aviators up into her hair.

Juice gave her his best smile. "Hey Angel," he said, giving her the once over. It was clear she hadn't had work that day since she was just dressed in a pair of tight ripped jeans and a simple blue tank top. He caught a flash of silver on her finger as he watched her tuck her hands into her pockets. It was a simple ring bearing a skull with wings design. "Nice bling."

She glanced down at her hand and shrugged a shoulder. "Thanks," she replied, letting out a nervous breath. "What's up? Why did you call me over here?"

He shrugged a shoulder and headed back toward the car bay, expecting her to follow. "Thought you'd want to hang. It's been awhile."

She nodded in agreement. He'd stayed longer in Nevada than he'd told her he would; this was the first time she'd heard from him in almost a week. She followed after him, watching as he lifted the hood of the car he was working on and dug in. "How was your trip?"

"Not too exciting," he said, grunting as he tightened a bolt. "Other than the whole dog thing."

"I'll have you know that your call totally messed me up for the rest of the day," she teased, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips. "I drank like six cups of coffee so I wouldn't fall asleep."

Juice chuckled, rolling his eyes. "As opposed to your usual four cups?"

"Two cups extra is a lot," she defended on a scowl. "I was bouncin' off the walls."

"Oh hey Undertaker," Tig greeted as he strode by. "How's it goin'?"

Angela noticed the limp in his walk and smirked. "Good. How are you?"

Tig looked between them for a moment, noticing the knowing smirk on Angela's face. He pointed a finger in Juice's direction. "You idiot," he said, shaking his head at him. "You told her about the dog, didn't you?"

"You fell asleep on me in the car!" Juice exclaimed in defense. "I called her! It was somethin' to talk about."

"You got the oven goin', Undertaker? I may have another job for you in a few minutes," Tig said, his blue eyes glaring at Juice.

She knew he was just kidding and shrugged a shoulder. "I can call Skeet and have him start it up."

"Thatta a girl. I knew I liked ya," he said, setting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. "You, I'm not done with," he said to Juice. "But Clay needs your help with somethin' inside."

"Guess that's my cue to go," Angela said, pulling her keys out of her pocket. "I'll see you later, Juice."

He noticed she didn't kiss his cheek or go to hug him like she had done in the past and was grateful for it. That kind of affection could be taken the wrong way by Tig. He might think Juice was trying to get her to be his Old Lady which was definitely not the case. He was just having some fun.

Juice watched her pull out of the parking lot like a crazy person. The small car going much too fast for the quiet residential street. He shook his head at her. _Crazy lady_.

Hitching up his pants, he walked into the clubhouse and took a seat at the computer. After doing the research Clay had asked for, he decided to go ahead and do a simple check on her. More because she was expecting it than because he really cared. He figured she wasn't into too much shit.

And for the most part, he was right. She had a criminal record but it was just filled with a few unpaid speeding tickets, two minor in possession charges, and driving with a suspended license. After seeing the way she peeled out of the garage, he wasn't surprised.

He couldn't get much more on her from that. He found her birth certificate; saw that she was born in Oakland to Graciela and Victor Ruiz. That her mother now lived over in Bakersfield and her father was deceased. He found her mortician's license, her high school grades, her college grades, college diploma with 'mortuary science' listed as her degree, everything. Though her high school absence record was incredibly high, so was her GPA.

Curious, he decided to push further into the MIP charges on her record. Apparently, it was a big party in Oakland and she wasn't the only one charged. He scrolled through the list of names until one in particular caught his eye. _Esai Alvarez_. "Huh," Juice murmured to himself. Just because they were both at the same party, didn't mean they knew each other. He checked up on the second charge, seeing if there were more names in common. This one was plain and simple. Only four people were caught: Angela, Esai, and two other Hispanic sounding names. "Shit," he muttered under his breath; this girl was involved with the Mayans.

He pulled up her phone records, scanning them for private numbers with Oakland area codes that would be from Esai or to him. None appeared. The most recent one was from several years before and had only lasted a couple of seconds. Most of the phone numbers were from the San Joaquin area with a few calls from the Tacoma. The full number changed, but the area code stayed the same on that one. The Tacoma area code showed up once every week with the call lasting anywhere from five to as long as thirty minutes. He wondered if it was the same person using a different cell phone each time and what that could mean.

"Whatcha lookin' at Juicy-boy?" Chibs asked, clapping him on the bag and scaring the shit out of him.

"Nothin'." Juice quickly shut down the window. If Angela was in with Esai and the Mayans, he wasn't about to tell the rest of the MC. He figured Angela didn't know enough about the Sons to be a real threat and as long as he kept it that way, they should be good. It wasn't like he was planning on keeping her around long enough for her to be a threat anyway. Mentioning it to Chibs would be a bad idea, it'd start uneasiness about Angela that he didn't need. He'd ask her himself and see where it led.

"You checkin' up on that sweet lil' undertaker?"

"Yeah. Can never be too safe, you know?" he said on a shrug.

Chibs nodded. "Aye. And?"

"She's got a bit of a lead foot, but other than that, nothing too illegal."

"Likes to go fast, ay?" Chibs commented with a chuckle. "Sounds like she's right up your alley."

* * *

><p>Juice walked up the steps to the outside entrance of Angela's apartment. He didn't bother knocking, knowing she had a habit of leaving the door unlocked. Trying the doorknob, he smirked as he stepped inside. The smell of pizza filled his nose and his stomach grumbled. "Hey you!" her voice shouted from the small kitchen.<p>

He made his way over to her just as she was pulling a pepperoni pizza out of the oven wearing a pair of jean cut-off short shorts and a black shirt with the Oakland Raiders logo emblazoned on the front. "Homemade?" he asked, watching as she cut the pizza into sloppy triangles of all sizes.

"Do I look like Betty Crocker to you?" she shot back at him, nodding her head to the frozen pizza box on the counter.

He shook his head, grabbing a piece of pizza and taking a bite. He immediately spit it out. "Shit its hot!"

Angela laughed at him, shaking her head as she went to hand him a napkin. "You saw me pull it out of the oven, goof! What were you expecting?"

"I dunno," he answered honestly, putting his piece down and leaning against the counter. He watched her as she pulled out two plates and two beers, popping off the tops and handing him one. "Thanks."

She nodded, putting two pieces on her plate and grabbing her beer before heading over to the couch. He followed her lead, sitting down on the plush leather couch and kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. She folded her long legs underneath her, balancing her plate on her knees. "I'm glad you weren't brought by in a body bag," she started with a smirk.

Juice took a swig of his beer as he smiled. "He was thinkin' about it," he joked. "What would you have done?"

She laughed, shaking her head at him. "Freaked out. I've never had to…prepare someone I know."

"You'd probably take extra long to massage me, huh? Get all those nasty thoughts outta your head," he teased around a mouthful of pizza.

"Oh yeah, you know me, I'm a total necrophile."

He snorted, shaking his head at her. "How would that even work?"

"It wouldn't," she answered quickly. "Not for girls anyway. We need the blood pumpin' to…you know," she lifted a finger in the air, "get it up…"

Juice's grin grew bigger. He loved how she could talk about shit like that without getting grossed out or offended. It made talking with her more comfortable since he didn't have to think about censoring himself. He chuckled as he watched her take a quick sip of beer. "I did your background check, by the way."

"Oh yeah?" Angela replied, one eyebrow raised. "Find anything interesting?"

"Two MIPs. Both with Esai Alvarez," he stated, studying her face to see how she'd react. To his surprise, she didn't look shocked or even worried by his discovery. She didn't seem to care about it at all which meant she either didn't know about the rivalry between the two MCs, which was unlikely if she and Esai were friends, or she wasn't involved enough to care that he'd found out. "You involved with the Mayans?"

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Nah. Esai and I dated back in high school. When he got into the club, and I started to slip into that life, my cousin butted in and took me to Tacoma."

"Smart guy."

"Sure," she answered, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "He knew the kinds of shit the Mayans were involved with. Didn't want me anywhere near them. To be honest, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. When E finally got that top rocker, he got this big ole head and was a complete douche bag. Took my cousin's stubborn ass for me to see I was better than that."

"So you left on bad terms with Alvarez?" he questioned, wondering if she was in danger of receiving some kind of retaliation for leaving him with such abruptness.

Angela shook her head. "Nope," she answered honestly. "We've known each other too long for that. Esai's not a bad guy. Stupid, but not bad. I let him think he was the one who broke it off so his pride wasn't hurt. He'd already gotten himself wifed up anyway so he was happy. There was no bad blood there. We left as friends."

Juice furrowed his brows together, trying to figure her out. No wonder she hadn't batted an eye when they'd come in that first day. Most people would be scared of them, but she hadn't said a thing except to complain about Half Sack ruining her hard work. Guys in cuts were nothing new to her. "Do you still talk?"

"Nah, never. Last time I heard from him was on my twenty first birthday. He called to tease me about the MIPs," she said with a smirk. "Asshole."

He seemed to be thinking hard about her history, his pointer finger rubbing back and forth over his chin as he thought. She was telling the truth, he had seen the call from Oakland on her phone records. "Your cousin from Tacoma?"

"Yeah, he lives there at the moment," she replied on a nod. "He travels around a lot though."

"Sounds like an interesting guy."

She smirked, a secret hiding behind her dark eyes. "You have no idea," she commented. "So what else did you find out about me?"

"You have a fuckin' lead foot," he answered on a chuckle, relieved that they were done talking about the Mayans and that she'd passed every test he'd given her. "You got caught going 90 in a 65…three times."

"Half the time, I don't notice how fast I'm going 'til I see those freakin' blue and red lights behind me," Angela said, a naughty smirk turning up the corners of her lips. She finished off her pizza and stood up. "Speaking of fast, want to see something cool?"

Dozens of dirty thoughts infiltrated Juice's head, but he bit his tongue as he nodded. His eyes followed her as she walked around the table and disappeared down the hall. Two seconds later, she came sliding towards him, a bright smile on her face. "I thought the floors looked shinier," he said, watching as she slid closer to the couch.

"Skeeter just had them waxed!" she exclaimed, walking around the couch. "Bet I can beat you in a race."

"Only if you cheat," he said, grunting as he bent over to untie his boots. He placed them neatly next to each other before standing up and hitching up his pants. "Ready?"

Her dark eyes looked down at his black socks, a smirk on her lips as she noticed the holes in them. "You're not going to get very far with holes in your socks."

"You willing to bet on that?"

"No, I'm just sayin'."

"Do you wanna race or not?" he asked, getting in a good starting position. At her nod, he took a deep breath. "Ready? One, two, three!"

They both slid down the hall, Angela just barely managed to get in front of him when she felt one of his big arms wrap around her torso. She squealed as he carefully pushed her behind him. "Juice!" she shouted, reaching out to grab the bottom hem of his cut.

He spun around, sliding into the wall at the end of the hall. His back hit the wall the same time she hit his chest, grabbing at the front of his cut to keep from falling flat on her face. She looked up at him, eyes wide as she felt his arm slip around her waist, holding her to his chest.

His other hand brushed back a stray hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear before gently settling on the back of her neck. Dipping his head, he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. The feel of her mouth on his was electric; he'd never felt anything quite like it before. He could feel her smile into the kiss and knew she felt it too.

He took the fact that she was returning his kiss as a good sign and slid his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. She tasted like coffee and beer, and man, was she a good kisser. Flipping them around, he pressed her against the wall and slipped his hands underneath her top. He started with settling them on the skin of her hips, testing, seeing if she'd push him away. When she didn't, he slid one up towards her bra.

Angela laughed as his lips left hers and trailed down her neck, nipping and sucking as they headed towards her cleavage. "You've had your eye on those for awhile now," she teased, gasping when he cupped a hand over one breast and squeezed.

"Oh yeah," he breathed, one hand snaking behind her back to undo her bra. He'd almost gotten it when his phone rang loudly.

Juice stopped what he was doing and groaned, settling his hands on the wall on either side of her head as he looked down at her. Her eyes were dark with lust, a frustrated frown on her face as she tried to catch her breath. "I hate that phone," she said, her hands slipping under his shirt and settling on his abs.

"You and me both, baby," he said his voice husky as his eyes stared down at her.

"Are you gonna get it?" she asked, licking her lips, praying he'd say no.

No such luck. Nodding, he reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the ringing phone. "Hello?" he asked, making sure she stayed within the circle of his arms. If the call wasn't urgent, he wanted to go right back to where they'd left off. "Yeah…no…I'm kind of busy…Fine…I'll be there in ten."

Angela frowned as he pulled away, hanging his head down in defeat. "You have to go?"

"Yeah," he said on a nod. He grabbed her chin with a ringed hand and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. "To be continued?"

"I sure as hell hope so," she said on a breath. "Tomorrow?"

He kissed her again, addicted to the way she tasted. "See you tomorrow, Angel," he said, giving her his megawatt grin before he slipped on his boots and headed to the door. He was halfway down the stairs when she called his name. He turned to look up at her. "What?"

"This Esai thing…it's not a deal breaker, is it?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. It should've been. He should be severing all ties with her just in case, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. There was something about this girl that had him hooked. He figured as long as he kept her in the dark about club business, he should be fine. "Nah. We're good, Angel."

* * *

><p><strong>:)<strong>

**You like? You don't like? Let me know _please_! I value your opinion no matter how short, long, critical, etc. ;)**

**~Love Ink**


	6. Don't Worry About It

**Thanks again for all your reviews! :) They are very much appreciated!**

**Quick Note: This chapter is set in S1 Ep 7, "Old Bones". Yes, I know Juice was not shown at Sack's fight but Theo wasn't in that episode at all probably because he still wasn't part of the main cast. I figured since the rest of the guys were all there, Juice would probably be hanging around and placing his bet as well so they could earn as much money as possible. If this really bothers you, I'm sorry! :\**

**Only 153 more days til Season 5! YAY! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 6: Don't Worry About It _

_By Love Ink_

Angela parked the funeral home's van outside of the hospital and slid out humming to herself as she pushed the cart through the front doors. She stopped at the cafeteria to grab a quick cup of coffee. The usual woman who worked there gave her a bright smile. "Got it all ready for you, Ang," she said sliding the styrofoam cup towards her.

"Thank you, Claire," she said taking it before squishing a few bills into the tip jar. She never paid for the actual coffee, the different employees refused to let her, so she settled with giving them large tips instead. Coffee cup in one hand, she lazily pushed the cart down the hall towards the morgue. She set the cup down on the small table just outside of it before swiping her key card and backing into the room.

She'd only taken a few steps into the cold place when a throat cleared behind her. She jumped, cursing under her breath as she turned around to find Jax, Tig, and a grey-haired man standing around three open trays. Angela raised an eyebrow as she noticed one of the skeletons they'd pulled out had a wrench in its mouth, no doubt squeezed around a molar with the intent to pull it out. She was no idiot; she knew what they were trying to do.

" 'ey there, Undertaker," Tig greeted, nodding to her.

"Hey guys," she said giving them a small smile as she slipped on a pair of gloves. She decided to play it cool with them. Whatever they were doing, it was best for her not to know so as not to get in trouble for it later. "Everything okay in here?"

"Yeah, just checkin' out the facilities," he answered, gesturing to one skeleton and almost knocking the wrench out of its mouth. Angela cringed, that would've broken the tooth and while she didn't mind them being in there, she wasn't a big fan of them breaking shit. "Whatcha you doin' here, doll?"

She gestured to a drawer behind him. "Pick up," she explained nonchalantly. She reached over to the supply table to grab a pair of forceps and a tooth elevator before handing them to Tig. "These won't break the tooth. Teeth fall out of cranium and mandible all the time, but if you break the tooth, it's a little more suspicious."

Tig stared at the tools in his hand before exchanging a glance with the gray haired man. The man smirked. "And you are?" he questioned, his head tilted to the side as he looked her.

"Angela Ruiz, Skeeter's assistant over at Dubrowski's," she answered as she looked at the name she was given and tried to find the corresponding drawer.

"Thanks for the tip, Angela, but our guys have already been ID'd."

"Bummer," she mused, looking around Tig to the drawer behind him. "That's the body I need."

Tig nodded, stepping out of her way. She rolled it out and put her own cart next to it. Without having been asked, he expertly helped her transfer the body from the tray to the cart. "Thank you," she said, surprise evident in her voice.

"Don't mention it," Tig muttered with a wave of his hand.

"You know, Clay, Angie's the one who helped us out with the oven the other night," Jax told the older man.

Clay raised his eyebrows, an impressed look crossing his face. "Is that so?"

She shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly as she strapped the body to the gurney. "I just do my job."

"Well, thank you," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. He turned towards the other two. "Let's go, boys."

Jax ruffled her hair on the way out. "See ya, Ang," he said just as the door closed behind him. He caught up with Clay and Tig in the hallway.

"We got to worry about her?" Clay asked, nodding in the direction of the morgue.

"Nah, she's cool," Jax replied on a shrug. "She was with Sack when he took out the bodies. Hasn't said anything about them."

Clay glanced towards Tig for confirmation. Tig nodded quickly. "The Undertaker's all right. Have Juice say somethin' to her. He's all tied up in that pussy right now."

"Is that where he disappears to?" Clay asked, smirking when Jax nodded. He liked the idea of one of the guys having a stronger 'in' with an undertaker. "She ain't bad. Good for him."

* * *

><p>Juice walked up the steps to Angela's apartment, opening the door without bothering to knock. He could hear her music blaring loudly and grinned, she was a classic rock type of girl. At the moment, she was blaring some U2 song and singing. He smiled, girl could hold a tune.<p>

He wandered back towards the source of the music and leaned against the doorjamb of her room, watching as she put on mascara, her ass shaking from side to side in time with the music. He chuckled, catching her attention. A wide grin spread across her face as she turned around. "Hey you," she greeted with a smile.

She looked hot in her black off the shoulder crop top with a large skull emblazoned across it in grey. Her ripped black jeans hung low on her hips, showing off the tattoo on her hip. "You look hot tonight, Angel," he said, crossing the room and setting his hands on her hips.

Turning around, she draped her arms over his shoulders, one hand gently smoothing over the back of his mohawk. "Thank you," she replied, a naughty smirk turning up the corner of her lips. "You don't look too bad yourself."

His hands slid down to grab her ass as he pressed a hot kiss to her lips. "Ready to go see the Prospect get his ass handed to him?" he asked when he pulled away.

"You know for a brother, you're not very supportive," she teased, laughing when he squeezed her ass in response.

"I'm selectively supportive," he said on a shrug. That and he knew Sack had to lose the last round for them to make money off of him.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh," she said, grinning as he pulled her in closer and started trailing kisses along her neck. "Keep doin' that and we won't be goin' anywhere anytime soon."

"Is that a promise?" he asked, his breath hot on her skin. He nipped the area where her shoulder met her collar bone, smiling at the little gasp that escaped her lips.

She heard his phone ring and laughed, she couldn't help herself. That damn phone was always getting in the way of everything. "One day, I am going to destroy your cell phone."

"You and me both, baby," he said on a sigh as he pulled it out. It was a quick call from Chibs asking him where he was. Rolling his eyes, he gave him an update before tugging on Angela's hand, leading her to the door, phone still pressed firmly to his ear.

Angela couldn't help but smile as she walked with him. Her heart did a little flip every time he called her "baby." She knew most of the time, he didn't even realize it and that it probably didn't hold the same sentiment to him as it did to her since guys like Juice called every girl "baby". But she liked it just the same.

He helped her strap on her helmet, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before swinging his leg over his bike. She got on behind him, sliding up as close as possible and pressing her cheek to his back. In no time, they pulled up to the place where the fight was being held. The Prospect was already in the ring, wailing on some poor guy barehanded.

Juice slid a possessive arm around her waist, his warm hand settling on the bare skin of her hip. "Stay close," he said, his lips at her ear.

She nodded, her eyes on the fight as they walked towards the Prospect's corner. Juice let her go to greet his brothers. "Undertaker," Tig said on a nod. "Twice in one day, huh?"

Juice raised an eyebrow as he looked between them. She winked at him. "Don't worry about it," she said, giving Chibs a wave. He nodded his greeting before turning back to the ring and shouting at Half-Sack.

"Okay," Juice murmured under his breath before introducing her to Bobby. "Bobby, this is Angela, Skeeter's apprentice."

"I remember," Bobby replied with a smile. He'd been there the day they burned the Mexican ladies from the warehouse. He had to admit, he was a bit surprised to see her again, especially with Juice's arm around her. He wondered if there was something going on there. "Nice to see you again, darlin'."

"You too," she said, her eyes going back the fight. "Go Half-Sack! Give him hell!" she shouted, cheering him on with the rest of the boys. Juice made sure she was all right with his brothers before disappearing to place his bet.

A petite girl sauntered up to her, eyes narrowed, two strips of tape across the bridge of her nose that was a nasty dark purple. "He's taken, sweetheart," she announced, a possessive look in her eyes.

For a moment, Angela didn't register that the girl was talking to her. She gaped at her awkwardly. "Oh, I don't…I'm not…I'm with…" she fumbled, trying to find the right words.

"Hey Cherry," Juice greeted as he reappeared, slipping his hand around Angela's waist, the tips of his fingers dipping under the hem of her pants.

"Juice," Cherry replied on a nod. Juice turned back towards the fight leaving her smirking at Angela. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm Cherry."

"Angela," she replied with a relieved smile, wincing as Juice yelled right in her ear. "Nice to meet you."

Cherry nodded, a slow grin spreading across her face. "Yeah, you too. Hey, why don't we get the guys some beer? They look a little thirsty."

"Yeah, sure," she said before poking Juice in the side. He glanced at her briefly, eyebrows raised in question. "I'm going to get a beer. Want one?"

He dug into his pants and grabbed a twenty from his wallet, handing it to her so she could buy the beers. "Thanks, Angel," he answered, moving his arm from around her.

Angela considered giving him the money back for a brief moment before she thought better of it. If he wanted to pay, she was all for letting him. She followed Cherry through the throngs of people. "So how long have you been hanging around the club?" Cherry asked as they got into the line.

"I'm not hanging around the club…just Juice," she corrected. "And I've only know him for a few weeks. You?"

"A few years," she replied on a shrug. "Spent my time in Nevada, waiting for one to pick me for an Old Lady. That's where I met Sack. Is that what you're lookin' for? You'll probably have to put in a hell of a lot more time."

Angela shook her head. "I'm just havin' fun right now. Not really expecting anything," she explained.

Cherry shrugged a shoulder. "Your loss. Once you hook one of these guys, you're set for life. They'll take care of you, love you…being an Old Lady is where it's at."

She glanced over at Juice, their eyes meeting over crowd. He gave her that big goofy grin and a wink before his attention was back on the fight. Angela smiled to herself. She wondered if there was a future with him; if he'd ever consider her for that position in his life. "I'll keep that in mind."

"What's Gemma think of you?"

Angela raised an eyebrow. The name was familiar, Juice had said it more than once, but she had no idea who she was. "Never met her."

Cherry chuckled, shaking her head slowly. "You're in for it with that Old Lady. She's crazy."

"She responsible for your nose?"

"Nah, it was my fault really," she replied, touching the edges of her band-aid. "Just stay away from her man and out of club business and you should be fine."

She smirked, holding up her hands. "No problems there."

Cherry nodded, her eyes falling on Juice for a brief moment before cutting back to Angela. "He's a sweet guy. Can't imagine what he'd be like in bed…"

Angela laughed at the not-so-subtle question. "We haven't gotten there yet. Something always manages to get in the way."

"Yeah well, the club is always going to come first," she explained, shoving a few dollars at the guy behind the bar and waiting for the beer. "You can't live with that then you should get out now while you still can."

She shrugged another shoulder. "I can deal," she said, paying for the two beers.

Cherry smiled at her. "Then you hold onto what you got, girl. If you can get the guy without doin' the time or the other guys, you're damn lucky."

"Okay…" Angela said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Thanks, I guess."

"No worries. Us girls have to stick together, watch each other's backs. As long as you stay away from Sack, I got you."

She fought against a laugh; this girl took the whole club thing way too seriously for Angela's liking. "Fair enough," she mumbled, grabbing the necks of the two beer bottles and heading back to Juice.

Juice grinned at her as he took the beer off her hands. "Thanks, Angel," he said, draping an arm over her shoulders. He had to admit it felt good having her under his arm, showing her off around his brothers. The thought of keeping her under his arm for more than just a few weeks crossed his mind. She wouldn't be so bad to keep around. She had a calm strength about her and a nerd streak a mile wide that Juice liked. He decided to play it out until he got sick of her, or she got fed up with him as girls usually did; he wasn't the easiest guy to be with. Then again, neither were most of his brothers, yet a few of them managed to keep a steady girl without too much trouble. He wondered if Angela was up for that challenge. Hell, he wondered if _he_ was up for the challenge of keeping to just one woman.

"What's going on between those two tats, Juice?" Angela asked, an eyebrow raised curiously as she looked up at him instead of watching the fight.

He smirked, shrugging a shoulder before throwing her own words back in her face. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you think! Good, bad, I love to hear from you!<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	7. Next Time

**A little iffy about this chapter...hope ya'll like it! :) **

**As always your comments and critiques are _ greatly_ appreciated! :) **

**This chapter was suuuuuper long! 9 pages! woot! ;)**

Just **150** days before season 5!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but Angela

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 7: Next Time_

_By Love Ink_

The next night…

Angela finished up with the body she'd been cremating and let out a long, happy sigh. She put the ashes in a nice little urn and slipped off her heavy duty gloves and apron. Wiping at the sweat on her forehead, she let out another soft sigh, wondering if Juice was going to stop by. The sound of a motorcycle approaching had her smiling. Wiping her sweaty hands on the thighs of her jeans, she skipped towards the door, throwing it open and peeking out, expecting to see Juice and his motorcycle there but finding no one. She raised an eyebrow, stepping out of the room and into the dark night. "Juice?"

Out of nowhere, someone slammed her against the wall of the funeral home. She saw stars briefly as the back of her head hit the brick wall. A hand covered her mouth before she could scream, the other squeezing around her upper arm. "Ssh, _callate_, Angelita," Esai's smooth voice whispered. "Screaming won't do you no good."

She struggled against him, wondering what he was doing there, why he was messing with her. "I heard you were back in California, niña," he said, the moonlight highlighting his pretty green eyes. "Thought I'd see for myself."

Angela went still and just stared at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this. She'd known him since she was thirteen and could tell he was scared for some reason. "I let you go, you gonna scream?"

She shook her head rapidly back and forth and he uncovered her mouth, his hand still holding her arm. Taking in a deep breath, she looked up at him. "What the hell are you doing here, Esai?" she whispered, keeping to her promise. He wasn't a threat, not yet anyway.

"I fucked up, Ang. I really fucked up," he said, his voice shaking as he glanced nervously over his shoulder as if to make sure he hadn't been followed.

"What happened, E? What did you do?"

Esai shook his head, his fingers squeezing tighter around her arms quickly to emphasize his next words. "None of your goddamn business what I did."

"Then why the hell are you here, huh?" she asked, wincing slightly. She would've understood if he'd come to her to get something off his chest, but it didn't seem like that's what he wanted.

"I dunno," he replied, checking over his shoulder again. "I just…panicked and I needed...needed to see you."

"Its been over five _years_, E," she reminded him. "You got an Old Lady now…"

"Oh fuck that. You think things worked out with me and Dani? No, not with my old man still talking about you, Angelita. Even after all these years," he said, one hand relinquishing his grip to stroke her cheek. "You're the only one that gets me, _mi amor_. That gets this whole life."

Angela swallowed hard as she tried to process that information. Why now, she wondered. He'd left her alone for all these years; why did he come to her now? Maybe he'd done something wrong and upset his father…maybe he thought winning her back would get him in his father's good graces. "E, I can't…We're not the same people anymore."

Esai sighed, leaning forward to put his forehead to hers. "You're right. I'm a bad guy."

"What did you do?" she asked again, fear creeping into her heart.

"Just…promise me you'll stay away from the Sons, _Angelita_," he said, his eyes desperate as they looked at her, pleading. "Promise me!"

"Why? What is going on, Esai?" she demanded, wincing as his fingernails dug into her skin.

His eyes darkened slightly as he shook his head. She'd always been insistent that she didn't want anything to do with any MC. Now, she was questioning his request? There was something off there. Something she was keeping from him. "No…don't tell me…"

"E…" she said, her eyes giving away the answer.

"Angelita, how could you? After all we've been through," he spat, his voice rough and angry. "After all my father's done for you! You go to the Sons?"

"What are you talking about, E? What has your father done for me?" she questioned. Other than taking the two of them on the occasional fun outing, she couldn't remember something Marcus had done for her that would make Esai feel she had some sort of debt to repay to him. "I'm here because I worked my ass off to be here without help from anyone."

Esai smacked her across the face, one good hard slap. "You take that back."

Angela knew he'd split her lip when the irony taste of blood filled her mouth. The situation had officially gotten out of hand. She could handle the roughness of his touch and the way he was holding her but once he hit her across the face, enough was enough. No more Mrs. Nice Girl. "Let go of me, E," she said, her voice dangerously calm.

"Or what? You gonna run to the Sons?" he asked, getting in her face. "You gonna rat?"

"I won't have to," she said, wincing as his grip on her arms tightened once again. Lifting a leg, she kicked him in the crotch before reaching into the back of her pants and pulling her Glock out of the waist of her pants. It had been a sixteenth birthday present from her cousin, and she'd taken to carrying it when she worked late in the crematorium just in case. At first, the notion someone might attack her on the way from the funeral home to the crematorium seemed a little paranoid but now, she was glad she'd thought of it.

Esai stood back, chuckling slightly as he shook his head. This wasn't the first time she'd pulled that gun on him. If memory served him correctly, she used it more to scare people than to kill them. In the past, she'd admitted to him that she never actually loaded it. "Some things never change. You even got that loaded?"

Angela cocked the gun. "Want to find out?"

"It was good seeing you, Angelita," he said, giving her a smile that was anything but friendly. He put his helmet on and winked at her. "I'll see you soon, niña."

She kept the gun pointed at him until his tail lights disappeared. Slowly, she lowered it, her hands shaking as she tucked it back into the waist of her pants. Her gun _had_ been loaded this time. When she was younger, it hadn't been needed, but on her own, she made sure it was fully loaded and ready to go. Not that she would have the balls to actually pull the trigger. She'd shot cans, paper targets, small animals, but never a human being. The thought alone terrified her.

"Shit," she breathed, touching her lip with her free hand. The tips of her fingers came away stained red from her split lip. How was she going to explain this to Juice? Should she even try? Should she say something about the whole encounter? She decided against it. What Juice didn't know, didn't hurt him, though, in the long run, it might hurt her.

* * *

><p>Angela didn't sleep that night. She stared up at the ceiling, ears alert for any noise that was out of the ordinary, her gun within arm's reach. The sun had just begun to rise when her cell phone went off, making her jump. Groaning, she reached out and grabbed it, checking the caller ID and praying it was from a known number. A sigh of relief left her lips when she saw the Tacoma area code. She eagerly opened the phone and put it to her ear. "Hey," she said on a breath.<p>

"I'm outside. You awake?" her cousin's deep voice questioned from the other line.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," she said, scrambling to get out of bed. She grabbed an old sweatshirt and slipped on flip flops before padding her way down the steps, smiling when she saw her cousin.

He was leaning against his Harley, arms crossed over his chest staring her down as she headed down the stairs. If she hadn't grown up with him, Happy Lowman would be down right frightening with his tall stature, tattooed body, and piercing glare, but she knew him too well. And though his reputation was scary as fuck, he didn't scare her...very much. "Hey cuz," she greeted, giving him a quick hug.

Happy let go first, as he usually did, catching her chin in one large hand when she went to pull away. His thumb dragged over the cut on her lower lip. A look of concern coming over his tan features. "The fuck is this?"

She grimaced; she had forgotten about the small cut in her haste to get out of bed. Of course, Happy would see it. He paid attention to every little detail of everything. It's what made him such a good artist. "Had a little visit from someone last night," she explained, pulling her face out of his grasp.

"Who?"

"You remember Esai?" she asked hesitantly. His eyes darkened, a terrifying look crossing over his face. _Oh yeah, he remembers_, she thought suddenly regretting tell him. But somebody had to know in case something more happened and she trusted her cousin with her life. "Um…he was in town and I guess he…wanted to see me."

Happy shook his head at her. A slow anger bubbling in his veins. Someone had disrespected his family. Someone needed to pay for that. The fact that he was a Mayan just added insult to injury. He'd let it slide when Angela and Esai were young and stupid because he'd been locked up but this time…this time he wasn't about to let that asshole get away with it. Esai Alvarez had to die. Like a lot. "And you let him hit you?"

"I didn't _let_ him do anything. He had me pinned."

He sneered at her, shaking his head. "I taught you better 'n that."

Angela nodded in agreement. "I got out of it. Pulled my Glock on him. That's how I got him to leave."

A proud smirk turned up the corner of his lips. He knew she'd never actually shot anyone before, nor did she particularly want to, but the fact that she was willing to pull out the gun anyway made him proud. "You shoot?"

"Wasn't necessary," she replied with a shake of her head. "Brains before bullets, right?"

"Right." His phone beeped loudly in his pocket. Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss to her temple. "This ain't over. We'll talk later, aight?"

Angela nodded, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Yeah. Later, Hap. Love you."

"You too, kid."

Heaving a relieved sigh, she hiked back up the stairs and shut the door behind her. Now that she knew Happy was in town, that he was aware of the situation, her mind was at ease. Yawning, she crawled into bed, determined to get at least some sleep. She managed to sleep for two hours before Skeeter's voice woke her up.

"Angie!" his voice called up her steps.

On a tired groan, she threw back her sheets before quickly pulling on the black slacks she'd left on the floor from the day before and a loose black top. Using some of the make-up skills she picked up while working as an embalmer, she managed to cover up her split lip and the bruising. Not completely, that'd be impossible, but enough for it to look like it was more chapped than split open.

"An_gie_!" his voice was more demanding now.

"Coming!" she shouted back, working her long hair into a braid. She tossed it over her shoulder before slipping on some black ballet flats and tromping down the stairs. Skeeter was waiting for her in the entrance of the parlor. "Sorry, Skeet. Late start today."

Skeeter smiled at her, just happy to see she was awake and ready to go. He had to literally drag the last person who had her position out of bed more than once and splash cold water in their face to sober them up before anything got done. Angela was a refreshing change to that loser. "It's all right, sweetheart. Just glad you're up and...sober."

"Thanks, I guess," she said with a small laugh. He might be a creepy to most people, but in the funeral home business, he wasn't as creepy as some of the other directors. She had definitely worked for worse. "What's going on?"

"You ain't gonna be happy, kid. We got one guy, two ladies, GSWs," he said looking at his clipboard and frowning. "All three fully autopsied."

Angela grimaced. Fully autopsied bodies were a bitch to embalm. They took a hell of a lot longer than non-autopsied bodies. This day could not get any worse. "_Three? _Fuck," she growled.

"Sorry, sweets. I'd help ya, but I got three funerals to help plan and these people do not have 'sweet' next of kin. It's going to be a bitch to get anywhere with them," he said on a sigh.

She gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm. Sometimes his work was even harder than hers in that respect. "It's fine, I got it. Let me put on some scrubs first and I'll get right to it," she muttered heading back up to her apartment to change. Three autopsies meant she'd be on her feet all day and she wasn't about to do it in her fancy clothes.

Opening up the door to her small closet, she pulled out her black scrubs and slipped them on. After that, she grabbed a Rockstar from the fridge, and headed down to the morgue. She gulped down half of the Rockstar before grabbing her iPod off the counter. She tucked it into her pocket and slipped the headphone buds into her ear before putting on gloves and unzipping the first bag.

It was a middle aged man, tatted with Aryan ink. A big tattoo that read 'Nordics' going across his stomach. She wrinkled her nose, _White hate_. It was times like these when she wished she could be selective about whom she worked on. Instead, she sighed and sprayed him down to start loosening his muscles.

* * *

><p>Juice walked into her work room and just watched her for a few minutes. Her concentration was completely on the task at hand, her music so loud, he could tell exactly what she was listening to. Aerosmith. Jealousy crept up on him and before he realized it, he wanted to snatch her away from the dead guy, take her up to her room, and demand she give him the same kind of attention as she was giving the Nord on the table. He rolled his eyes at his own twisted thoughts wondering if that was how Tig's mind worked on a daily basis.<p>

He approached her stealthily, slipping his hands around her curvy waist and whispering in her ear. "Beware the zombies!" To his surprise, her reaction was to jump and elbow his side as hard as she could. "Ow! Shit, Angel!" he exclaimed clutching at his side.

After what happened with Esai the night before, Angela's reaction to someone sneaking up behind her had been a little more violent than normal. She whirled around, eyes wide as she looked at him. "Sorry! Sorry! You scared the crap outta me!"

"Good to know you have good defense instincts," he groaned rubbing at the sore spot.

"Well, I hear the word zombies and get ready to kick some ass." Angela smirked at him, taking off her gloves and slipping her hand underneath his cut to rub at the spot she'd injured. She didn't try and go under his shirt, knowing what that would lead to and though she wanted him badly, she had a ton of work to do. She tilted her head up and smiled as he pressed a kiss to her lips.

Juice shook his head at her. "An elbow to the ribs ain't gonna do much to a zombie, Angel."

"What do I need for them? Silver bullets?"

"That's werewolves," he corrected with a roll of her eyes. "You need a fuckin' shot gun for zombies." He paused as if something had just dawned on him. "Do you even know how to shoot a gun?"

She shrugged a shoulder, extending her pointer finger and thumb to make a gun with her hand and pointing it at him. "Pow!"

"Okay, wrap this shit up, we're going shooting."

Angela glanced back at the body and bit her lip. She really shouldn't. She should finish working. But Juice looked so sexy with that protective look in his eyes and she could only imagine how hot he'd look with a gun in his hand. "Fine," she said finally as she zipped up the bag. "Let me change first."

"I'll help you," he offered, going to follow her.

"If you do that, we'll never get anywhere," she said with a roll of her eyes as she skipped towards the steps.

Juice waited in the hallway, nodding a greeting to Skeeter as he went by. "Angie working?" Skeeter asked, looking over his shoulder into the work room.

"Takin' her for a lunch break," Juice explained simply.

Skeeter didn't look too pleased with that thought. It wasn't because she was skipping out on work, he knew Angela would finish the job even if it took her all night; it was that she was getting too involved with Juice and the Sons. He had a lot of respect for the MC, but he didn't want to see Angela get wrapped up in that world; she was better than that. "Treat her right," he said softly before heading back to work.

Juice raised a quizzical eyebrow at the man, wondering where that had come from. It seemed her boss cared a lot more about her than most bosses did for their employees. He shook off the thought as Angela skipped towards him wearing a pair of very tight jeans, her beat up riding boots, and a simple red plaid button up. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded, following him out to his bike.

After stopping at the clubhouse to get his stock of guns and bullets, they headed to a relatively deserted area. The charred remains of an old building were the only thing that hinted that the place had once held some kind of business. Juice lined up old cans on a slightly elevated part of the wreckage before heading back to her. He pulled out a semiautomatic hand gun from the inside of his cut.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Do you always have that there?"

"You never noticed?" he asked, a teasing smile on his face. He wasn't surprised she hadn't, he did his best to keep it concealed. At the shake of her head, he pointed to the knife he had hanging off his waistband. "I got a knife here too," he teased.

"That one, I saw," she said, scowling at him.

He chuckled. "All right, ready?" he asked holding the gun out to her. "Hold out your dominant hand."

She held out her right hand and he placed the gun inside it, using his own fingers to curl hers into the appropriate grip making sure her index finger was nowhere near the trigger. He stepped behind her, lining up his arms with hers to guide them into the right position. "Now spread your legs," he said, his breath hot on her ear.

"How long have you been planning that line?" she asked, a smirk tugging up the corner of her lips.

His leg slid between hers, gently spreading them apart. She swallowed hard, leaning back into him as all sorts of inappropriate thoughts filled her head. "Too long," he murmured, his lips moving across her ear and sending shivers down her spine. "Put your finger on the trigger."

"Okay."

"Close one eye and line it up so that you can see the target," he instructed, waiting for her to do so. It was hard to focus on what he was saying with his body pressed up against hers the way it was, but she did as she was told, taking great care into aiming it just so. "Are you holding it as tight as possible?"

"Yes sir. Can I shoot now?"

Juice grinned at her enthusiasm, slipping his trigger finger over hers. "Just feel what I'm doin', all right? Remember it."

She nodded slowly, standing up firmer in her stance and smiling as his trigger finger slowly pushed hers back. The loud sound of the gun firing filled the air making her heart beat even faster than before. He fired off several rounds with her, hitting the target perfectly each time. His arms fell from hers, his ringed fingers sliding down her body before gripping her hips. "Ready to go by yourself?" he whispered into her ear.

Angela swallowed hard, resisting the urge to turn around and attack him. "Oh hell yeah."

"Go 'head," he murmured, his mouth ghosting over her ear.

She aimed the gun and shot the remaining three cans in succession, hitting them off the fence perfectly. She turned to him, bringing the gun up to her lips as she blew across the barrel like an old west cowboy. "Done."

Juice raised an eyebrow as he realized that Angela not only knew how to shoot the gun, but was also pretty good at it. "I thought you didn't know how to shoot," he stated, a little in awe of her.

"I never said that," she pointed out with a devilish smirk. "_You _assumed."

He narrowed his eyes at her, shaking his head slightly. "Something you picked up with the Mayan?"

Angela tensed a bit at the mention of her old flame. "Please, he's a terrible shot," she managed to say nonchalantly. "My cousin taught me. I've been shooting guns since I was thirteen."

Another mention of her cousin, Juice noticed his curiosity piquing. He'd have to look up this mysterious cousin of hers later. "That's a long time. No wonder you're good at it."

"That's not all I'm good at," she replied suggestively with that sexy smirk of hers that drove Juice wild.

Juice didn't miss the innuendo. His hands found her hips, pulling her closer so she was pressed flush against him. His mouth crashed down against hers hungrily as her hands grabbed the collar of his cut, pulling on it as her tongue delved into his mouth. Without breaking the kiss, his hands found the back of her thighs, hauling her up off the ground so her legs could wrap around his waist.

He walked her towards a nearby tree, pressing her against it as his fingers fumbled with the buttons of her shirt to find that they were snaps. Smirking, he grabbed either side and pulled, unsnapping it in one quick tug and revealing a lacy black bra. He took a minute to admire the skimpy fabric; the girl had the sexiest underwear he'd ever seen. He mouthed the top of it, gently scraping his teeth over the smooth skin just enough to make her moan.

And then her phone went off, the sound of the funeral march filling the air. "Oh fuck me," she swore, tilting her head back against the tree as Juice stopped, his face pressed against her collar bone, his breathing harder than usual.

"That's what I've been _trying_ to do," he growled, nipping at the skin there. "You don't have to get that."

"It's Skeeter," she said on a breath, untangling her legs from his waist and setting her feet on the ground so she could get her phone out of her pocket. "Hi Skeet," she answered, biting her lip to hold back a moan as Juice buried his face in her cleavage, his pressing kisses to her breasts. She tried to push his head away, but he kept at it, hoping that as soon as she hung up the phone, they could finish what they started. "Yeah…shit, okay…Sorry!"

And then his phone went off. He frowned, pushing off of the tree and away from her. "I hate technology," he muttered, digging into his pants to answer his phone. "Yeah? All right. Be there in a few. I gotta drop Angel off."

He glanced at her face and for the first time noticed the small split in her lip. He hung up the phone before taking her face into his hands, he gingerly rubbed a finger over it. "What's that?"

"Nothin'. We just had a very disgruntled customer today," she lied, cursing her make up for not being makeout proof. He never would've noticed otherwise. "She wasn't a big fan of our prices so she smacked me. The end."

Juice chuckled, shaking his head at her as he snapped together the first snap on her shirt. "Who knew funeral homes could be so dangerous?"

"They are. Especially when the zombie killer isn't around," she teased, swatting his hands away to finish snapping her top closed; he was taking much too long.

"My bad." He handed her his extra helmet, helping her put it on before pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. "Maybe I can make it up to you some way?"

Angela gave him a naughty grin before stretching a leg over his bike. "Oh I have many ways in mind. They just always get interrupted."

He swallowed hard, feeling his blood grow hot at her innuendo. This girl was going to be the death of him someday, he thought as he slid onto his bike in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling herself as close to him as possible. She laughed as he reached back a hand to squeeze her thigh. "Next time, baby, next time."

* * *

><p><strong>So now ya'll know who her mysterious cousin is! A few of you guessed it! ;) I had a bit of trouble writing their interaction. At first I had her being sassy and disrespectful but then I figured...there's no way Hap would let her get away with that.<strong>

**Let me know what you think about it... :) Any question/concerns/critiques, etc.**

**~Love Ink**


	8. Family Ties

**Wow! Thank you all so much for taking time to review/favorite/alert, etc. I'm glad you all like the story! **

**148 days til SoA season 5! YAY!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 8: Family Ties_

_By Love Ink_

The phone woke Angela up once again. This time it was Skeeter, and he sounded a little panicked. Apparently, he'd run into Happy on his way into the funeral home that morning. She changed into normal clothes and headed down the steps, smiling when she spotted her cousin leaning up against his Harley looking as badass as ever. "You gotta scare the shit out of all the people I work with?" she asked, teasing him.

"I didn't do shit," Happy defended on a shrug.

"Uh-huh," she said with a roll of her eyes as she went to hug him. She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek as he gave her a quick squeeze. Once she pulled away, she leaned next to him against his Dyna. "What are you _really_ doing in Charming, Hap?"

"Came to see you," he answered vaguely, his eyes falling once again to her lip. "Thought you'd be in better shape though."

"I'm fine," she insisted, rolling her eyes. If he was there to visit her, he would've had her meet him halfway or at his Mom's house as he'd done in the past. "So you wanna do dinner or somethin'?"

"Nah, got shit to do," Happy answered on a shrug. "Headin' up to Oakland."

Her eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"Takin' care of business. Don't worry about it," he said on a shrug.

Angela shook her head. He was finally going to go after Esai. "Hap, don't…don't start shit 'cause of me."

"Someone hurts my family, they don't get to skate by," Happy said seriously.

"Hap, no," she said quickly, her dark eyes pleading with him. "It was nothing. I'm fine!"

He just shook his head at her. "_This_ time, you're fine. _This_ time it was just a smack. What about next time? What if next time its more than that? I can't protect you all the time, kid. Only way I can do that is to end this shit once and for all."

Angela felt a lump rising in her throat as tears gathered in her eyes before she could stop them. She'd been so stupid to tell Happy about what happened. She should've seen this coming. "Hap, please…"

Another quick shake of his head told her that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him by pleading. Once her cousin made up his mind; he rarely changed it. "The shit I do ain't none of your concern," he said, his voice low and rough.

She nodded, wiping quickly at her eyes as she let out a shaky breath. "All right."

Hooking a finger under her chin, he lifted her face slightly. "Keep your head up. This ain't on you."

"Yeah," she breathed though the weight of Esai's impending death was starting to settle on her shoulders. "Yeah, okay."

He leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Stay strong, kid. I'll see you later."

" 'kay. Just be safe," she said, watching him as he got on his Dyna. Happy smirked at her, as if that was an issue. The only person who's needed to worry about their safety was the man he was going after.

* * *

><p>Angela had just finished up the three bodies she needed to take care of and was about to fall into bed when her phone rang. Groaning, she prayed it wasn't another pick up. She was emotionally and physically exhausted, the last thing she needed was to take another trip to the hospital. "Hello?" she mumbled on a tired sigh.<p>

"Were you asleep?" Juice's voice came from the other end.

"Sorta," she said, rubbing a hand over her face.

His chuckle made her heart skip a beat. "You should come down to TM, we're having a party."

"I can't drive. Too tired," she said around a yawn. "Have fun though. What are ya'll celebrating?"

"Um…we made a deal with the uh…Mayans," Juice said, skirting around the real reason for the retaliation party. His eyes fell on Happy who was leaning against a tabling getting yet another happy face tattooed onto his stomach for another successful kill.

Angela felt her whole body tense at the mention of the Mayans. She could've sworn Happy was going to kill Esai, and there was no way that could lead to a deal with the rival MC. Marcus wouldn't stand for that; Esai, idiot that he was, was still his only son. "Oh. Nice."

"Hey Ang?"

"Yeah, Juice?"

"You hear what happened to Esai?"

She swallowed hard. Apparently, she hadn't been wrong. "Nah. What happened?"

"He did something bad so…" his voice trailed off.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

Juice could hear the sad note to her voice and regretted telling her. "Yeah."

She ran a hand over her face, the guilt of Esai's death weighing on her shoulders. "He responsible for those two women and the Nord too?"

"Pretty much," he answered. "You going to be okay?"

Angela laughed softly, touched by the worried note in his voice. "Yeah, goofy. I'll be fine. Have fun tonight."

"All right. Night, baby."

"Night," she whispered, hanging up the phone.

She felt tears slip down her cheeks as she stared up at the ceiling. This was on her. Esai's death rested on her shoulders. Breathing deeply, she tried her best to calm down but found she couldn't; it was all too much. Sitting up, she reached over into her bedside drawer and pulled out a small wooden Rosary with a Reaper hanging off the bottom instead of a crucifix. Her aunt had given it to Happy many years before, knowing her son could use it and hoping the Reaper hanging there would convince him to at least keep the Rosary on him, but he had just passed it off to his little cousin without much thought. Happy didn't believe in God and thought the idea that a few simple words murmured over a necklace would reconcile him from his sins was stupid. Angela, however, didn't share that belief and prayed for her cousin's soul every chance she got.

She slid to her knees on the ground beside her bed, propping her elbow up on the side of her mattress, and putting her hands together. Closing her eyes, she started to pray.

* * *

><p>Angela was flipping through the pages of a funeral home supply catalogue when she heard a knock on the office door. Sighing, she stood and headed towards the door not at all surprised to see a woman in a very nice suit on the other side. Most family members of the deceased came to the funeral home dressed in their Sunday best. "May I help you?" she asked, gesturing to the sitting room.<p>

"Angela Ruiz?" the light haired woman asked. At her nod, the woman pulled out a badge. "I'm Agent Stahl, ATF. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure," she said awkwardly as she took a seat on one of the plastic covered antique-style couches they used for meeting clients.

Stahl took a seat on the couch across from her. "I heard you've been associating with a certain member of the local motorcycle club, the Sons of Anarchy. Is that true?"

Angela narrowed her eyes at the other woman wondering how she could possibly know that. "Associating how?"

"Seems you and Juan Carlos Ortiz have been getting closer as of late. You've been joining them for certain club affairs."

"Juice is just my mechanic, ma'am. I don't know what you're talking about," Angela lied easily, crossing her legs and setting her folded hands atop her knee.

Stahl nodded, not at all pleased by her explanation. "Right, right," she said, her blue eyes darting around the room. "Now from what I hear, you grew up in Oakland running with a pretty tough crowd."

"Yeah and?" she questioned. Last time she checked, it wasn't a crime to hang out with club members be it Sons or Mayans.

"You have two minor in possession charges. Both with Esai Alvarez, son of the Mayan president."

Angela nodded. "I'm aware of that."

"Are you aware that Esai was murdered yesterday?" Stahl questioned, her blue eyes studying Angela's face. "Got an ice pick to the neck."

Angela tensed at the explanation. Damn Happy and his creative streaks. He couldn't just make it nice and clean, painless, he had to go for the creative kill. _Fucking weirdo_, she thought to herself. "No," she lied easily. "I didn't know."

"Now, I'm under the suspicion the hit was made my one of those Sons you've been associating with." Stahl studied her face, waiting for the girl to get upset. Waiting to see if she would turn on the Sons because they had killed an old flame of hers. "That has to upset you."

"I haven't heard from Esai in years, Ma'am. He was dead to me long before he was actually dead," she explained calmly. "Did you just come here to tell me the bad news, or did you want something else?"

Stahl tilted her head to the side as she studied Angela, wondering what it would take to make her crack; there had to be something. "I bet certain members of the club would be quite shocked to hear about your old connections."

"Quite," Angela mimicked with a smirk. She'd already told Juice, if that was the card Stahl was going to pull, she wouldn't get very far. Plus, if it came down to it, Happy could step in and vouch for her.

"Wouldn't want _that_ to get out, would you Ms. Ruiz?"

Angela leant forward, a dark look on her face. "Are you threatening me, Agent Stahl?"

"No," she answered on a quick intake of breath.

"Is there a point to any of these questions?"

Stahl pressed her lips together, a curious look in her eyes as she got to the point of the conversation. "Do you know anything about the Sons' illegal activities?"

"Not unless fixing cars is illegal because that's pretty much the only connection I have to them, sorry," Angela shot back on a shrug.

Stahl smirked, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees. "C'mon, Angie. You're going to tell me you know nothing?"

"Only thing I know is that they're awesome mechanics," Angela said, standing up from her seat on the couch. "We done here?"

Stahl stood, wiping her hands on the front of her pants. "Guess so. I would stop and think before getting into bed with SAMCRO, Ms. Ruiz. They're not the good guys they seem to be on paper."

"Noted," she replied slamming the door behind Stahl. She sighed in relief once she heard the ATF agent's car drive away, muttering, "Bitch."

* * *

><p>She headed up the stairs to her apartment, opening the door with a gasp. Someone was sitting on her couch. She relaxed when she realized who it was. "Jesus, Hap!" she exclaimed, pressing her hand to her heart. "You scared the shit outta me."<p>

"You should lock your doors, lil' cuz," he stated, kicking his feet up onto the table.

"Guess so," she murmured, closing it behind her and locking it. She headed over to the fridge and grabbed a beer for herself. "Want a beer?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks," he said waving off her offer. "I'm headin' up to Canada for somethin'."

Angela popped the top open of her beer before taking a seat on the couch next to him. "Canada, eh?"

That earned a rare chuckle from Happy. "Dumbass," he said under his breath. "Considerin' goin' Nomad. Be able to visit Ma more."

"She'd like that," she replied with a sad smile. Between the two of them, they barely managed to pay for his mother's meds. Angela rarely went over to visit her Mom and aunt, yet another thing she felt guilty about. "That mean you'll be around more?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Prez said there's always a seat for me in Charming."

She grinned, genuinely happy to have her cousin around. Though they'd had their differences in the past, she'd always liked spending time with him. Now that she was older, she could appreciate all the things he'd done for her even if at the time she'd hated him for it. "Cool," she said before taking a swig of her beer. "Hey, so this ATF bitch came to visit me today…"

Happy's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Stahl?"

Angela nodded, pointing at him. "That's the one."

"The fuck she want with you?" he questioned. He knew there was no way she could tie Angela to him. He'd done his damn best to make sure there was no way to legally tie them together unless someone dug deep into their files and checked out their parents.

"Wanted to make sure I knew about Esai," she explained, staring down into the mouth of the bottle in her hands as she picked at the label. "An ice pick, Hap? Was that necessary? You couldn't have just shot him?"

He studied her face, trying to gauge how upset she was. There was something she was holding back from him, some reason why she wouldn't meet his stare. He knew it wasn't because he'd killed someone; Angela knew the story behind each of the smiley faces tattooed on his stomach. It had to be because of _who_ he killed. He hooked a finger under her chin, lifting it slightly. "What?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up into those dark eyes of his. "Hap, was this…is this my fault?"

Angela's moments of weakness always surprised him. He saw so much of himself in her, in her quiet strength, her tough exterior that he forgot she felt things more than he did. She wasn't the cold hard killer he was. She wasn't a killer at all. She thought what he did to Esai was solely on her shoulders and the guilt of it was wearing on her. "Nah, kid," he said on a frown. "Asshole tried to carry out a hit on our founding charter's Prez. His old man gave him up so we could form some kinda peace."

She was surprised to hear that Esai had tried to kill the MC's President. It was so out of character for him. He wasn't a cold blooded killer like some of his Mayan brothers. But it made sense. That was why he'd been in Charming. Why he'd been frightened when he'd paid her a visit. "_Shit_," she breathed, wiping at her eyes. There were only two situations in which she ever let herself cry: alone and with Happy. He'd taught her not to trust anyone else with her tears, that they were a sign of weakness that people often took advantage of. "Marcus let you kill his only son?"

Happy nodded. "Yeah."

"And you didn't do it for me?"

"No," he lied. A part of him took pleasure in the fact that he'd been able to kill two birds with one stone when Clay told him to take out Esai, but he'd never admit that to her, not when she was taking it so badly.

She sighed and nodded. "You know I don't believe you, right?"

"You're too smart for that," he answered with a smirk. "Let it go, kid. Shit's over. Move on."

"Yeah, yeah," she said on an exhale, wiping at her eyes quickly.

He waited a moment for her to gather herself together before he stood. "Done?"

"Done," she affirmed standing up and giving him a hug. "You gotta go?"

Happy nodded, rubbing a hand over her head affectionately. "Yeah," he said, dropping a quick kiss to her forehead before gently pushing her away. "Stay strong, kid."

"Will do, Hap," she said, following him to the door. "Have a good trip. Bring me back something pretty."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. When she was five and he was leaving for some random trip, she asked him to bring her something "pretty" back when he left on one of his trips. Since he was eighteen at the time, he obliged but instead of bringing her back something "pretty", he found the ugliest, cheapest souvenir possible and brought it home for her. It didn't dissuade her. She'd always request the same thing until it became a tradition of sorts. Once, he literally brought her home a bag of sand. She loved each trinket though and as far as he knew, she had all the shitty stuff he got for her stored somewhere in her room. "Will do, kid."

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><p><strong>You like? As always, your feedback is very much appreciated! :D<strong>

**It's a little more into Angela and Happy's relationship. I tried to make Happy the tough guy we all love. Let me know if I managed to pull it off, and if I didn't, what I can change!**

**Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it! :D**

**~Love Ink**


	9. No Jinxes

**Because I hit 69 reviews and I'm super immature and thought that was awesome...I decided to post a new chapter early! :) It's relatively short, but I hope you like it just the same! **

**Thanks again for all of your awesome reviews, alerts, favorites, etc. Ya'll rock my socks! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 9: No Jinxes_

_By Love Ink_

Juice sat at the clubhouse computer searching through new parts for his Dyna on a suggestion from Happy. The killer had just come down from Tacoma and rumor has it, he wanted to go Nomad to stay close to his mother. His mother who lived in Bakersfield. A place that sounded familiar only because Angela had just mentioned that her mom still lived there. Her mom and aunt, actually. And Hap's mom lived with his aunt. Angela kept mentioning a cousin from Tacoma, one that traveled a lot, one that taught her how to shoot, and was a demanding son of a bitch. It all lined up in the worst way possible. "Oh shit," he breathed.

His fingers raced over the keyboard as he delved deeper into Angela's family tree. Cousins weren't listed in the national databases, but with some research on her mom or dad, he could find what he was looking for.

He went into her Dad first and came up short. It made sense, their last names didn't match. He then decided to dig into her mom. That's where he found it. On a fairly recent census, it listed Gabriela Ruiz living with Elena Lowman. Juice knew better than to search Happy's files, but he did remember Kozik and Happy talking once about his mom a few years back when he was prospecting. Kozik had asked how Elena was doing. The only reason Juice remembered this was because he thought Koz was talking about Hap's Old Lady and had been quickly corrected and cut down for his mistake. Though he'd been wrong then, he was almost sure now that Angela's mysterious cousin was Happy now. After closing down all the windows, he pushed away from the desk and headed to his Dyna. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

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><p>Angela was watching TV when someone knocked on the door. She'd been locking it now since her cousin had brought up the dangers of leaving it unlocked...the danger being him showing up unannounced. It wouldn't do her any good to have him barging in when she and Juice were together. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find a very pissed off Juice glaring back at her. She raised an eyebrow, she'd never seen him so wound up. "Um hey," she greeted awkwardly, a brow raised in confusion. If she wasn't mistaken, he seemed to be angry at her. "What's going on?"<p>

He headed into the house, waiting until she closed the door before turning towards her. "When were you going to tell me the big bad cousin you're always talking about is Happy?" Juice blurted out, his voice louder than he had intended it to be. He'd wanted to go into it more stealthily, but when he was finally standing in front of her, he couldn't do it. He had to know straight answers. No beating around the bush.

Her dark eyes widened a little as a look crossed over her face that told him he'd been right in his assumption. Happy was her cousin, and she hadn't been planning on tell him anytime soon. She blinked at him, trying to find a way to answer his question that wouldn't piss him off. "I don't know."

"Do you think I'm stupid, Ang? That I wouldn't find out? I'm the fuckin' intelligence officer! This shit isn't hard to find!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly as he spoke. In fact, it was pretty hard to find, but he was well trained in finding information so it'd been relatively easy for him. "And all this time, you acted like you knew nothin' about the club, about who we are. All fuckin' lies!"

Angela shook her head. No, she had never once lied to him. Yes, there were a few things she avoided telling him, but she had never once lied to him about it! "I didn't lie to you!" she shouted, her dark eyes fierce as they glared at him. "I never asked about the club because, honestly, I don't really care about it!"

"Then why are you with me, huh? To piss Hap off, is that it? Get back at him for making you move here?"

"No, I'm with you because I actually _like_ spending time with you, you idiot! I don't give a damn what cut you got hanging on your shoulders!" she yelled, fighting off the urge to smack some sense into him. "If I wanted to piss Happy off, I'd go fuck a Mayan for chrissakes! Not one of his brothers!"

Juice sighed, running a hand over his hair as he shook his head. That was a logically sound argument, something he couldn't fault her for though he wanted to. Looking back over the time they'd spent together, he realized it was true. She never once asked about the club or asked to be included in its activities. She just went along with whatever he did. "Then why wouldn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice back at its normal volume.

"Because I don't want _him_ to know! Because I _like_ living here and I like you and I don't want him to mess things up, Juice! I love Happy, I really do. He's a great cousin and he's saved me from a lot of shit, but sometimes, I like to make my own decisions without having him up my ass about them. Does that make any sense?"

He let out a long breath, his anger deflating as he nodded "Yeah, I guess," he said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Okay," she said on a sigh. She had to admit, it felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders now that Juice knew. There was only one person who was left out of the loop, and she didn't want him to find out…not for a long time at least. "You're not going to tell Hap, are you?"

Juice chuckled and shook his head as he took a step closer to her, his hands curling around her hips. "Definitely not," he said on a laugh, tugging her in closer. "If you're too scared to tell him, I sure as hell won't do it."

She draped her arms over his shoulders, rolling her eyes. "I'm not scared, just…hesitant."

"Yeah, sure," he teased, dipping his head to catch her lips in a kiss. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled away, a frown on his face. "Every-freakin'-time!"

Angela laughed, kissing him once more before playfully pushing him away. "Go do your shit," she said, following him to the front door. "I'll see you later."

He nodded, phone already pressed to his ear as he waved goodbye to her and headed down the stairs. She watched as he rode away, waiting until his bike was fully out of view before sighing. That had gone a lot better than she thought it would. She thought the knowledge of who her cousin was would have him running for the hills like it did to all the other guys she'd "dated" in Tacoma.

But Juice was different; he didn't take things too seriously. And while she'd always said she'd never get involved with a Son, she found that it wasn't so bad. She kind of liked that he had a life besides her. That he'd never be the doting, overbearing type of guy she hated.

She shook her head feeling stupid for even thinking about him as boyfriend potential. This was just a fling. They were just friends with benefits. No amount of time spent between them was going to change that. Though she was quite clear of where they stood, a small piece of her wished it was different. She liked him...a lot. He was sweet and kind and goofy as hell, something she hadn't come across in a long time. She wouldn't mind at all if he stayed around.

* * *

><p>Juice trudged up the stairs to Angela's apartment, not at all surprised that the front door was open. He'd called her in advance to tell her he was coming. There was music coming from her bedroom, so he knew where she was. He took off is boots and walked down the hallway, leaning against the doorjamb and watching the shoulders in her back move as she tucked clothes away into her drawers.<p>

"Hey you," she greeted without turning around. He smirked before throwing himself, face first onto the bed with a tired groan. She'd been right before; her bed was comfy as hell. "Tough day?" she asked around a laugh.

He sighed as he nodded, the knowledge that Opie might have turned rat was weighing on his shoulders. He was incredibly loyal to his brothers so the thought that one of them had turned rat made him feel awful. Adding that to all the ATF shit had every muscle in his body tensed and aching. "Massage me like one of your dead people," he requested, his words muffled by the soft fabric of her comforter. "Please?"

Her responding laugh made him smile, the weight of his day subsiding a little; being around her always made him feel more relaxed. "Gotta strip down to your boxers first," she said, smirking when his eyebrows skyrocketed up to his mowhawk.

"Are you going to take advantage of me?" he mumbled into the comforter.

"Oh most definitely."

"Well, in that case." He grinned, pushing up off the bed and stripping down to his boxers before jumping right back on the bed, face first. "Have at it."

Her smooth leg slid over his back as she straddled him. Leaning forward, she started massaging the muscles of his shoulders. "Jeez, you're tense, Juice," she murmured, a hint of worry in her voice. "What's going on?"

He groaned as he felt his muscles loosen under her ministrations. "If I let you in on this club shit, you promise you'll keep it under lock and key?"

"Yeah, 'course," she said, her thumbs digging into the cords of muscles between his shoulder blades. She leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek, her breasts pressed against his back and distracting him from whatever he'd been saying. "You don't have to tell me anything, Juice. I'm here if you want to unload, but I don't expect it."

Juice smiled slightly. He felt safer telling her club stuff now that he knew Happy was her cousin. He had a feeling Angela knew more dirt on the Sons from him than she let on. "First off the ATF has been up our asses…"

"I forgot to tell you one stopped by here," she interrupted nonchalantly, her hands moving over his ribs. "Agent Stahl?"

He tensed underneath her, his jaw clenching. "What'd she want?"

"Told me about Esai. I think she thought it'd make me mad enough at your club to turn rat," she replied on a laugh.

"And?"

"It didn't," she answered simply. "She _did_ hint that she knew I was hanging out with you. I told her I didn't know what she was talking about. You're just my mechanic."

Juice chuckled, squeezing her ankle with his hand. He doubted many people gave their mechanics massages like this. "Did she buy it?"

"Not too sure. She gave up after awhile."

"Good," he said on a breath. The heels of her hands worked a particularly big knot and he groaned. "Second thing is I found some…evidence marking one of the guys as a rat. Doesn't look good, you know? I hate to think one of my brothers turned rat."

Angela frowned, her hands smoothing over his soft skin as she pressed her chest to his back again, her head resting against his shoulder as she hugged him awkwardly. "That sucks. I'm sorry," she whispered.

She sat up again, sliding off of him to kneel beside his hip, her hands smoothing over his arms. When she got to his hand, he caught it in his own, squeezing it before he flipped over onto his back. Stretching out his arm, he set it on the back of her neck, gently pulling her face to his to press a soft kiss on her lips. She straddled him again, her tongue sliding into his mouth to massage his. He groaned, his hands sliding under her shirt and pulling it up over her head before rolling them over so he was on top.

Her hands played with the hem of his boxers as he hovered over her awkwardly. His eyes darted towards her cell phone that was resting on the dresser waiting for it to ring and straining his ears to see if his phone was ringing but there was nothing.

Angela laughed, sitting up and brushing her lips against his in a teasing kiss. "Don't jinx it, goof," she murmured, kissing along his jaw.

He gave her a grin and turned to catch her lips with his own. "Wouldn't dream of it, baby."

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><p><strong>Sorry if you were expecting some smut. Truth is, I am TERRIBLE at writing it so I usually just leave that part up to your imagination. If you have a good one, feel free to fill in the blanks. ;) <strong>

**As always, your critiques, ideas, feedback, etc. are greatly appreciated and well loved!**

**~Love Ink**


	10. Easy

**As always thank you so much to all who took the time to review, favorite, alert, etc. :) You all rock my socks! ;) **

**Quick A/N: The beginning of this chapter is meant to take place during the opening scene of S1 Ep 12 during the whole "Forever Young" montage except instead of Juice sleeping on the pool table, he's with Angela. ;)**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 10: Easy_

_By Love Ink_

The sound of a phone vibrating against her bedside table pulled Angela out from her slumber. The next sound that hit her was Juice, snoring like a lawnmower. She smiled sleepily, they'd had absolutely no interruptions the night before and they sure as hell had made the most of it. After a quick romp in the bed, they'd shared a shower, failed at watching a movie on the couch, and ended up right back in bed. She was completely exhausted but very happy; Juice was just as fun in bed as he looked.

Her head was currently pillowed against his muscular arm, her nose just gently brushing against his chest. His other hand was draped over her hip. It wasn't the world's most comfortable position, but she kind of liked being surrounded by him like she was. "Juice," she said, trying her best to shake him awake. His only response was to pull her in closer, the arm that was underneath her head slipping to wrap around her shoulders making the position even less comfortable. "Juice!" she urged, louder this time. When he continued sleeping, she nuzzled her nose into his chest before sinking her teeth into the smooth skin of his pec.

Juice woke up with a jump which made her laugh. "Shit, baby," he groaned, rubbing a hand over the bite mark. He looked down at her and gave her that goofy grin she loved. "That the way you always say good morning?"

"It is when your snoring ass won't wake up," she shot back with an equally big smile.

He chuckled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Sorry, Angel. Guess you tired me out."

"Sorry," she replied with a smile that showed she was anything but.

"Don't be," he said, softly. She tilted back her head and he obliged her with a sweet kiss, sweeping his tongue over her lower lip before delving into her mouth. His phone buzzed persistently and he groaned as he pulled away. "Let me guess, mine?"

"Been ringing all morning," she answered with a nod.

He sighed as he reached his hand out for it, one arm still around her shoulders. "Better now than last night, huh?" he joked, before pressing the phone to his ear. "Yeah?...Nah, man, I'm at Angel's. Shut up, Chibs… Well, shit…All right, I'll be right over."

Angela frowned as he hung up the phone and placed it back on the table. She moved onto her stomach, lying her head down on his shoulder, on hand tracing designs over his pec. "Time to go?"

"Yeah," he answered around a yawn. His eyes raked over her bare back as he brushed her hair off of it. He rubbed his thumb over a particularly dark mark on her shoulder blade, silently admiring his own handiwork.

She lifted her head, raising an eyebrow at him. "How bad is it?"

"What?"

"Whatever mark you're looking so proudly at. It's gotta be pretty big because you're grinnin' like a proud Papa."

Juice scoffed as he shrugged a shoulder. "It'll be there a while," he answered with a devilish grin.

She sighed, giving him a half-hearted glare. "Classy."

He chuckled in response, kissing her once more before sliding out of bed. "Jax's kid is comin' home today," he said as he pulled on his pants. "Gemma's throwin' a big party. You free?"

Her eyes raked over his fine body, memories from the night before passing through her brain. She bit her lip as she went through them, barely catching his last question. "What?"

Juice wasn't the best at reading most people, but he could see the hunger in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to get back in bed with her, but Chibs had been pretty insistent that he had to get to TM. "No time for that right now, baby," he said, winking at her as she scowled at him. "Was asking if you were free tonight. Gemma's having a party for Abel's homecoming."

"Abel's finally comin' home?" Angela exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. Juice had told her on more than one occasion about Jax's kid and she was excited to hear that the baby was healthy enough to come home. "Yeah! Sounds like fun. I should be free by then."

"I'll pick you up 'round six," he said, leaning over to kiss her once more. She nodded, putting a hand on the back of his neck as she deepened the kiss. Juice leaned into her, one of his hands tangling into her hair. When he finally pulled away, his eyes were dark with lust. A naughty smirk turned up the corner of her lips, the promise of what was to come in her dark eyes. He crawled over her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss while her hands tugged at his belt buckle. Then his phone beeped, reminding him that he had places to be. He groaned as he sat back; glaring at her half-heartedly while she laughed. "You're mean," he told her, catching her lips in another kiss, careful to cut it off before she could deepen it. "And I'll see you later."

She grinned at him and winked. "See you then, goofy."

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><p>Angela studied herself in the mirror wondering what the hell she was supposed to wear to a welcome home party for a baby she didn't really know. She settled on a black embellished tank top with a pair of dark jeans and boots. She was too lazy to do anything with her hair, so she started working braiding it into a fishtail.<p>

"You look good," Juice's voice came from the doorway making her jump slightly.

She whirled around on her heel, hand pressed to her heart. "Jesus, Juice! You scared the crap outta me!"

He gave her his big goofy grin in response. She found it was hard to be annoyed with him when he was smiling at her like that. "Sorry," he apologized, shrugging his shoulder. He stepped behind her, tugging the braid from her hands and weaving his ringed fingers through it to unbraid it.

She scowled at him, frowning at her reflection in the mirror. "Do you know how hard that was to do?"

"I like it better down," he stated simply. He played with the long wavy locks, loving the silky feel of it as it slid through his fingers. "You ready to go?"

Angela turned around, draping her arms over his shoulders. "I think so. Anything I should know?"

"Nah, you'll be fine."" he said on a shrug, his hands slipping into the back pockets of her jeans and pulling her in closer. He caught her lips in a hot kiss as her hands slipped underneath his cut to settle on the soft cotton of his shirt. If he wanted to, he could walk her back to the bed, but he stopped, pulling away slowly. "We're going to be late and Gemma's gonna kick my ass."

"Well, we can't have that," she said with a small smile as he grabbed her hand. She let him lead her to his bike. As she put on her helmet, he slipped on a pair of riding glasses. "Nice glasses, hipster," she teased, sliding onto the motorcycle behind him.

"Shut up." He reached a hand around to squeeze her thigh playfully before starting the bike. "You know you love 'em."

She rolled her eyes, holding onto him tightly as they drove off into the night. It was a relatively short ride to Jax's house, especially at the speed Juice was going. He liked riding fast when he had Angela riding bitch, it always made her hold on to him tighter, her breasts pushed up against his back making all sorts of naughty thoughts run through his head.

Once there, he waited for her to get off the bike before sliding off himself. Turning he pressed a soft kiss to her lips which she returned eagerly, fighting off a grin as his hands slid into her back pockets for the second time that day. Apparently, he liked that spot.

Loud whistles and applause made her pull away, an embarrassed smile on her face as she turned to find Chibs, Tig, and Bobby had just pulled up next to them. Juice grinned at them, pulling her into his side. "Hey guys," he greeted, waiting for them to approach so they could all walk in together. "How's it goin'?"

"Not as good as you," Chibs replied, winking at Angela.

"Got you some Little Rican lovin', didn't ya, darlin'?" Bobby teased, a big grin on his face.

Angela smiled right back, nodding in answer to his question. "Sure did."

Juice chuckled as they all headed in, slightly proud of the way she'd dealt with his brothers' comments. After seeing the blush that rose to her cheeks, he thought she was going to act shy, maybe even be annoyed by the suggestive comments Chibs and Bobby had made; but, after the initial shock, she'd just given them that gorgeous smile of hers and played it off as no big deal. He liked that, it meant he didn't have to worry about her going off on him for something his brothers said because more than likely; they would say all sorts of shit like that in the future.

As soon as they walked in, he steered her towards the kitchen where a group of leather clad women was getting food together. One of them in particular stood out to Angela. She was better dressed, wore less make up, and was clucking at them all like a mother hen. When they walked in, she leveled Juice with a glare that clearly said, 'Get the hell out.'

As usual, he didn't get the hint. "Gem, this is Angela, Skeeter's assistant. Angela, this is Gemma."

A light bulb went off in Angela's head, so this was the infamous "Gemma" that Cherry had warned her about. Gemma's hazel eyes looked her up and down, pressing her lips together tightly before giving Juice a disapproving look; the boys new better than to bring new sweetbutts to "family" events. "Nice to meet you," she said flatly on a curt nod before leveling Juice with a glare. "Get out my kitchen, Juice."

Angela knew she was included in that order so she followed Juice out, breathing a little sigh of relief to be out from under the older woman's scrutinizing glare. "That was a bit scary," she muttered.

"Yeah, she has that effect on people. I probably should've told her I was bringing you earlier," Juice said on a grimace as he handed her a beer. "She's a little…protective. Especially after what happened with Cherry."

"What happened with Cherry?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "Old lady or not, we're free to do what we want on a run as long as it stays on a run. Cherry may have gotten a little too close to Clay, if you get what I mean…"

Angela fought the urge to wrinkle her nose in disgust. True, she wasn't making Juice commit to her or anything like that. For all she knew, he was doing all sorts of other girls, but to be in a committed relationship and still be allowed that freedom…that didn't sit well with her especially since she was almost positive the same rule did not apply to the woman in that situation. She had a feeling she knew how the story ended. "Then Cherry showed up here for Sack which would account for the nasty bruise on that girl's face."

"Gemma hit her with a skateboard," Juice said on a nod.

Her eyebrows skyrocketed up her forehead. "Shit."

"Yeah, but that's water under the bridge now. Cher's gone anyways so it never became that big of a deal…other than the skateboard thing. That was kind of a big deal," he amended as though he'd just thought of it.

"Ya think?" Angela teased.

He laughed in response, steering her over to the gray-haired man she'd seen in the morgue. Angela noticed his President patch and tried her best to keep her eyes from going wide. She hadn't realized he was the president of the club when she'd seen him that day. "Angel, this is Clay. Clay, this is Angela, Skeeter's assistant," he introduced, shifting nervously from foot to foot as if he desperately wanted to please the guy.

Clay nodded to her, a welcoming smile on his face. "An undertaker, huh? Good person to have hangin' around."

"Guess so," Angela replied awkwardly.

"Keep a hold of this one, Juice," he said, nodding at Juice.

She felt Juice slide his arm around her waist, an unspoken claim. "Yeah," he agreed with his usual goofy grin. From there, he introduced her to the rest of his brothers. She noticed how he always introduced her as Skeeter's assistant. It bothered her a little. Was that all she was to him? A connection to a funeral home so they could burn bodies easily?

He pushed her to go mingle as he went to talk to Tig. She started up a conversation with Wendy, but her head wasn't really in it and apparently, neither was Wendy's. She kept glancing at Jax and Abel as though she was afraid they'd disappear. Angela just kept circling back to Juice's introductions. _This is Angela, Skeeter's assistant_. With a sigh, she decided to let it go. After all, she didn't see him as anything other than a friend at the moment. A friend with benefits, great benefits. And yeah, maybe there were feelings buried deep underneath the friendship, but she was not going to open up _that_ can of worms. Not when he was still calling her 'Skeeter's assistant'. No, she'd take on those feelings as soon as she figured out what _he_ was feeling and apparently, it wasn't anything too deep. She was just "Skeeter's assistant" to him.

Wendy excused herself from the conversation to go tend to Abel and Angela found herself awkwardly alone. "You look like you feel about as out of place as I do," a voice said, intruding on her thoughts.

Angela looked over at the brunette beside her and smiled. "I probably do," she agreed on a nod. "I'm Angela Ruiz, Skeeter's assistant."

"Donna Winston, Opie's wife," she replied shaking Angela's hand. "I'm guessing being Skeeter's assistant isn't what brought you here."

Angela gave her a grin; she was a smart, perceptive lady. "Indirectly, it was. Directly, not so much. Juice invited me."

"You guys don't got a label yet, huh?" Donna asked, smirking at her.

"Sure we do," Angela said on a shrug. "I'm Skeeter's Assistant."

Donna sighed, giving her a sympathetic look. "It's hard for them to admit certain things. I don't think Ope really got that we were together 'til we got married and had kids."

"Men are dumb," she blurted out without really thinking. Immediately, she wished she hadn't said it; she didn't want to offend Donna.

To her surprise, however, Donna laughed and nodded in agreement. "Life is hard when you have two heads to listen to."

Angela laughed, surprised by the witty comment. She liked Donna; she seemed so...normal. After talking to Wendy and some of the sweetbutts, it was nice to talk to someone that was somewhat normal. They chatted a little more about men and their stupidity when a young blonde girl came running up to them. She couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve, and she looked incredibly bored. "Hey Mom?" the girl questioned. "Can we go now?"

Donna smiled down at her little girl. "Not yet, sweetie. We gotta stick around a bit longer to make your dad happy, okay?"

The little girl frowned down at her shoes. "Okay," she agreed on a tired sigh.

"Hey, kid," Angela said, catching Ellie's attention. "You ever seen a fishtail braid?"

Ellie looked questioningly up at Donna, unsure of the strange woman. "El, this is Angie, Angela this is my daughter, Ellie."

"Nice to meet you, El," Angela greeted, shaking the young girl's hand.

"I like fishtail braids," Ellie stated shyly. "Mom doesn't know how to do 'em though."

"Well, you're in luck because I do. How 'bout I teach her?" she asked, smiling at Donna when Ellie eagerly agreed.

As Angela taught Donna how to do the braid, the three girls talked about all sorts of things. Angela found Ellie to be a truly sweet girl who liked all sorts of things from dolls to Harleys. She informed her that she, in fact, had a Harley Davidson Barbie. Angela promised her she'd babysit one day so she could play with her and her Barbies while her parents had a much needed night out.

It wasn't long after that Juice caught Angela's eye, beckoning her over to him with a finger. "Excuse me, ladies," she said, tying off Ellie's braid. "I'll see you around?"

"Definitely, see you soon, Skeeter's assistant," Donna teased.

Angela fought the urge to flip her off as she approached Juice, hands in her pockets. "What's up?" she asked him, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"I gotta follow Tara, make sure she gets home all right. You want to come?" he questioned as he walked with her out the door towards his bike.

There was no way in hell she was going to stay there without him especially not after the ice cold reception she'd gotten from Gemma. She nodded exaggeratedly, taking the helmet he'd handed her and putting it on her head before getting on his bike. He got on in front of her, waiting until she wrapped her arms around his torso then taking off after the old Cutlass.

Juice leaned back into her embrace, feeling content to have her with him. He knew she'd gotten annoyed with him back at the house for the way he'd been calling her Skeeter's assistant all night. He'd been kind of annoyed by it himself. He wanted everyone to know she was his girl but, at the same time, he didn't want to be tied down to one person. Not yet at least. He wasn't ready for that.

He stopped across the street from Tara's house, watching Tara as she pulled into the driveway and headed inside. "Why are we doing this?" Angela asked, her chin on his shoulder.

"I don't really know," Juice answered honestly. "Jax told me to. I think they got into some type of fight. It looked like someone had slapped him."

"I'm willing to bet _she_ did," she mused in response. From talking to Wendy, she had gotten the sense that Wendy was being pushed upon Jax while Tara was being pushed out. Angela felt for the young doctor; she was probably a frustrated mess torn between whether to stay with Jax or leave. She knew the feeling of being in limbo well. If Juice had introduced her as Skeeter's assistant one more time, he'd be joining the 'men-who-just-got-slapped' club.

He set a hand on her thigh, squeezing it lovingly. "Ang, I'm…" His apology was cut off by the distant sound of a few gunshots in another part of town. "Oh shit."

Juice felt Angela start behind him, her arms squeezing his waist tighter. He could feel her heart hammering against his back. "Weren't those…" she trailed off, swallowing hard.

"Yeah," he breathed, knowing exactly what she was going to ask. He started up the bike and drove in the direction of the shots. His heartbeat sped up when he spotted the yellow tape, the ambulance, Opie's truck. "Opie," he murmured, stopping next to Tig and praying like hell that it wasn't his brother on the ground there. But Opie was there, his body bent over the one that was lying on the ground…Donna's.

He felt Angela's hands fall from around his waist, a small gasp escaping her lips. Swallowing hard, he swung a leg over his seat, sliding off and leaving her sitting there. "Stay here," he ordered softly.

Angela nodded, her eyes stayed riveted to the figure lying prone on the floor. Donna. She'd just been talking to Donna only a few minutes ago. Tears filled her eyes as she heard Opie's sobs, her heart aching for him.

She watched in a trance as the paramedics took Donna away. The whole thing felt so surreal. Like it was happening in some sort of alternate reality. How could something like this happen to Donna? She was a happy mother of two! A loving wife! There was no reason for her to be gunned down like some sort of gang member.

She felt Juice's calloused thumb swipe over her cheek, wiping away a tear that she hadn't known she'd shed. She focused on his large doe eyed stare. She could see tears gathering along his lower lashes. "I'll take you home," he said, his voice deep and rough with grief. She barely nodded in agreement before he was speeding off towards the funeral home.

Juice pulled up in front of Angela's place wishing he didn't have to leave her, but this was a time he needed to be with his brothers. She tightened her arms around him in a hug before sliding off the bike and stepping around so they were face to face. She gently caressed his cheek in a comforting gesture. "Go," she murmured, leaning forward to press a sweet kiss to his lips. "I'll be fine."

"Yeah," he croaked, nodding slowly. "Yeah. Okay. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Lock your door, Angel," he reminded her as he prayed the men who had gunned down Donna didn't go after the other women they'd seen with the club. If so, Angela was definitely a target; they'd been seeing a lot of each other lately.

Angela nodded in response, wishing there was something she could do to help. She cleared her throat as she took a step back to give him room to pull away. "Um…there's a spare key in the ceramic skull at the bottom of the stairs," she explained softly. "If you need me, I'll be here."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Juice toed over the intricately patterned skull at the bottom of the stairs. There was a hole in the bottom that was corked, as though it had once been a piggy bank. He uncorked it, shaking out a small key. His heart felt heavy as he trudged up the steps, deftly unlocking the door and letting himself in. He felt like shit and needed some comfort in something other than the bottom of a bottle of Bud.<p>

He found her sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chin. The only light in the room came from the TV screen, giving everything a bluish hue. The sound of the door closing behind him caught her attention. "Hi," she greeted, a sad smile on her face.

"Hey baby," he said, toeing off his boots before throwing himself on the couch. He lay down on the plush leather surface, his legs dangling off the edge to give her room. "C'mere."

Angela crawled over to him, draping one arm around his chest as she snuggled into his side, her head on his chest just over his heart. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, turning his face to press a kiss to her forehead, catching a whiff of her shampoo, a mixture of honey, vanilla, and jasmine that he was beginning to love. "You okay?" she asked, tilting her head back to look at him.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, twisting a lock of her hair around his finger. "I can't…I can't believe it."

"I know," she breathed, lying her head back down. "Who would want to kill Donna?"

Juice shook his head. He had a feeling he knew exactly who that hit was meant for, and it wasn't Donna. "I don't know," he lied. The less she knew, the better.

"Do you guys know who did it?"

"Not yet," he replied, honestly this time. Between the Mayans and the Niners, it was tough to choose which club would want Opie dead more.

She nodded slowly but didn't ask for more information. "I'm sorry for your loss, Juice," she murmured, her fingers tracing shapes on the soft fabric of his t-shirt something that was definitely distracting him from what he was feeling.

"That what they tell you to say in funeral home school?" he asked, his tone slightly teasing.

"Yeah, actually," she replied on a sigh. "Grief counseling."

Juice sighed, his hand trailing up and down her back. "It doesn't help much."

"I know," she said, sadly. She tilted her head to press a soft kiss to his lips.

"That helps more," he stated, smiling slightly as she slid on top of him, her chest pressed against his.

She pushed off of him and stood up, reaching her hands out to him. "C'mon, baby, let's go to bed."

It was the first time she had ever called him "baby", and he couldn't help but smile in response. He loved the way that sounded coming from her lips. Sitting up, he took her small hands in his larger ones and let her pull him off the couch. He slung an arm around her shoulders as they headed towards the bedroom as he thought about how lucky he was to have such an understanding woman in his life.

He stripped down to his boxers and stretched out on the bed, stretching an arm out to her. She snuggled in closer to him, lying her ear down on his heart. Lying there with her in his arms, Juice realized he'd been wrong to introduce her as 'Skeeter's apprentice' because she was so much more than that. She was his best friend outside the club; someone with whom he didn't need to keep up the tough guy act with. He could be nerdy and goofy with her without worrying what she thought about him. He wasn't in love with her, but he did love spending time with her. Life as a Son was difficult to handle on the best days. There were so many dangers to worry about, so many secrets to keep, that it was nice to have one thing that was easy. And whatever strange thing he had going with Angela was as easy as breathing.

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><p><strong>Like it? Don't like it? Let me know in a review! I take into account all of your commentssuggestions! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	11. Truth is

**As always thanks to everyone who took the time to review/favorite/alert...You all rock! :D**

**139 days til season 5...why does that feel so long? UGH!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 11: Truth is..._

_By Love Ink_

Juice groaned as he woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He reached out a hand for Angela but was surprised to find that she wasn't there. A small note was left instead in her messy handwriting:

_Had to work early! Sorry! Coffee and doughnuts are in the kitchen. Skeeter bought them. _

_See you later! ~A_

He smiled as he got out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. He checked the caller ID on the phone and sighed, it was a telemarketer. "Fucker," he muttered, shaking his head. He padded his way to the kitchen where he poured himself a cup of coffee before opening the little pink box to find a few types of doughnuts sitting there. He shoved a doughnut hole into his mouth before grabbing a maple bar and heading towards the couch, totally making himself at home.

Meanwhile, Angela was standing in the coffin showroom with Opie, Piney, and Skeeter, trying to help the distraught man pick out a coffin for his wife while Piney and Skeeter talked. Opie shook his head, messing with his black beanie as he looked at the ornate coffins. "I can't…"

"I know, it's hard, Opie," Angela said, setting a reassuring hand on his arm. "The dark wood is nice, elegant. Good for a strong woman. This one here has these pretty silver details on the corners."

"Yeah," he said, running a ringed hand over the smooth surface of the mahogany coffin. "This one is good. How much extra?"

Angela sighed; it was quite a cost difference, but she wasn't about to let Opie pay it. "None," she said confidently. If Skeeter wanted to charge him the ridiculous rate, he could take it from her salary.

Opie looked at Skeeter, a look of disbelief on his face. "No extra costs for the silver?"

Skeeter glanced at Angela who looked worried for a brief moment; as though she was scared she'd done something wrong. He shook his head. "Not for this one," he stated giving Angela a proud look. "I'll draw up the papers."

Angela followed after Skeeter. Once inside the office, she shut the door behind her. "You can take it out of my salary, Skeet. That and don't add my fees in there."

He smiled at her. "You got a good heart, Ang. I wasn't gonna charge him extra for it anyway. I'll waive your fees too. Go ahead and give him the bill."

She took the printed sheet from him and headed back into the room where Opie was sitting on one of the plastic covered couches, checkbook and pen at the ready, Piney standing behind him. "How much?" Piney asked, his blue eyes looking her over as Opie hastily wrote down whatever number was on there and signed off on the check. He handed it to her before shoving the receipt at his old man and heading out the door. Piney took the time to look over the bill before glancing warily at Angela. "You're not getting anything, sweetheart."

"I know," she said, shifting uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze. "I don't want anything."

"He doesn't need your hand outs."

"I know," she repeated on a nod. "I'm not doing this for him, Piney. I'm doing it for Donna. I liked her."

Piney gave her a nod before setting a large hand on her shoulder. "Good girl you got yourself here, Skeeter."

Skeeter nodded. "I know."

"See you around," he said nodding at Skeeter than at Angela before making his way out.

Once he was gone, Angela handed Skeeter the check before running a hand through her hair. "She come in yet?"

"Yeah. Picked her up this morning Op doesn't want a viewing but…," he trailed off, knowing his assistant would make the right conclusion.

"I'll make her look good," Angela stated. She turned to go, but his voice stopped her.

"That Juice guy…he still upstairs?"

She blushed a little, nervously tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Yeah," she admitted softly.

The older man didn't look too pleased with that statement. "Be careful with him, kiddo. With what happened to Donna and everything…I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Angela gave him a smile; a little relieved he wasn't upset with her for having someone else sleep in the funeral home. To be honest, it was sort of a liability to have a stranger sleep there, but she trusted Juice. Either way, the liability didn't seem to be his concern. "I will, Skeet. Thanks."

She headed up the steps and into her apartment, smiling as she found Juice sitting on the couch freshly showered and dressed, his boots kicked up on the coffee table. He was just sinking his teeth into a doughnut when she walked in. "Hey you," she greeted, taking a seat next to him.

He placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in closer to his side. "You got up early," he stated, taking his eyes off the TV to look at her.

Her pretty brown eyes were sad as she sighed. "Opie and Piney came in. They needed a woman's eye for certain things. "

Juice sighed as the happenings of the night before came back to him. "How's Op?"

"How do you think?"

He frowned in response, turning his head to kiss her forehead as she sighed. "I probably should go and be with my brothers."

"Okay," she said on a nod. "I have to get to work."

He got up with a grunt before extending a hand to help her up. He hugged her to his chest, leaning down to kiss her. "Good luck, baby."

"I'll see you later?"

He nodded. "I'll be around."

As soon as he was gone, she heard another motorcycle pull up and groaned. Not now. As much as she loved her cousin, she had a lot on her plate right now and putting off preparing Donna was not going to make it any easier for her. Sighing, she walked down the steps to meet her cousin in the back lot just as he pulled up. He slung his leg off his Dyna as he took off his helmet, setting it carefully on his handlebars. "Hey kid," he greeted, giving her a quick hug. "You helpin' out with Op's Old Lady?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah," she replied, sitting down on the back steps. He took a seat next to her, stretching out his long legs and pulling out his box of cigarettes and the Zippo lighter she'd bought him when she was ten. It was an ugly black thing with a bright yellow smiley face on it; she'd saved a few months worth of her allowance to get it for him for his birthday. "You still have that thing?"

He raised an eyebrow at her as he lit a cigarette, giving her a look that told her it was a stupid question. Obviously, he still had it. "Yeah, so?" he asked after taking a drag.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. Sometimes she forgot her cousin had a sentimental streak in him. It was small, but it was there. The fact that he kept that ugly lighter was evidence enough. "How was Canada?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Uneventful," he answered easily, his eyes glancing down the road. "Saw Juice on my way in."

She grimaced, nervously playing with the ring on her right hand. One Happy had given her. "Yeah. He was just here."

"He been comin' round a lot lately?"

"Yeah," she answered honestly. Had it been a few years earlier, she would've lied to him, made up an elaborate story about her car breaking down or something…but she wasn't a teenager anymore. Plus, her secrets never stayed secrets for long with Happy. He _always_ found out, and something told her, he already knew anyway. "But you knew that."

If he was shocked by her honesty, he didn't show it; he just shrugged in response. He had known she and Juice had a little something going on. When Angela first moved to Charming, he'd told Tig to look out for her. The moment she popped up on the Sons' radar, the SAMCRO Sergeant at Arms gave him a call to inform him what she was doing and who she was doing it with. "Thought you wanted nothing to do with the Sons."

"I don't."

"Don't look like it."

"I like Juice. He's a good guy. The fact that he's a Son has nothing to do with it."

He looked her over, noting the way her eyes were focused on her feet, the way she was twisting that ring around her finger. He knew she was worried about his reaction. Truthfully, she could've done worse. Juice was an idiot, but he was more innocent than the others. If anyone was going to treat Angela right, it'd be him. Still, it didn't sit well with him especially after what happened to Donna. "So what? You're his girl now?"

"I don't know, Hap," she said on a sigh. "We're just having fun."

Happy's eyebrows lifted at that statement. He sure as hell didn't like the sound of that. It made her sound easy, like a local sweetbutt. Having fun and then what? Was Juice gonna toss her out on her ass like a piece of trash? "Last thing I want is for you to be some croweater, Ang."

"Nah, don't worry," Angela said with a small smile. "Like I said, I just like him. The cut on his back's got nothing to do with it."

He grunted, his dark eyes staring back off into the distance as he thought about her new little fling. He knew he could stop it if he wanted to. Juice was loyal as hell to the club and its members. If he had a problem with it, he wouldn't even need to get violent about it; he could just ask Juice to cut it off and he would. But how would that affect Angela? He frowned as he shook his head. "I don't like it."

She sighed, feeling completely helpless. That was the kiss of death. If Happy didn't like it, it didn't matter how much she fought against him; Juice would end it. Easy as that. This was why she'd been keeping it from him. "Yeah, I figured. So that's it then?"

That defeated, almost sad note to her voice bothered Happy. She'd been so cheery the last time he'd talked to her; he had practically been able to hear the smile in her voice over the phone. That had all faded in a couple of minutes because he'd said he didn't like her with Juice. He could handle making Angela miserable if he had a good reason for it, but this time, he didn't. Yeah, he didn't like the idea of her and Juice together, but if she wasn't expecting anything from the kid, how could she get hurt? "I don't want you to be the next Old Lady in a casket."

A flicker of hope blossomed in Angela's chest. The fact that he was explaining himself to her told her she might have a shot at changing his mind. He was waiting to hear her response and if she played her cards right, he might give in. "We're just friends, Hap. I'm not looking to be anyone's Old Lady. We're just having some fun."

Happy nodded contemplatively as his phone beeped in his pocket. "I gotta go, kid," he stated, leaning over to kiss her temple. "This ain't over. We'll talk more later."

She glanced up at him quizzically, trying to figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Okay. See you."

Swinging one leg over his Dyna, he gave her a quick nod before starting it up and driving away. She stared after the motorcycle, watching it as it got smaller and smaller. She'd never understand her cousin.

* * *

><p>Angela put her head phones in her ear, putting on her classic rock music playlist as loud as she could take trying to drown out the heaviness of the situation with the volume of her music. Swallowing hard, she pulled the table with Donna on it to the center of the room, fixing the lights just so before she got to work, losing herself in the music and the task at hand. She tried not to think of the way little Ellie had looked adoringly at her mother when they were talking at the baby shower or the way Opie was constantly looking at her, checking to see if she was okay. Instead, she focused on the business side of the situation.<p>

Juice stared at the closed door of the work room. Angela had never closed the door before, never bothered to draw the shade. She said not enough people walked down to visit her for it to be an issue. Hesitantly, he turned the knob, slightly relieved when it opened. After sending Tig, Happy, and Chibs to kill a seventeen year old girl, he needed some assurance that he wasn't a complete monster. He needed her.

He stepped into the room and stared at the sight before him as an even heavier weight fell on his shoulders. Angela was working on Donna's face, putting makeup on over the bullet wound in her forehead. Some rock music blasted in through her head phones, the reason she hadn't noticed him yet.

Juice took a moment to study her face. Her eyes were focused on the task at hand, dark and intense as she worked; the same intense stare he'd seen on Happy's face when he was torturing someone only a little softer and definitely not as scary. He watched the muscles in her arm move fluidly underneath her caramel skin as she worked. The embalming part was over, so she'd taken her most of her protective gear off. She was wearing just a simple black beater and jeans with her rubber apron over it. Paper sleeves covered her forearms up to her elbows, protecting her skin. As she tilted her head to the side, the light from above made the wet trail of a tear glimmer on her cheek. She sniffled slightly before blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face, mumbling something to herself. He frowned when he realized what she'd said: _Keep it together, Ang_. His thoughts drifted back to when she'd admitted that she had never had to work on anyone she knew before. No wonder this was hard for her.

She took a step back, taking off her gloves as she looked over her work and Juice was awed. Where Donna's forehead had once had a gaping bullet wound, it was now smooth as though nothing had happened. If she wasn't lying on Angela's table, it would be easy to mistake her for someone who was sleeping.

He took a step forward, catching Angela's attention. Quickly, she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, an embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks as she tried to hide the evidence that she'd been crying. "Hey you," she said, sniffling slightly as she took off her earphones.

Juice walked around the table, impressed by her work. "Looks good, baby."

She gave him a sad smile. "Thanks, I did my best."

He stepped behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and underneath her apron as he set his chin on her shoulder. She sighed tiredly, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "You okay?" he asked.

"Mmm," she hummed noncommittally, closing her eyes as she leant back into him. She didn't know how to answer that question. Before, when she was alone and working, she hadn't been okay. She'd been a wreck. But standing there with his arms around her, she felt better, stronger.

Juice knew that she was not okay. Something was not right; she was being way too quiet. "Let's go for a ride," he murmured, his lips moving across her ear.

Shivers went down her spine as she nodded. "Okay," she agreed softly. She stepped away from him, pulling her apron over her head and hanging it up before taking the hand he offered her. He led her out to his motorcycle, scrolling through his iPod and putting on some mellow playlist before plugging it into his built in speakers as she settled in behind him.

As they rode out of Charming, they both felt their different stresses fade away; forgotten in the sleepy town behind them. Juice steered them around a road that climbed a moment, not stopping until her reached the top. Once there, here pulled over, taking her hand once again and pulled her down to sit in between his legs on the ground.

Angela sighed as she took in the beautiful view of Charming. From their high vantage point, she could see the valleys and mountains that surrounded the quaint town; not a single one marred by a skyscraper or the tacky neon lights of a fast food restaurant. She heard him digging through his pocket followed by the click of a lighter. "You're not going to set my hair on fire, are you?"

"Not on purpose," he muttered, his mouth around the cigarette. Once he got it lit, however, she realized it wasn't a cigarette at all, but a joint. She breathed in the earthy smell, tilting her head back onto his shoulder to look up at him. The burning end of the joint just barely lit up his face, bringing out the angle of his jawline. Her heart did a little flip; Juice was one good looking man. He took a long drag before passing it to Angela. "You smoke?"

She nodded, taking the small joint from him and pulling in her own long drag. She held it in for a second before exhaling the smoke out smoothly. They both sat in quiet thought for a moment, passing the joint in between them. Finally, Juice spoke up. "I did something bad today, Ang," he said slowly. He kept it vague, knowing she wouldn't need much to get the picture. "I didn't know it was bad when I did it but...now I do."

Angela was silent, listening intently. Juice sighed, hanging his head down shamefully. He thought back on how he gave Jax the address to where the seventeen year old witness was being kept and hoped that the VP had gotten there in time to prevent the young girl from being hurt. "I tried to fix it," he said after a moment. "I don't know if I did though."

She reached up a hand to gently stroke his cheek. "You're not a bad guy, Juice," she said softly, trying her best to comfort him though she had little to work with. "Whatever you did…it doesn't make you a monster."

"You don't even know what it is, Ang."

"My cousin has eleven happy faces tattooed on his body. That's eleven people he's killed. And those are only the ones he's done for his club; for his family," she stated, her words careful, deliberate. "But no amount of happy faces could ever make that man a monster in my eyes. When I look at him, I don't see that."

She let the words hang there for a second as she took a hit of the joint. "You're not a monster, Juice. Not even close. Whatever you did, I'm sure you did it for the club, right?"

"Yeah."

"So as twisted as it seems, your heart was in the right place. Like you said, you didn't know it was bad when you did it and then you tried to fix it, right? What part of that makes you a monster?"

As her words sunk in, he breathed a little easier; the guilt he had been feeling was slowly disappearing. Though her train of thought was a little unorganized, he got her point. She'd just made him feel a hundred times better. He pressed a thankful kiss to her shoulder. "You're my best friend, Angel," he whispered into her ear.

Angela turned her head and met his gaze; her heart doing a flip flop as the moon illuminated his chestnut brown eyes. She gave him a soft, sweet kiss before she let out a sigh. "You're mine too, Juice."

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! <strong>

**Your critiques, encouragements, etc. only help me improve my writing and I love reading them! **

**~Love Ink**


	12. Dealing

**This chapter ends Season 1 but I've decided to put season 1 and two together in the same story...maybe even three if ya'll are still reading and enjoying it by the time I get there. ;) **

**As always, thanks for your reviews! I love and cherish them all! :D You guys rock!**

**136 days until Season 5! **

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but Angela

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 12: Dealing_

_By Love Ink_

Angela woke up the next morning to find Juice sitting at the edge of her bed, his bare back to her, one hand rubbing back and forth over his head. She crawled over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso and resting her chin on his shoulder. His hands covered hers and squeezed. "You gonna be there today?" he questioned, his voice sounding rough and tired.

She didn't need to ask where he meant; Donna's funeral was later that day. "Yeah," she answered, pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade. "Skeet and I are riding in the hearse. I gotta help him out with the equipment and stuff. Flower arrangements…everything."

" 'kay," he said softly.

"Are you doing anything special?" she asked, eyeing the extra cut he'd brought him with him the night before. He'd explained that it was Jax's and that the VP had tossed it at him as he left the night before. Juice was taking on the responsibility of bringing it back to him.

"Couple of the other charters are up to show support. We're doin' a whole procession. You'll be in the middle of it," he explained flatly.

He felt her sigh against him before kissing his shoulder once again. He was grateful for the affection, the strength he drew from her embrace; it made him feel like less of a monster, less guilty about sending the boys to kill a little girl.

She had a feeling his stress was more from what had happened the night before and less from what happened to Donna. He hadn't slept at all. Something she only knew because he hadn't been snoring like a lawnmower. She hadn't been able to sleep much either thanks to his tossing and turning. "You're not a bad guy, Juice," she assured him.

He relaxed a little bit, melting back into the circle of her arms. That was exactly what he needed to hear. "You really think so?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.

Angela's face was totally serious as she nodded. "Yeah, I really do."

"If you say so," he said on a sigh. He stood up slowly, giving her a sweet kiss before pulling his clothes back on, aware of her concerned eyes watching him. "I'm all right, Angel."

"I know," she said on a sad smile. Though she only half believed it. His usually bright and happy eyes were dull and sad, something she hated to see. "I just worry…"

A small smile turned up the corner of his lips. It was rare he had someone worrying about him. Most people just played him off as the goofy intelligence officer, no one ever stopped to ask how he was feeling, but she did. She actually cared. He leant over to kiss her once again. "Thanks, Angel."

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><p>"This is beautiful," Angela commented from her seat next to Skeeter in the hearse. Sons from all over the West Coast surrounded them, protecting and guiding their vehicle as they made their way toward the cemetery.<p>

Skeeter nodded somberly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "It's not often one of their own die. This is a big deal," he explained gesturing to the bikers in front of him.

"I can tell."

"You did a good job, Angie. Takin' care of all this," he said gesturing at the motorcycles. "Last guy I had was scared shitless of them. Wouldn't work with them at all."

Angela shrugged, though inwardly she was happy with his compliment. "I grew up with guys like that. They're only scary if you piss them off. I try my best not to."

Skeeter nodded in agreement. "And this thing with Juice?"

"Don't worry about it, Skeet," she replied simply to end the conversation. It was a line she'd picked up from Happy. Something he usually said to her when he didn't want to talk about something. She wondered briefly if it would work on him.

"I _do _worry about it," he muttered under his breath but dropped the subject. He glanced at Angela who was staring straight out the window, twisting a ring around her finger nervously. "Just hang back. I've been to one of these before. The girls…they'll sit and watch while the men stand behind them. They won't cry or anythin'. They don't need their ladies to comfort them."

She gave Skeeter a soft smile and nodded. "Thanks, Skeet."

He nodded as he pulled up to the gravesite. Sighing, he put his hand on the door and turned to her. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she murmured, setting one booted foot on the ground. She'd dressed in her tailored black suit with the low neckline, making it look dressier with a silky black camisole underneath. She opened up the back of the hearse and waited with her hands folded in front of her as the boys of the Redwood Charter plus Happy went to lift the hearse. Juice brushed a quick kiss to her temple as he passed by, making her heart skip a beat. She watched as the men effortlessly lifted the incredibly heavy coffin out of the hearse and headed over to gravesite. She followed a respectable distance after, only stepping in to help put the casket on the coffin lowering device.

As she stepped away, her eyes caught Happy's and he gave her a quick nod. She nodded back, only half listening to the priest presiding over the ceremony. She knew if she let what he was saying sink in, she'd be crying her eyes out and she certainly couldn't let that happen.

When the ceremony was over, most of the people gathered there moved over to a tented area for the reception. Angela headed towards the hearse, taking a seat in the back to observe the crowd. She hadn't technically been invited to the reception, and she didn't feel like intruding. Juice was easy to spot from where she was sitting. He was talking to a brother from the Arizona charter, a serious look on his face, though every so often his dark eyes scanned the crowd as if he was looking for someone.

She felt the hearse bob as someone took a seat next to her. The sound of a lighter made her smile, she knew exactly who it was. "That's not going to be me, Hap," she stated softly as the familiar smell of cigarette smoke filled her nose.

"Not on my watch," his dark, gravelly voice agreed. Happy would never let that happen. Not in a million years. Her father had been the closest thing he'd had to a dad growing up. When she was three, her father had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That was when he'd made Happy swear to take care of Angela. At sixteen, he understood the responsibility of that promise and took it to heart. Ever since then, he'd taken care of Angela first as a brother would take care of a sister and then later, when they were both older, as a father would take care of a daughter. "You happy?"

She sighed, raising an eyebrow at him. "We're at a funeral for a woman who died way before her time and left behind two kids and a loving husband. No, I'm not happy."

He rolled his eyes at her, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Didn't mean now," he muttered, shaking his head at her. "Does that idiot make you happy?"

Angela smiled down at her feet as she nodded. "Yeah, he does actually."

Happy grunted in response. He reached into his cut and pulled out a small paper bag before handing it over to her. "From Canada," he explained.

She smirked, digging her hand into it to retrieve a small pin. It was two simple letters one in red, one in white followed by a red question mark. "Eh?" she read aloud, rolling her eyes at him. "You've done worse."

"Didn't have much time," he said on a lazy shrug.

"Thanks, Hap," she said pecking his cheek quickly. He nodded, standing up from the hearse. "You goin' back to Tacoma?" she asked, looking up at him.

Happy shook his head. "Headin' over to Ma's."

"Tell them I say hi," she said, playing nervously with her ring as he fixed her with a disapproving look. It wasn't that she didn't like visiting her aunt, _she _wasn't the problem. It was her own mother that drove her crazy.

"You should tell 'em yourself," he said, shaking his head at her.

He leant over to kiss her temple before walking back towards the reception leaving her alone to think about it. On his way over, he intercepted Juice who was headed towards Angela. He stopped him with a simple hand to the chest. "Take care a her," he muttered, his voice low and threatening. It was a subtle warning since Happy was not the kind to give out threats. They weren't needed. If he was going to kill someone, it'd be quick, without warning. Threatened people ran, that made them more difficult to kill.

Juice blinked at him for a second, his dark eyes wide. "Yeah…no…I will…I'm gonna…" he stammered as Happy walked away. He let out a sigh of relief as he watched the reaper on the back of Happy's cut get smaller and smaller. That could've gone a lot worse.

He smiled when he found Angela lying flat on her back in the hearse, her legs swinging back and forth over the bumper. He lay down next to her, his feet flat on the ground as he stared up at the roof of the car. He was surprised to find it was nicely decorated in a dark purple fabric. "Rough day," he commented on a sigh.

"Yeah," she agreed, turning her head to look at him. "How's Op?"

"I dunno. He's leavin' for a few weeks. He's gotta clear his head for a bit," he explained on a sigh. "I talked to Hap. Sorta."

Angela frowned slightly, feeling a little sad. This was the end. She could feel it. "And?"

He sighed again, sitting up and shrugging his shoulders. He glanced back at her to find her sitting up on her elbows, a worried look on her face. "What did he say, Juice?" she pushed, already dreading his answer.

"Told me to take care of you," he answered, chuckling as she slapped his arm before lying back down, a relieved breath escaping her lips.

"You scared the crap out of me," she said on a breath before sitting up.

Juice smiled at her, shrugging his shoulders. "Can't get rid of me that easy."

She smiled at him, hesitantly reaching out her pinky and curling it around his. She wondered briefly if he'd pull away from the simple show of affection. She knew big bad MC guys weren't the type to hold hands, but to her surprise, he moved his hand and engulfed her smaller one in it. Juice leant in and caught her lips with his own, giving her a sweet kiss.

Happy watched the exchange from a distance. Noting the way his cousin was smiling. He didn't like seeing anyone's hands on her let alone one of his brothers'. He'd successfully kept her out of the Tacoma clubhouse, not that it was much of a struggle. True to her word, she never wanted to be part of the club. The only SAMTAC member she knew was Kozik and that was only because Kozik was one of his closest friends.

But seeing her smile like that with that tattooed, mowhawked idiot made the whole thing acceptable. It was much better than her dating that asshole Mayan. At least Juice would treat her right if not because he was a good guy than because he was scared as hell of what would happen to him if he didn't. Happy could deal with that.

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><p><strong>Like? Hate? Let me know in a review! <strong>

**Coming up next: Season 2 WOOT! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	13. Reasons

**Onto Season 2!**

** This chapter takes place BEFORE the first episode of season 2, just to provide a little bridge in between the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2. This probably takes place a week or so after the funeral...**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, alerts, etc. You're all so kind! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 13: Reasons_

_By Love Ink_

Angela leant over the pool table in the clubhouse, lining up the stick and easily sinking in her ball. Juice had invited her over to hang out while most of the guys were either out or busy working in the garage. She'd instantly been drawn to the pool table, skipping over and grabbing a stick to challenge him. He'd been excited at the idea of finally beating her in a game since she usually won all their video game competitions.

He'd been wrong though. She'd been kicking his ass since he'd let her break. "How'd you get so good at this?" he asked, taking in the great view of her cleavage as she bent over the table to line up her pool stick.

"We had one at my house growing up. It was my Dad's. Hap and I used to play all the time," she explained, frowning when the ball she was trying to get in the whole stopped just at the rim. "Fucker."

Juice chuckled. Why was he not surprised Happy had taught her to play pool? He was one of the best pool players of the Sons and, by the way Angela was kicking his ass, it was obvious he'd taught her well. It seemed everything that she was remotely good at her cousin had taught her. "He teach you how to do make-up too?"

Angela smirked and rolled her eyes. "Nope. That's my own special talent."

He leant over and lined up his shot lazily. He was letting her win now. Mostly because he loved the way her eyes lit up when she did and the way it almost always meant something good for him later. "If you're his cousin, you must know Happy's real name," Juice stated, hitting the ball.

"I do," she stated simply. The clubhouse was empty save for a few Croweaters who wandered in and out, more focused on the Sons and mechanics outside in the auto-shop than their little game. Juice had called her over when he finished his job early and had time to kill before the next one. It took some coaxing, but once he assured her that all the other brothers were busy, she gave in.

"Well?" he asked, eyebrows raised in question.

She scoffed, shaking her head at him. "I'm not going to tell you. Hap would kill me."

Juice gave her a doubtful look; Happy would never kill her especially not for something as stupid as revealing his real name. "No, he wouldn't."

"Yeah, he would," she said definitively. She lined up her shot and sunk the ball easily into the whole she wanted.

"Well, has he always been Happy?"

"No," she said on a shrug. "Sometimes he's grumpy or sleepy."

It took Juice a minute to get it and then he smiled, one of his ear to ear shining grins that made her heart melt. "I see what you did there," he teased, shaking his head at her. He walked over to where she was bent over the table, smacking her ass just as she moved to shoot. "You're funny."

"Juice!" she exclaimed, whirling around, dark eyes wide.

He could see that she was trying to fight a smile and knew he wasn't in trouble. "What?" he asked innocently, grinning at her. "You got a nice ass."

His not-so-innocent grin broke her resolve, a bright smile spreading across her face as she shook her head at him. "Goof," she murmured as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

She giggled as he started trailing kisses along her neck. Turning, she reached up to drape her arms over his shoulders, one hand smoothing over the back of his mowhawk. He dipped his head to kiss her lips, pushing her backwards so her butt hit the table. In one swift motion, he grabbed her by the back of her knees, lifting her onto the edge of the pool table his lips still on hers.

A rough throat clearing had her pulling away. Juice pressed his forehead to her collarbone, breathing hard before rolling his head to the side to find Piney standing there with one eyebrow raised. Angela gently pushed Juice's head away, laughing nervously.

"Sorry," Piney grunted. "Didn't mean to uh...interrupt."

Juice sighed and shook his head, he was used to this. Everything he did with Angela was always interrupted. "What do you need, Piney?"

"Wanted to talk the little lady," the old man said, nodding towards Angela.

Angela slid down to her feet and turned towards Piney. "Sure. What's up, Piney?"

"Got Kenny and Ellie today. Ken's out with the guys in the shop but El…she's bored as hell. I asked if she wanted me to call any friends and your name came up. Now, I hate to ask but…"

She smiled widely and nodded. "I'll take her out," she said, pecking Juice's cheek and heading out towards the garage.

Piney watched her leave before glancing at Juice. "Sorry 'bout that."

He shrugged a shoulder. If Piney hadn't been asking for help, Juice would've been a little more annoyed with the old man, but his heart went out to Opie's kids. It couldn't be easy for them to have their mom taken away and their dad leave them. If Angela could help make Ellie's day a little better, he was more than happy to let her go. "Happens all the time," he replied honestly. "Glad she can help out."

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><p>Gemma heard the loud rock music blasting as she saw the little Mazda hatchback swing into the parking lot of TM. She raised an eyebrow, peeking out the blinds to see who it was. Ellie Winston hopped out of the back of the dark silver car, chattering to someone as she waited for them to get out. Gemma was slightly surprised to see the girl Juice had taken to Abel's homecoming party step out of the vehicle. True, the pretty girl had been hanging around a lot more, but she was always with Juice and just Juice. What would've possessed Piney to trust her with one of the kids? And why on earth would she offer to babysit? That was a job for a teenager, not a grown woman.<p>

Ellie skipped into the office a small smile on her face. "Hi Gemma," she greeted with a nervous nod.

"Hey Gemma," Angela said, nodding to the other woman. "Sorry about bringing her back early. Skeet needs me back at the home."

Right, she was Skeeter's assistant. Gemma remembered now. "That's all right," she replied civilly, "Your grandpa's inside, sweetheart. Why don't you go tell him you're here?"

"Bye Angie," Ellie said, hugging the young woman quickly. "Thanks for everything!"

"Anytime, El," she answered, giving her a quick squeeze before letting her go. "Just call me up."

Ellie grinned once again before going into the clubhouse leaving the two women alone. Gemma raised an eyebrow as she looked Angela over. She was dressed modestly for a sweetbutt. A simply black beater, ripped jeans, flip flops; nothing that screamed easy. "What were you doing with her?"

Angela could sense she was on the brink of an interrogation and inwardly cringed, she didn't have time for this. She had to get back to work. But Gemma Teller was not a woman you just brushed off. She was the Queen and she demanded respect. Though Angela wanted to stay far away from club business, she knew whatever she had going with Juice would be made a lot easier if Gemma didn't hate her. "Piney mentioned that Ellie was bored here, so I decided to take her out for a girl's day. We just got some ice cream and a manicure. Nothing too crazy."

"And Piney just let you take her?"

"Well, I had told Donna at Abel's party that I'd watch the kids so she and Op could have a night out. I guess Ellie didn't forget about that," she explained, shifting uncomfortably under Gemma's scrutinizing gaze.

"And Piney'll do anything to get off of babysitting duty," Gemma muttered more to herself than to Angela. "What are you expecting to get from this?"

She blinked at the woman's question; shocked by the suggestion that she'd taken out Ellie for selfish reasons. "Nothing," she answered honestly. "Just trying to do something nice."

"You think it'll get you good standing with the boys?" Gemma pushed. All of these sweetbutts were the same, push hard enough and their true colors showed. "Earn you higher up dick than Juice?"

Angela clenched her jaw as anger slowly bubbled in her veins. How could she think that was her motive? She wasn't one of the sweetbutts who hung around to see which club member she could score with. She was with Juice and only Juice, for what it was worth. Yeah, they didn't have an official title or label, but she wasn't looking to score with any other club members nor would she ever use someone's children like that!

Taking a deep breath, she tried to reign in her emotions. _She doesn't know me_, she thought to herself. They'd only met once and if she blew up on her like she wanted to, Angela had a feeling things would not turn out well for her. She remembered Cherry's badly bruised face and Juice's explanation that Gemma had hit her with a skateboard. Angela knew there were a few heavy things in the office that she would not like to get hit with. The stapler Gemma had her hand on was one of them.

"No, I did it because I promised Donna I would. A woman is only as good as her word," she said, choosing her words very carefully. "I'm no Croweater, Gemma. There's only one dick I want, and I got it and it's _good_."

Gemma's hazel-green eyes raked over her once more, contemplating. "Whatever you say, Angie," she replied, her tone one of disbelief as she sat down at the computer.

Angela held back a slew of angry words as she nodded, taking in another deep, calming breath. "Excuse me; I have to go to work."

"So go," Gemma replied, her eyes on the computer screen instead of on the young girl in front of her.

She stalked out of the office, her whole body tensed as she went straight by the boys in the engine bay to her car. This was one of those moments where she needed something to distract her. Something to put all her anger into. What better than to go for a nice long, fast drive? Skeeter would understand.

Juice's eyes followed her as she got into the Mazda, one eyebrow raised. She had been walking so fast, she hadn't even noticed him standing there. Something had happened in the brief moment she'd been in the office with Gemma.

"What's up with her?" Tig asked, voicing Juice's thoughts.

Juice shrugged. "Dunno."

"You should go," Tig said around a bite of his sandwich.

His eyebrows shot up; it was rare Tig approved of someone skipping out on work. Especially since Juice was doing _his_ job so he could eat lunch. "What?"

"Go after her. See what Gemma said," he said gesturing towards the gate where the Mazda had disappeared. "Then come share 'cause I bet its good."

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><p>Juice couldn't find her anywhere on the main roads, so he decided to drive back to the funeral home knowing that'd be her final destination. He parked his bike and waited there for her, leaning up against his motorcycle and taking out his phone to play a quick game of Snake. The sound of brakes screeching had him lifting his head. He saw Angela get out of the Mazda, her tires still smoking. She slammed the door, a scowl on her face as she went to go inside.<p>

"Angel!" he called out to her.

She paused in her trek and turned, looking very surprised to see him standing there. "Hey," she said on a nod, hesitating between the door to the funeral home and where he was parked. "Juice, I have work…"

"It can wait," he said easily. At her look, he shrugged. "They're dead. Where are they gonna go?"

Sighing, she stepped over to him, leaning up against the bike next to him. She made no move to hug him or touch him, just crossed her arms over her chest, scowling down at the ground. "What?" she asked.

"What happened with Gemma?"

"Nothin'," she lied, kicking at a loose rock on the ground. She wasn't about to admit that what Gemma said had her feeling terrible about herself. To have her motives questioned for something as innocent as taking out a kid whose mom just died made her feel all kinds of dirty and had her wondering what the hell she was doing in this world she so clearly didn't belong in.

"You're really not going to tell me?"

"I really don't think it's any of your business."

Juice threw his arms out to the side in frustration. He didn't understand why she wouldn't tell him; she told him everything else. "If it involves Gemma, it's my business. _Club_ business."

"Oh fuck that," she said on a sneer that was so like Happy's it was scary. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. Having him say that it was club business was almost as if he was proving Gemma right in saying that taking Ellie out was "club business" and meant to earn her some kind of gold star with the club and its men.

"What is going on with you?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. He'd never seen Angela so upset.

Angela ran a hand through her hair, feeling just as frustrated as he looked. "What the hell am I to you, Juice?" she asked finally.

Juice stared at her with wide, shocked eyes. "Where did that come from?"

"Gemma just accused me of taking out Ellie to gain favor with the club. Asked if I thought taking them out would get me "higher up dick" than yours," she finally admitted. "Which means she's under the impression that I'm a sweetbutt which is just _awesome_. And if _she_ thinks I'm a sweetbutt, I can't help but think she's not the only one. So I'm asking you…what am I to you?"

"You're definitely not a sweetbutt, Angel," he answered honestly. That thought had never even crossed his mind, nor had his brothers even tried to make a pass at her like they would the normal sweetbutts; she wasn't around enough for that opportunity. "You're better than that."

"Yeah?" she asked, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye.

He went to lean against the car beside her as he nodded. "Yeah. Believe me, if you were, the guys would be all up on you."

Angela smiled, shaking her head at him. She knew if she wanted to, she could push for an actual label, but at the moment the assurance that she wasn't a sweetbutt to him was enough for her. Labels were messy and confining; what she had with Juice didn't need one. "Yeah right," she said on a scoff.

"It's true!" he exclaimed on an exaggerated nod. "And then you'd really have to watch out because if you did anything with Tig, you'd probably end up dead. He's got this track record with Latinas…"

She laughed, tilting her head to look up at him. "I don't want to know."

"No, you don't," he replied, shaking his head, pleased that he got her to smile. "What _I_ want to know is what you said to Gemma about the whole dick thing."

A sexy smirk crossed her face as she stepped in front of him, taking the front of his cut into her hands as she leant into his strong chest. "I calmly told her there was only one dick I wanted," she said, looking up at him through her long lashes. "And it's a good one."

He grabbed her hips in his hands, pulling her in closer. "That's my girl," he murmured, slanting his lips across hers in a hot kiss.

His hands slid down her sides and in seconds he had her hoisted up over his shoulder. "Juice!" she exclaimed, her face even with his lower rocker. He carried her up the stairs, ready to continue what had been interrupted in the clubhouse. She hit his back playfully, squealing when his response was to slap her ass. "Stop it! I have to work!"

He threw her onto her bed, setting a hand on either side of her body and holding himself up over her. "The dead can wait. I get first dibs on an Angie massage."

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Think I should change it? Let me know in a review! I love hearing from you all!<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	14. Approvals

**Thanks again for all the awesome reviews! :) They make me so happy!**

**This chapter is a little bit of a filler, kind of exploring different things and having some fun. ;) Let me know what ya'll think!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 14: Approvals_

_By Love Ink_

Juice hopped up the stairs to Angela's apartment and opened the unlocked door with a frown. He hated that she still kept it unlocked during the day; it made him uneasy. Anyone could just walk in. As he stepped into the living room, he was surprised to find Kenny Winston lying on the floor, N64 controller in his hands, clicking away at the buttons while Angela sat on the couch behind him with Ellie on the floor in front of her. Angela was currently braiding Ellie's hair while simultaneously coaching Kenny through a Zelda level.

Only Ellie turned her head to see who had come in. "Hi," she said softly, a small smile on her face.

"Hey El," Juice greeted with a nod.

Angela turned her head, a bright smile coming over her face when she saw him. "Hey you!"

He leant over to brush a chaste kiss to her temple before dropping onto the sofa next to her. "Op know you brought the kids here?" he asked knowing his brother might have a problem with his kids hanging out at the funeral home.

"Nah, he's out on his ride," Angela explained on a shrug. "Piney's the one that brought them over."

"Ang wouldn't let us see the dead people," Kenny said without taking his eyes off the screen.

Ellie nodded in agreement. "She did take us to visit our Mama though."

"We brought her flowers," Kenny added.

"And talked to her."

Juice glanced at Angela who gave him a shrug in return. She hadn't been planning on taking the kids to visit Donna, but Ellie had asked and she knew neither Mary nor Piney would take them. It'd been a strange experience at first until Angela told them both to sit down and they'd all "talked" to Donna as if she was there. She was used to talking to a headstone. When she was little, the cemetery was in walking distance from her house and she would visit her father all the time.

"Cool," he said with a nod of his head. He wondered briefly if Angela had overstepped her boundaries with that one, and then felt bad for thinking it. If the kids wanted to see their mother, they should be able to. And if anyone was good at dealing with the dead, it was Angela. "Hey Ken, want to play some Mario Kart?"

A few races later, and there was a knock on the door. Juice got up to get it since Angela was busy finishing yet another braid hairstyle in Ellie's hair. The girls had been doing and redoing braids all night while Juice and Kenny played video games. Ellie wanted to find a style she could sleep in so she could have waves the next day for school.

Piney had to admit he was surprised when Juice opened Angela's door. He'd seen how handsy the two were with each other at the clubhouse, but he hadn't figured Juice as they type of guy who would spend extra time with a girl outside of the bedroom. "Surprised to see you here," Piney said, an amused glint in his eyes as he looked over the younger man.

Juice shifted awkwardly and shrugged. "Angie's got good games."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure that ain't all she's got," he muttered, entering the small apartment. Ellie had asked if she could call Angela earlier that day and Piney had given in. Luckily, Angela had offered to take Kenny as well or else, he'd have to deal with the kid. It wasn't that he didn't love his grandchildren because he did; he was just too old to play "daddy" and entertain them.

Gemma might have hinted that she didn't approve of Ellie and Kenny spending time with Angela, but Piney didn't mind. From what he saw, Angela had her shit together. She supported herself, kept her nose clean, and other than being with the mowhawked idiot, she seemed to make good choices. He had no problem dumping the kids on her.

Angela tied off the end of Ellie's braid and stood up off the couch. "Hey Piney," she greeted with a sweet smile.

"Aw Gramps, can we stay?" Kenny asked, his eyes still glued to the television. "Angie was gonna teach me the trick of Rainbow Road!"

Juice raised his eyebrows and glanced at Angela who gave him a mischievous grin. "Next time, Ken," she said, ruffling the kid's hair. "Come on, bud. Get your stuff."

Kenny begrudgingly got up to get his stuff as Ellie got up off the couch and went to hug her grandpa. "Look how Angie did my hair, Gramps. It's going to be wavy tomorrow."

"Looks nice, El," Piney said nodding his approval.

"Do you think Daddy will like it?" she asked, playing with the ends of one of her French braid pigtails. "He comes home tomorrow, right?"

Piney nodded again, setting a hand on his granddaughter's head. "I'm sure he'll love it. Say thanks to Angie."

"Thanks Angie," both children said in unison.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Anytime. Have a good day at school tomorrow."

The kids nodded, skipping out of the apartment and to their grandpa's car. Piney hung back and clapped Angela's shoulder. "Really appreciate everythin', Ang. Been hard without Donna."

"Anytime, Piney. They're a blast to have around. I'd have been bored out of my mind without them here today."

Piney glanced at Juice briefly before chuckling. "If you're that bored, he's doing something wrong."

Juice's jaw almost dropped to the floor at the innuendo. "I was busy today!" he exclaimed on a scowl. "You know that!"

The old man just chuckled, shaking his head as he headed out the door. "See you later, Angie."

"Bye Piney," she said on a laugh.

Juice closed the door behind him before turning to Angela; he had a bone to pick with her. "Rainbow Road trick?"

She tried her best to look innocent; she knew Kenny's little comment was going to get her in trouble. Juice had been trying to figure out how she'd beat him that very first time they'd raced for weeks now. "I don't know what he's talking about."

"I _knew_ you cheated!" he said, taking a few steps towards her, a menacing look in his eyes.

"I did not!" she exclaimed, stepping out of the way when he lunged for her. She ran away from him, laughing as she heard him chasing after her.

Juice easily caught up to her, catching her around the waist and lifting her off her feet. She squealed as he carried her over to the N64 counsel and threw her down on the couch. "One more race. No cheating."

Angela sighed, she was tired of playing video games; she'd been playing them all day practically and her eyes were starting to hurt. She crawled over to where he was sitting and, leaning an arm on his shoulder, she put her lips to his ear. "I just got a package in the mail."

"Don't care. We're racing," he said, choosing her character for her before his own so he could set up the race.

"Too bad. It's from Victoria's Secret," she said on a sigh as she stood up. "Lots of lace, little to no fabric. Black, red, blue…I got a leopard pair on right now."

Juice swallowed hard; damn her for knowing his weakness. He was up in a matter of seconds, his arms snaking around her waist and dipping into the front of her shorts to feel the lacy fabric underneath as he pushed her forward in front of him to the bed room. She pushed him down on the bed, making him sit as she slowly peeled off her tank top and shorts to reveal a very lacy black bra with a leopard design and matching panties. "Damn girl," he murmured, taking her hips into his hands. His thumb trailed over the koi fish tattooed along her hip as he looked up at her. "This almost makes of for tricking me out of a Rainbow Road win."

She laughed, shaking her head at him. Only Juice could still be thinking about losing a video game with a half naked girl in front of him. Dipping her head, she caught his lips in a hot kiss. "I got better tricks to show you."

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><p>Juice woke up the next morning to his cell phone alarm going off. He had to meet the guys up at the new storage place to test out the Irish gun supply. Reaching out for Angela, he was surprised to find that her side of the bed was empty. He knew she had no reason to get up so early. The smell of freshly baked cookies and coffee filled his nose as he took in a deep breath making his mouth water. Groaning, he got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. "There's my Angel," he said upon seeing Angela in the kitchen, her dark hair piled in a messy bun a top her head, his sweatshirt hanging off her shoulders and drowning her in the black fabric.<p>

Angela's heart did a little flip at the possessive tone in his voice. He hugged her from behind looking over her shoulder at the scones she'd just pulled out of the oven. "Hungry, baby?" she asked, glancing up at him.

He nodded, kissing her lips quickly and stepped around her to lean against the counter at her side. "I dunno about you, but _I_ had a long work out last night. Need to replenish my fuel."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Goof," she murmured under her breath as she handed him a mini vanilla scone. "Have at 'em."

He did just as he was told, taking a huge bite out of one and moaning as the pastry practically melted in his mouth. "This is fuckin' amazin', Angel. Straight from Heaven," he murmured around the mouthful. She glanced at him, waiting for the corny line that was sure to come next. He didn't disappoint. "Just like you."

"Goof," she repeated with a roll of her eyes. He pulled her into his side, one arm wrapped around her waist as his free hand shoved another scone in his mouth.

"You got extra? I'll take 'em into the clubhouse. Show up Bobby for once," he said, snatching another one.

"Yeah, sure. Knock yourself out. I made way too many anyway," she answered on a shrug.

He swallowed what was in his mouth and gave her a grin. Reaching out a hand, he brushed the flour off her cheek before pulling her in close for a long kiss. Her warm hands slid up his back, holding him to her. His hands slid down her sides, not stopping until he hit the back of knees. Effortlessly, he lifted her up off the ground so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She ran a hand over his mowhawk as he deepened the kiss.

And of course, right when things were starting to get heated, his trusty phone went off. She sighed, pulling away from him and draping her arms over his shoulders. He leant forward and caught her lips in another kiss, getting a light laugh from her. "Phone, baby," she reminded him, gracefully untangling herself from him and getting to her feet.

"Every fuckin' time," he murmured, shaking his head as he jogged back to get it.

She laughed to herself about the ridiculousness of the situation. Packing up some of the scones in a small Tupperware for him, she laughed once again. What she was doing was so homey. Like a wife packing her lunch for a husband. Once again, the strangeness of the situation struck her. Neither of them would admit they were dating or exclusive, though neither of them had strayed from the other. What they had just felt natural, easy. They just worked. No labels necessary.

He walked back out into the living room, fully dressed, tugging his cut on over his shoulders. "Gotta run, baby," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. "New merchandise to test out."

The excitement in his voice made her shake her head. "I don't want to know."

"Nothing crazy, I promise," he assured her on a nod. His hand settled on the plastic container. "These for me?"

She nodded slowly. "Go show 'em off. Take credit for my work."

Juice scowled at her, shaking his head. "If I told them _I_ made them, they wouldn't touch 'em."

"I'm not surprised," she said with a teasing grin. "You could've slipped in some of Tig's vitamins and accidentally knocked them all out."

He scowled at her. "I didn't know what they were when I took them, I swear!" he exclaimed before glancing at his phone that was ringing once again. He kissed her cheek quickly. "I'll see you later, Angel."

* * *

><p>Chibs watched Juice chat with the pretty girl from the funeral home as he worked on a car in the garage. She was standing next to the intelligence officer, looking up at him with those sparkling eyes as he explained different things to her. It was weird to see the goofy techie with a girl, strange to think that he no longer fell asleep on the pool table, a Croweater in his arms, snoring like a lawnmower. Chibs could only guess he was falling asleep with Angela at her place because he was rarely in his dorm room.<p>

He liked the girl though. She was smart, knew when to keep her mouth shut, and by the way they couldn't keep their hands off each other, Chibs assumed she was good in the sack as well. Good qualities to have in an Old Lady. But Juice had assured him that Angie was no Old Lady. They weren't at all serious, and if he was even thinking about heading down that route, he didn't say it. Though Chibs had a feeling the kid liked playing house since he passed around those delicious scones like a proud Old Man. Juice was just lucky Angela wasn't pushing for the title; Fiona had wanted to be his one and only the day they met. There was no "having fun" label-less relationship with that wild Irish dame, and Chibs wouldn't have had it any other way.

" 'ey Angie," he greeted, startling the girl. "No dead people today?"

She grinned up at him. "Just a few this morning. One just needed to be cooked, the other didn't take too long. Unless someone else dies today, I'm free."

"Good, good. You comin' round to Bobby's party later?"

Juice nodded, answering for her. He knew Chibs' aim had been to get him in trouble, but he had already invited Angela to the party. It was another excuse to have her around more. He liked having her at the club events. He spent so much time at the funeral home that it was nice to have her at his "home" for once. "She'll be there."

Angela smiled and nodded. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Good," he said, ruffling her hair as he watched Tig pull the van up in front. "See you two later then."

She watched him get into the van, an eyebrow raised. Juice could see the curious look in her eyes and wondered if she'd ask. It wasn't like he would tell her the truth if she did. Tig, Chibs, Opie, and Jax were all going to "take care" of the man who killed Donna. That was something Angie didn't need to know. After a moment, she shook her head. "I don't want to know," she murmured more to herself than to Juice.

"You say that a lot," he pointed out.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Some things are better left unsaid. If there's something I gotta know you'll tell me, otherwise…it's none of my business."

Juice nodded and turned back to the engine. He wondered if she'd gotten that whole philosophy from Happy; it seemed like something the Tacoma killer would tell her. "Works for me," he said on a shrug as he got back into the engine he was working on.

The sound of the "Funeral March" filled the air and she cringed, digging into her pocket for her cell. "Angela Ruiz," she greeted, sounding very official. "Yeah…okay…sure! Definitely! Bye."

She hung up the phone and glanced at Juice who seemed to be waiting for an explanation. "Work. Skeeter needs his artist," she explained. She leant forward and pecked his lips. "I'll see you at the party."

Juice nodded waving goodbye at her. He grimaced when he saw Gemma approaching at the same time Angela was leaving. Angela stopped briefly, her shoulders tensing as she nodded and murmured a quick 'hello' to the older woman.

Gemma stopped her trek, looking over her shoulder to watch Angela get in the car and drive off. Once the Mazda was out of sight, she headed back towards the office, stopping only to level Juice with a glance. "She with you?"

He nodded. "I invited her over."

"This one gonna stick around?"

"Dunno," he answered on a shrug.

Gemma shook her head with a look of disapproval. "Be smart about it. Can't have any ole girl hangin' around."

He nodded again. "I know." She gave him once last glance before disappearing into the office. He stared at the office door and swallowed hard, shaking his head to himself. He was sure as hell glad he didn't have to win Gemma's approval.

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Don't like it? Think it sucks? Let me know in a review! I take all suggestions, critiques, etc and use them to improve my writing! :)<strong>

**Next up: Bobby's Party :D**

**~Love Ink**


	15. Party Time

**New chapter! YAY! This one is a lot longer than the last one!**

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews and favorites and alerts! They give me the drive to update faster! Ya'll are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 15: Party Time_

_By Love Ink_

Bobby's party was packed with people. Croweaters of all shapes and sizes wandered around through bikers and mechanics trying to find someone to go home with, preferably a Son. Angela stood outside among them, waiting for Juice to get back from inside the clubhouse with his beer. She heard a throat clear behind her and turned to find Opie there.

"Hey," he greeted awkwardly.

Angela smiled at him, realizing it was the first time she'd talked to him since he'd come in to pick Donna's casket. No wonder he was feeling awkward. "Hey Op."

"Heard you took care of my kids," he stated softly. At Angela's nod, he sighed. "Thanks."

"Yeah, of course, anytime," she said on a nod. "How are you doin'?"

Opie shrugged a shoulder. "Fine," he replied vaguely. He could tell by the look on Angela's face that she didn't believe him, but he was thankful she didn't push it. Afterall, he didn't really know her and though his kids seemed to trust her, he didn't really. "You?"

Angela's eyes swept over the party. "Oh, I'm fine, thanks," she lied, her eyes sweeping over the dozens of scantily clad women. She was glad she decided to put on the low cut black, tunic top and pair it off with her tight black metallic leggings and high heeled boots instead of the jeans and a tank she'd also considered. She may have felt out of place but at least she didn't look it.

With a mumbled goodbye, Opie went to talk to someone else leaving Angela alone to her own devices. She grinned when she spotted her cousin leaning up against the clubhouse smoking a cigarette alone. Casually, she leant against the building next to him.

No hugs or kisses were exchanged, nothing that would tip anyone off about their relationship. Not because they were hiding it but because it wasn't needed and even something as chaste as a hug brought suspicions that they were romantically involved; suspicions neither of them liked to deal with. "Fancy seeing you here," she said with a small smile.

"Hey kid," Happy murmured, taking a long drag. "Come with the idiot?"

She nodded, wishing she still smoked so she'd have something to do with her hands. She'd given it up the year before after seeing what smoking did to the lungs one too many times. "Yep."

"He left you alone?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not alone. There's a billion people here."

Happy shook his head in response; he knew she understood what he'd meant. "He shouldn't a done that."

"I'm a big girl, Hap. I think I can handle myself," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. His dark eyes looked over to where Juice had just come out of the clubhouse, immersed in a conversation with a Croweater. He glanced at Angela briefly, wondering if she noticed. It was clear she had; her shoulders tensed, jaw clenching as she breathed in a deep breath.

He smirked, knowing she was hardening herself against the hurt seeing Juice with another girl was causing her. "So?"

"I don't care," she lied, managing to shrug a shoulder.

Happy shook his head at her. "Yeah, you do."

She glared at him briefly, hating the fact that he could see right through her. Sighing, she gave in and threw her hands out to the side. "Well, what am I suppose to do?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Dunno. Best do it soon though," he said, pushing himself off the wall and heading back into the crowd.

But she didn't have to do anything. Juice was walking over to her seconds later, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry 'bout that. Got caught up back there."

Angela wanted so badly to make some kind of claim on him. Something all those little Croweaters would see and back off…but a display like that wasn't something these kinds of men appreciated. No one owned them least of all a woman.

He could see the dark, almost possessive look in her eyes and gave her a grin. He knew that look well, understood what it was she wanted. Without another word, he reached out and took her hips in his hands, pulling her into him. Her hands grabbed onto the front of his cut, pulling him in closer as his lips crashed hungrily down on her own.

"You see that?" Tig asked Happy, pointing the mouth of his beer bottle towards where Juice and Angela were making out, Juice's hands on her ass.

Happy nodded. "Yeah. What do you know about it?"

"Hasn't been with anyone else but her," Tig commented. At Happy's questioning eyebrow, he shrugged. "Kid's got a big mouth when it comes to talkin' about pussy. Only been hearin' one name lately."

He clenched his jaw briefly, hating hearing anyone referring to his little cousin as 'pussy', but he couldn't fault Tig for using the term out of habit. "What's he say?"

"Not much. Doesn't want anyone else pushin' up on her."

Happy smirked, understanding exactly what Tig meant. When a new sweetbutt came along, the guys would compare notes, talking up the better points so that they knew exactly which girl to go to so that their needs were fulfilled. The fact that Juice was keeping his mouth shut was a good sign. "Good. Anyone gonna test her?"

Tig shrugged. "Nah. Figured she ain't a sweetbutt, hasn't showed interest in anyone else, she's good," he explained. "You good with this?"

He shrugged a shoulder and nodded. "Better with him than with you," he said with a teasing smirk.

"That _is_ true," Tig agreed on a nod.

* * *

><p>The sound of car doors shutting pulled Juice away from Angela. He glanced towards the sound to see what was going on and if it was worth stepping away from their hot little make out session. He saw the rest of his brothers heading towards the Benz and sighed. "We're not done here," he said, squeezing her ass and kissing her once more before heading to join his brothers.<p>

She laughed, pushing him away and towards the car. "Go, goof," she said, watching his back as he went to stand beside Clay. She took a seat on top of the picnic table to watch the scene unfold. From her distance, she couldn't hear what they were saying, but she did see the white haired man holding out a box of cigars to Clay. After a moment, the brothers standing there began laughing. It was times like these that Angela wished she had supersonic hearing. Making Happy laugh was quite a feat, whatever the white hair guy said must've been really funny.

Gemma appeared next to her, nodding towards them. "What's going on?"

Angela was surprised the Queen of SAMCRO was talking to her; she was pretty sure Gemma didn't like her. She shrugged in response. "I have no idea," she answered watching as Tig discreetly pulled out a gun. "Doesn't look good though"

"Huh," Gemma murmured. She headed towards Clay as the men went to get into the Benz, one of them stepping in front of her and muttering sorry as he walked by.

Juice jogged past her, holding a little card in his hand. He grabbed her hand with his free one and pulled her along after him. "Need to do something," he explained vaguely.

Angela let him pull her through the packed clubhouse towards the dorm rooms. They went by several closed doors before coming to one at the end of the hall. He took out a key and unlocked it, pulling her in behind him. The room was bathed in the blue glow coming from a computer screen. To her surprise, the place was pristinely clean. "Do you live here?"

Juice turned on the X-box and threw a controller down on the bed. "Most of the time," he answered, taking a seat at the desk with a laptop sitting on it. "I got a house too but I don't go there much. I don't like to be alone."

"Huh," she murmured, sitting down on the edge of the bed. With the amount of dirty looks she got from the Croweaters after their little make out session, she doubted he was ever alone when he stayed there. "You looking up the white haired guy?"

He nodded, his fingers flying across the keyboard at a rapid pace, eyes glued to the screen. "Won't take long. I got Halo, Call of Duty, Gears of War. You know how to play those, Ms. N64?"

Angela scoffed at him, feigning offense as she booted up the X-box. "Do I know how to play Call of Duty?" she mocked. To be honest, she didn't, but she wasn't about to admit that to him. Juice was deep into looking up everything he could about Ethan Zobelle when he heard the rapid slamming of buttons followed by a slew of curse words and the thud of the controller hitting the bed spread. "I officially hate this game."

He chuckled in response, turning slightly to see her lying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling, game controller abandoned at her side. Her long dark hair was spread across the plain comforter in a mess of waves. Glancing at her face, he watched as she stuck her tongue out and made silly faces at the ceiling. "I'm guessing you like the mirror?" he asked looking up at the mirror on his ceiling.

She sat up on her elbows, turning towards him with an embarrassed grin; she thought he wasn't paying attention to her. "It's certainly entertaining."

"In more ways than one," he quipped going back to the computer.

Angela lay back down with a roll of her eyes. She hated to think how many girls had enjoyed using that mirror. "How clean is this bed spread?"

"Washed it a few weeks ago," he explained on a shrug. "Doesn't matter, though. I've been sleeping somewhere else lately."

She smiled at that. He'd been spending every night for the last few weeks in her bed. At first it'd been a little weird to have him snoring loudly next to her, but she was slowly getting used to it. His admission that he didn't like to be alone made it all make sense. She'd much rather he be with her than at the clubhouse with someone else.

"Hmm," she hummed, turning back onto her stomach and grabbing the controller again. She started up the game, just clicking random buttons and seeing how far that got her.

A few minutes later, she felt the bed shift as Juice sat on the corner of it. His lips grazed her bare shoulder, one hand tangling into her dark hair to move it away as he pressed kisses along her shoulder to her neck. "You just died," he whispered in her ear.

"You're pillow talk is so sexy, Juice," she teased, giggling as his arm slipped across her back, his hands covering her own as he stretched out beside her. His fingers moved over hers, effortlessly pressing the right buttons as he slid one leg over hers in an effort to get closer to her. She tilted her head back, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek to get his attention. He turned his head to catch her lips with his own.

The door opened quickly and Half-Sacked stepped in. He paused at the door, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh shit, did I…"

Juice scowled at him. "_Jesus _Sack! Knock next time!"

"Oh hey Angie," Half-Sack greeted with a nod at Angela.

"Hi Kip," she replied on a nod, grinning at how nervous he seemed.

"Did you need something Prospect?" Juice questioned, his arms still around Angela.

Half-Sack nodded quickly. "Uh yeah…I wanted to uh…let you know that…Bobby's on his way so…you should probably…head out," he explained before heading out the door and closing it behind him.

Juice groaned as he got off of Angela. "I'm starting to think interrupting us is some sort of game to my brothers."

Angela laughed, standing up from the bed and grabbing his hands. She tugged at them, grunting as she tried to pull him up to standing position. He willingly stood, slinging an arm around her shoulders as he led her through the clubhouse at a much slower pace this time.

She looked around the dark room, soaking in the details. Girls were everywhere; one had pasties on and was working a stripper pole in the corner while a group of Sons looked on. A few Croweaters stood behind the bar, serving all kinds of booze. Another group of sweetbutts were gathered around the pool table, a few of them casting jealous looks her way as they passed by.

They stepped out of the clubhouse just as the car with Bobby in it pulled up. Angela pushed Juice towards where his brothers were all greeting the curly-haired secretary. She couldn't help but smile at the sense of camaraderie between the Sons as they hugged and welcomed Bobby back home.

A prickling on the back of her neck made her shiver as she looked towards where Stahl was staring her down, a curious eyebrow raised. Angela stared straight back at her, arms crossed over her chest. She gave the agent a smug grin, her smiling widening when Stahl looked away first to talk to Clay. "Bitch," she murmured under her breath.

* * *

><p>Once they were back inside the clubhouse, Angela stood between Juice and Piney, contemplating what she'd like to drink. She knew a fruity mixed drink would get her laughed at, but she wasn't in the mood for a beer and whiskey grossed her out. She glanced over at the large bottle of tequila Piney had sitting in front of him. Piney caught her look and smirked. "Want a shot, sweetheart?"<p>

"Sure," she said on a nod.

Juice watched curiously as Piney poured Angela a shot. He'd never seen Angela drink hard alcohol before and was a little intrigued to see how she handled it. She slammed it back like a pro, setting the shot glass on the table daintily. Piney grinned at her. "Atta girl," he said slapping her on the back. "I knew I liked ya."

She did two more shots with him before declaring herself done. "I live by that whole one tequila, two tequila, three tequila floor rule," she explained, winking at the older man.

Piney chuckled, nodding to Juice. "Guess you better get ready to catch her then," he said, finishing the bottle. "Better go get some more."

Juice just grinned in response from his seat on a barstool, his arms sliding around her waist to steady her as she moved to stand between his legs. She leant into his chest feeling a little buzzed from the alcohol. She caught Happy glancing at her once, a silent check up. She nodded to him, letting him know she was all right. He nodded back before turning to carry on his conversation with Clay and Tig.

It was then that Jax walked in. Angela moved out of Juice's way as Jax headed towards them, allowing them room to do their man hug. Jax gave her a smile. "How's it goin' Ang?"

"Good. You?" she answered in response, going back to her spot between Juice's legs. Jax just shrugged indifferently before going around to where Piney was sitting.

Angela leant her back against Juice's chest, her eyes watching the dancer in pasties on the pole. She wondered briefly if she could pull off moves like that and then decided she wasn't about to try it. Not in front of a clubhouse full of drunk men and her cousin. That would not turn out well. She smiled as he set his chin on her shoulder. "You ready to go?" he asked, his lips at her ear.

She turned around, the corners of her lips turned up into a sexy smirk. "Baby, I'm always ready to go."

The naughty smile that spread across his face in response made her feel hot all over. He hopped down from the stool, taking her hand in his. "In that case," he said, tugging her back towards the dorm rooms. She hesitated briefly, not wanting to spend the night in the same place Juice had bedded so many other girls. Not to mention the fact that Happy would be spending the night there too. The last thing she need was an awkward morning encounter. "What?"

She moved her eyes pointedly towards where Happy was standing. Juice's eyes widened slightly. "Oh. Yeah. We could go to my place. It's closer."

"That'd be a lot better."

* * *

><p>Angela was surprised when Juice pulled his Dyna to a stop in front of a decently sized one story house. She gracefully got off the bike and followed him towards the door. He stepped inside, flicking on the lights to reveal a barren living room with a huge flat screen TV with another X-box. There were two huge, black suede bean bag chairs sitting on the floor and a poker table in the corner that was covered in computer parts and tools. It was clearly a bachelor pad. From her place in the living room, she could see an upturned bong on the drying rack by the sink. A few clear jars sat on the counter filled with green leafy buds she recognized right away. The whole place was very…Juice.<p>

She walked over to one of the bean bag chairs and sat down on it, giggling when Juice threw himself onto it next to her. He lifted his arm, allowing her to scoot closer to him, chuckling as a yawn escaped her lips. "Tired, baby?"

"Mmm," she hummed, her eyes closing slowly. She hadn't realized how tired she was until she'd sat down. She'd been up before the sun and though she'd had an energy drink or two, she was exhausted. Not to mention, she'd been on her toes the whole time she was at Bobby's party, constantly second guessing everything she said and did so as not to piss off any of the brothers or the women was tiring as well. The early wake up paired with her nerves at being at a club event had left her completely drained.

With a grunt, he got up reaching his hands out to her. She took them, allowing him to pull her up. To her surprised, he leant down and hooked an arm behind her knees and another behind her back, effortlessly lifting her off her feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tightly to him. "I won't drop you," he assured her on a chuckle as he walked towards his bedroom.

Contrary to his previous words, he dropped her on top of his bed. His very, very comfy bed, she realized. No doubt he had some type of pillow top mattress. Her eyes immediately went to the ceiling. "No mirror?" she teased.

He shrugged a shoulder. "I don't bring girls here," he explained, slowly taking off his rings and placing them in a neat row on his dresser. At her eyebrow raise, he smiled. "Believe it or not, you're the first. I don't have a reason to bring Croweaters back here. They don't mind where we…"

"Stop!" she shouted, effectively cutting him off. "I get the picture."

"Figured you would." Juice smirked at her as he headed over to the bed and stretched out beside her. She moved her head so it was resting on his chest. Her inky black eyes stared at him, sparkling in the dim light as a small smile turned up the corners of her lips just barely deepening her dimples. He slid his fingers through her silky hair, curling a few strands around a finger as he looked at her.

She was beautiful. Anyone with eyes could see that. And though that's what attracted him at first, it wasn't what made him keep her around. There was just something about her that he couldn't shake. Back at the clubhouse, he'd left her for just a few minutes to grab himself a beer. In that short span of time, Croweaters had approached him, offering things that would make Angela blush, and he could've easily taken them up on their offers. But he didn't want to because while he was listening to the Croweaters go on about what they wanted to do to him; all he could think about was what he wanted to do to Angela.

Angela yawned again which made him yawn in response. He knew they were at the point where if something was going to happen, it was going to have to happen then because if not, she was going to fall asleep on him. But he was tired too since he'd had to wake up almost as early as she had. Reaching over to his bedside table he grabbed the TV remote, he flicked on the television, happy when he saw that Jackass was on.

"Juice?" she mumbled, confused as to why he was putting on the television when she knew he wanted to do other things. Things she was too tired for, but she'd roll with if it was what he wanted.

"Sshh. This is a good episode," he said giving her a small smile and pressing a kiss to her temple. "You sleep." Smiling, she nuzzled her face against the soft leather of his cut and let herself drift off into a peaceful sleep.

His alarm woke her up early in the morning. As always, the annoying sound did nothing to disturb him. She wondered how he got up in the morning without someone busting in and then realized, that's probably exactly what occurred when he slept at the clubhouse.

Angela sat up with a groan, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. Juice was still snoring loudly on his back, his arm stretched out on the bed where she had just been lying. She slipped a hand underneath his shirt, raking her fingernails softly over his stomach as she leant over to press a soft kiss to his lips. It took him a minute, but soon he was kissing her back, his tongue delving into her mouth as she slid a leg over his torso to straddle him.

Pulling away, he pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, chuckling when it revealed a red mark on her cheek. He traced the outline of the letters, apparently she'd slept on his patches because ingrained in red on her cheek was "Redwood Original". "You got my patches on your face, Angel," he said on a chuckle.

She giggled, reaching out a hand to trace it over the imprint in her cheek. "Sexy," she said sarcastically.

Juice moved his hand to cup the back of her neck, leaning up to capture her mouth in another kiss. He thought it was sexy as hell to have some part of the club on her. Some kind of brand to show everyone she was his. "I think so," he murmured against her lips, trailing kisses down her neck and down across her collarbone.

Her hands slid under his cut, gently working it off as his worked off her top to reveal a blue and black lacy bra; his favorite colors. It was a push up bra he had seen in the catalog she had and had commented on. He looked from the incredibly sexy bra up to the woman wearing it, swallowing hard as he felt his pants tighten. "Surprise," she said softly a naughty smile on her face. "I wanted to show you last night, but you wanted to watch Jackass so…"

In one quick move, Juice flipped her onto her back, growling as he buried his face into her chest, his teeth scraping across the soft flesh there. She gasped in response, one hand rubbing over his mowhawk. "This is so much better than that," he murmured as he mouthed the lacy fabric.

She giggled. "I would hope so."

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><p><strong>Like it? Think I could've done better? Let me know in a review! I love hearing from ya'll! :D<strong>

**xoxo**

**~Love Ink**


	16. Worth the Wait

**Thank you all so much for your reviews! I love hearing from you! :D **

**FX just started re-running Sons starting from the Pilot episode over here in the US! I have it recording despite the fact that I own the seasons on DVD because I'm weird like that... ;) **

**Anyhoo, hope you like this chapter...It was kind of crazy and a little fun to write... **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 16: Worth the Wait_

_By Love Ink_

Angela walked through the hospital hallways, coffee in hand. She'd been called in for a pick up and was lazily working her way back to the van to get out her gurney since the hospital wasn't able to spare one. Upon opening the back of the van, she was shocked to find her gurney was missing. Turning, she caught a glimpse of the MC's black van and a few motorcycles parked by it; one of which she recognized as Juice's.

"He didn't," she muttered shaking her head. She headed back towards the hospital, trolling the hallways to see if she could find where Juice and whatever brothers were with him had taken her gurney. As she rounded the corner, she was shocked to run into Clay and Tig sitting in one of the waiting rooms.

"Hey Ang. You here for a pick up?" Tig questioned.

She nodded slowly. "I _was_, but I seemed to have misplaced my cart," she said with a small smile. "Why? Need a key to the fridge?"

He chuckled as he leaned against the door jamb. "Nah, not this time, doll. Thanks though."

"Everything okay?" she asked without thinking. She mentally smacked herself for being nosy, but neither Tig nor Clay seemed to mind the question. Obviously whatever happened wasn't club business.

"Gemma was in an accident last night," Clay explained on a sigh. "Doc's checkin' her out."

"She okay?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "We'll find out."

Angela could hear a commotion from down the hall and grinned when she spotted Juice and Kip pushing her gurney with Bobby and Chibs on top of it and Opie trailing behind it. Chibs was ordering people to move as they barreled down the hall. "Well, there's my gurney," she said, making Tig chuckle.

The Sergeant clapped her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Don't worry about it, doll. It's being put to good use." She nodded in agreement, taking a step back just as the boys stopped directly in front of her. Tig stretched out a hand, putting it on the doorjamb by her head. "How's the homecoming queen?" he asked his brothers.

"He's a little green," Juice answered on a chuckle.

He gave Angela a wink she shook her head at him in response. "I'll be in the morgue looking for another gurney. Tell Gemma I hope she feels better," she said, excusing herself from the situation. If the MC guys gathered together, they'd be discussing stuff she wasn't a part of. It was better to leave before things got awkward. "Have fun boys."

"Bye Angie!" the boys all called after her in different cadences. She gave them a wave over her shoulder as she made her way down the hall.

Juice watched the swing of her hips as she sauntered down the hall, unconsciously licking his lips as he thought of the lingerie set she'd been wearing earlier that morning and what had come of it. She'd been a little pissed when he'd torn off her panties, but he'd promised to replace them. And he definitely would if it meant he got to rip them off her. Chibs hit him in the arm, pulling him from his thoughts so he could focus on what Clay was saying about Gemma instead of fantasizing about the undertaker.

* * *

><p>Angela was sitting outside the morgue, finishing her coffee in peace when she saw Juice and Chibs come walking down the hall with the empty gurney. She stood from her seat on the floor and tossed the Styrofoam cup into the trash. "Where'd Bobby go?"<p>

"Back in the van with Sack. Thought we'd return this," Chibs explained, pushing the gurney towards her.

"Thanks, Chibs," she said, wrapping her hands around the gurney as she glanced at Juice. "How the hell did you guys get it out of the van anyways?"

Juice grinned at her. "I keep tellin' ya to lock your doors, Angel," he teased, taking a step towards her. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he stopped himself. She was working and Chibs was right there. Usually, he wasn't so bothered by the presence of his brothers when he was with other girls, but it felt different with Angela. Almost as if he wanted to keep his private stuff...private so as not to alert his brothers about what a catch Angela was or how much fun she was behind closed doors. He didn't need any extra competition.

Angela laughed, a little embarrassed at being stupid enough to leave her doors unlocked. When she got out of the van initially, she'd been so sleep deprived she hadn't even realized she'd walked in without the gurney until she had downed about half a cup of coffee. "Oops," she said on a shrug.

Chibs chuckled, looking between the two as they stood awkwardly in front of each other. Close to each other but not close enough to actually be touching. He rolled his eyes. "Ah, go on and do your thing," he said waving a hand their way before turning around. "I'll be out there. I'm sure it won't take too long," he commented looking pointedly at Juice.

She laughed as Juice scowled at his brother. "Shut up Chibs."

Once the Scot had rounded the corner, Juice grabbed Angela around the waist, pulling her in for a long kiss. She leant into him, her hands grabbing onto the edges of his cut. He backed her up against the gurney, helping her hop up onto it and moving to stand between her legs. One of her hands smoothed over his mowhawk as one of his snaked up under her shirt.

A loud whistle interrupted them. Angela pulled away to find Chibs standing at the end of the hall, smirking at them. "C'mon Juicy-boy. We got shit to do."

Angela sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face in a frustrated manner. The childish move made Juice chuckle. "I'm sorry," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her again. "Duty calls."

She pushed him away, nodding. "I get it, I get it. I just wish it didn't always call in the middle of our fun."

"You and me both, baby. See you tonight?"

Another whistle from Chibs. "Yeah," she said, grinning when he kissed her once more. "Go, goofy! Before the Scot wakes the dead with that awful whistle!"

* * *

><p>Juice stopped his Dyna at the foot of the stairs to her apartment. He took the stairs two at a time, excited to tell Angela about the club's new porn gig. It was something he could finally let her in on. Something legitimate that couldn't get him in trouble later. He wasn't surprised that the door was locked when he tried it. After what he'd said at the hospital that day, he was expecting it. He headed back down the stairs, fished the spare key out of the ceramic skull, and went back up to open the door. "Angel?" he called out, stepping into the dark house.<p>

"Hey you!" she called back from her bedroom.

He locked the door behind him before heading her way. Once he rounded the corner, he found her lying on her stomach on the bed, wearing a pair of short running shorts and a tight tank top, her laptop open in front of her. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked going to lie down next to her.

"Shopping," she answered on a shrug. "Need a new pair of panties since you decided to destroy the last ones."

Juice sighed as he lay down next to her. "I said I was sorry," he muttered. She gave him a teasing smile to let him know she wasn't that mad about it and he grinned in response. "Since I'm buying, can I at least help pick?"

She laughed and slid the computer over to him. "What have you been up to?" she asked, fully expecting him to give her a one word answer like "work" or maybe even two words, "club stuff."

But he surprised her. "The Sons partnered up with this porn producer Old Lady," he said, his eyes fixated on the screen in front of him as he added different panties to her online cart. "Been helping set up the studio."

"Nice," she said, watching as he chose the most expensive lingerie to put in the cart. "Gettin' pricey there, Juice."

"Not a waste if I get to see 'em on you," he commented on a shrug.

Angela laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "Knock yourself out then."

After browsing the site for a few minutes, he paused and asked, "How good are you with make up, Ang?"

The question caught her off guard. After seeing multiple embalmings, she would've thought he'd known how good she was at what she did. She wasn't the best at what she did, not by a longshot, but she wasn't the worst either. On the spectrum of other undertakers, she was closer to the top than the bottom in her field. "Um…fairly good."

"Like you can cover up bruises real well and shit?"

"Well…yeah," she answered, hoping the question wasn't going to lead to anything bad or illegal. "Why?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "One of the porn stars got her nose almost broken by this prick and I was wondering if you could help make it look better on camera. She's supposed to shoot tomorrow and it looks bad."

Angela looked at him uncomprehendingly. The suggestion that just came out of his mouth was ridiculous in every way. Not only was he asking her to help out the club, but he was asking her to help out at a _porn _studio. "Porn," she said flatly, trying to wrap her head around it. "You want me to help out with porn?"

"Yeah," he said on a quick nod. "I've seen the type of shit you can cover up. You're a freakin' artist, Ang. I bet you can make her look flawless."

"For her porn."

"Yeah," he nodded again. "It'd be easy cash."

"For porn," she said, still dumbfounded by the idea. When she was younger, she'd dreamt of being a makeup artist to the stars…but not_ these_ kinds of stars.

"I really wish you'd stop saying it like that," he said, shrugging uncomfortably. "You make it sound so dirty."

Her eyebrows lifted as if to say, point made. "It's _porn_, Juice!"

"C'mon, Ang! It'll be somethin' different at least!"

"Ya think?" she exclaimed on a laugh; porn was definitely on the complete opposite spectrum from morgue work. "Juice, are you being serious about this?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. And maybe from there, you could help some of the other girls. I think it could really boost online sales if the girls on the vidcam don't look like…"

"Hookers?" she put in.

"Well…yeah," he agreed.

"It's porn," she repeated.

"You said that already," he pointed out.

"Did I?"

"Yeah," he said on a chuckle. "It'd be a big help to the club."

"It's porn."

Juice nodded once again. "You seem to be stuck on that…"

"I'm sorry, I think it's just a little weird you want me to do make up for a porn star," she explained on a laugh.

"Because doing make-up on dead people isn't weird?"

"Touché," she murmured, sending him a half-hearted glare. "But still…it's porn."

He shrugged a shoulder. "We'd be able hang out more."

"At a porn studio. Classy."

Juice rolled his eyes, taking his eyes off the screen to glance at her. He could see her going over it in her mind and knew she was close to caving. "It's some extra cash, and you'd be helping out the club."

Angela scowled at him at that suggestion. She didn't give a damn if it helped the club. "If I do it, it'd be for you not the club."

"Well then, do it for me," he said, turning to lay on his side. He trailed one finger up and down the soft, caramel skin of her arm. "C'mon, Angel. Please?"

How could she say no to him when he was looking at her with those big, brown puppy dog eyes? She was a sucker, and she knew it. "Fine," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I'll help with your porn."

That huge smile that made her heart do backflips spread across his face in triumph. "Yes!" he exclaimed, leaning over to kiss her lips. "Hey, maybe later, we can make our own porn."

Angela shook her head at him, smiling slightly as she let him pull her on top of him, the online lingerie shopping forgotten. "Don't push your luck, Juice."

* * *

><p>Looking around the brightly colored porn studio, Angela still couldn't believe she'd agreed to help out. She followed slowly after Juice and Chibs who were striding confidently towards a woman in a bright purple shirt. "Luann, we got ye some help," Chibs said, greeting the woman with a nod.<p>

"This," Juice said gesturing to Angela. "Is Angela. She's a make-up artist. Angel, this is Luann, she's the producer and director."

"Hi," Angela said going to shake the woman's hand.

Luann's blue eyes regarded her skeptically. "You any good?"

"Hell yeah she is," Juice answered for her.

The older woman raised an eyebrow at him, her eyes going from him to Angela with a curious look in them. "All right. Let's see what you can do," Luann said, walking towards the dressing rooms. "You boys take a load off on the couch. Dressin' rooms are girls only."

Angela felt nervous as she followed Luann, wishing she could have Juice with her. He put her a little more at ease especially since she was doing this all for him.

"You and that mowhawk kid…somethin' goin' on there?" Luann asked.

"Sorta," Angela answered vaguely, scratching nervously at her elbow.

Luann gave her a knowing smile. "Well, good for you, sweetheart. Keep on it," she said, pushing open a door with a star on it. She stepped in, walking around to one of the director style chairs where a blonde girl was sitting, staring at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in 1960s style underwear, her hair piled high atop her head. "Angie, this is Lyla. Ly, this is Angela, a makeup artist. Givin' her a trial run. See how you like her," she explained before turning to leave.

The blonde turned to reveal a nasty purple bruise splattered across the bridge of her nose. "Hey," she greeted with a small smile. "Sorry you have this to work with."

Angela shrugged a shoulder, stepping a bit closer to get a better look. "No worries. I can fix that."

"Yeah?"

"Sure," she assured her, already digging through the makeup bag she brought to find the product she was looking for. She slowly got to work, surprised at how still Lyla sat in the chair.

"Have you been doing make-up long?" Lyla asked as Angela turned to blend two colors together to get the girl's skin tone right. "I mean besides the whole being a girl thing. Professionally."

She laughed briefly and shook her head. "Nah. I'm actually not a professional. I mean, I went to beauty school for a bit, but I dropped out to go to Mortuary school."

"No way. Like for dead people?"

"Yep," she replied, waiting for the girl to shriek or freak out.

Instead, Lyla laughed. "That's pretty cool."

"Glad you think so. Most people get grossed out by it."

"Angela, I'm a porn star. Most people get grossed out by _me_," she admitted with a roll of her pretty blue eyes.

Angela let out a laugh, shaking her head at the blonde. She had to admit Lyla wasn't the obnoxious airhead Angela had assumed she would be. Despite her line of work, she was sweet and kind of funny. "I'm not grossed out by you," she stated as she finished off the make-up. "Especially since I can't see that ugly bruise any more."

Lyla turned in the mirror, her eyes widened. "Great job, Ang," she complimented, turning her head from side to side. The ugly purple bruise was completely hidden without having her make-up look too cakey. She'd subtly brought out her eyes and painted her lips a deep red too. "I haven't had my make-up look this good in a long time. I've been getting lazy with it."

"I'm guessing your fans don't pay much attention to your face anyway," Angela teased, hoping she hadn't stepped over a boundary and offended the girl.

"That _is_ true," Lyla said on a laugh. "Thanks."

Angela shrugged. "Anytime."

"Let's go show Luann!"

After winning Luann's seal of approval, Angela found herself standing at the woman's side, watching Lyla smack a man's ass with his shoe. Luann had wanted her to get an idea of how the shoots were lighted so she could change her makeup style accordingly. She glanced back at Juice who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying what he was seeing while Chibs looked very uncomfortably. _Interesting_, she mused to herself, turning back to watch, strangely fascinated and a little turned on.

"This is so weird," she mumbled to herself.

Luann patted her arm. "You get used to it," she assured her without taking her eyes off the action. "Big finish Lyla!"

Angela watched curiously as Lyla downed the remaining liquor in the bottle before pulling it back. Her eyes widened as Lyla shoved the neck of the bottle into the man's ass. "Holy shit!" she cursed, turning to look away as the man screamed. Juice and Chibs seemed to be just as surprised and a little grossed out by the whole scene. The looks on their faces had her giggling despite the situation.

"Cut!" Luann ordered. "Check it!"

Chibs and Juice jumped to their feet, applauding the porn stars, big smiles on both of their faces shouting for an encore. Angela and Luann exchanged glances, both of them shaking their heads at the boys' antics.

Luann elbowed Angela in the side, leaning towards her to whisper, "In the back of the studio is a prop closet. The door locks. No cameras."

A slow smile spread across Angela's face as she nodded. "Juice, I have to get something out of the prop closet," she said walking passed him, one hand trailing across his chest.

Juice frowned and nodded. Watching that scene had turned him on and he'd been hoping to go straight to her place to see if she could take care of it. He'd hope they could go straight to her place so they could have some fun. He watched the swing of her hips as she walked down the hall.

"Why don't you go help her out, kid?" Luann suggested, patting his shoulder.

Chibs chuckled as he understood what was going on. "Aye, go on Juicy boy," he said pushing Juice further. "I think she might need ya."

Juice looked at them quizzically before starting to jog after her. Halfway down, he realized he didn't know where he was going. Out of nowhere, a pair of arms reached out, grabbing hold of the back of his cut and tugging him into a room.

He could smell Angela's perfume as the door closed leaving them in complete darkness. She pushed him up against a wall, her lips crashing down on his hungrily. He grabbed her hips in his hands pulling her closer against him, letting her feel how hard he was. "I _knew_ this would turn out well for me," he murmured, trailing kisses down her throat.

"Got some good ideas from it," she said, gasping as he nipped the skin where her shoulder and neck met. "I think I have an empty bottle at home…"

Juice turned them around, lifting one of her legs up to hook around his waist as he pressed her into the wall. "That's not even funny, Angel," he growled, biting at her skin harder this time as if to punish her for even thinking of doing that to him.

She moaned, her hands sliding between them to reach for his belt buckle when a loud commotion from outside made them both stop. "No, we're finishing this," Angela ordered, pulling at his belt buckle.

He grinned at her in the dark space. For the first time since they'd been together, he decided to ignore whatever was happening with the club. After all, Chibs was out there. He could handle it. And when would he ever get the chance to fuck his girl in a porn studio again? "Whatever you say, baby."

* * *

><p>Tara raised an eyebrow when she saw the young undertaker standing at the hospital's front desk filling out some paperwork. She was wearing a pair of tight leather pants tucked into a pair of heeled boots and a tight black wife beater with a stylish leather jacket on over it. Her long dark hair hung down her back in stylish waves and her nails were glimmering silver in the fluorescent lights. As if sensing she was being watched, she looked up from the paperwork, her onyx eyes glancing briefly at Tara. If Tara didn't know her, Angela looked just a little scary. Her face just had that natural tough look to it that made people stay away. Then she smiled, the action changing her whole face revealing the nice girl she was in actuality.<p>

Before she'd ever gotten involved with Juice, Angela and Tara gotten to know each other over coffee at the cafeteria since they always seemed to be in there at the same time. They weren't best friends, of course, but they were more than just acquaintances. "Hey T," Angela greeted, signing off the paperwork with a flourish. "Done for the day?"

"Yeah, actually," she answered with a small smile. "Where are you headed dressed like that?"

"Porn wrap party," Angela said, laughing as Tara pulled a face. "I know, but I was invited so I figure…why not?"

"This thing with Juice is getting serious then?"

She laughed again. "Nah," she said with a shake of her head. "I helped do the make-up so Luann invited me. Juice told me I should go, of course, but…it wasn't him inviting."

"Jax brought it up to me too," Tara said on a frown. "Those girls love him."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "So why are you here?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I don't belong there."

"Because I do?" she shot back with a roll of her eyes. "C'mon, T. Don't be like that. If Jax brought it up, its because he wants you there, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well then, let's go!" Angela exclaimed, handing off the form to the woman behind the counter before striding past Tara. Tara hesitated. "Oh, come on. What do you have to lose?"

Tara breathed in a deep breath and asked herself that question. She stood to lose a lot by going. She might see Jax with that porn bitch or she might lose her dignity by kicking said porn bitch's ass. But she stood to lose more by not going. Not knowing what Jax was doing surrounded by all those girls who were willing to give him just about anything would drive her crazy. "All right, let's go."

Angela parked her Mazda next to Tara's car and waited for the doctor to get out. She glanced hesitantly at the party and then back at Angela. "C'mon, doc," Angela said, heading towards the party. "It'll be fun!"

Tara breathed in deeply, mentally preparing herself for what was sure to happen once she stepped inside of that porn studio. She walked a little quicker to keep up with Angela's long stride. As soon as they stepped into the place, a voice stopped them. "This is a closed party."

Angela turned to find one of the porn stars sitting in a chair looking like she owned the place. Tara glared at her. "I'm looking for Jax," she explained simply.

Angela watched in awe as Tara stood her ground while the three of the stars tried to push her out of there. It was intimidating to be sure, but Tara just moved around them, heading straight for the bathroom leaving her alone with them.

"Well?" the one in the center asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Well what?" she asked, ignoring the girls aggressive tone. Luann waved at her from where she was talking to Lyla. Angela gave the porn star a smug smirk and stepped around her without another word. She wasn't the type to fight fire with fire; she preferred a more tactful fighting style.

Luann nodded towards the three porn stars. "Ima giving you trouble?"

"Nope," Angela said on a shrug. "How's the final cut of your movie?"

"I think it'll be a hot seller. Go see for yourself if you want," she replied, gesturing to one of the many television sets. She watched the younger woman's eyes glance around the room and smiled. "He's at the bar, sweetheart. Hasn't touched another girl all night."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Sorta. Nothin' wrong with that though," Luann assured her on a shrug. "Go ahead. He's a looker and I doubt he could fight off those girls much longer."

Angela nodded, giving Luann a small smile. "Guess not. See you around, Luann."

She headed towards the bar, spotting Juice easily. He was staring straight ahead, ignoring the blonde that was at his side. She nodded a quick hello at Opie as she approached Juice's back. She draped her arms over his shoulders from behind, wondering what he would do. To her surprise, he grabbed a hold of one of her hands and kissed it before turning around on his barstool. "Was wonderin' when you were going to stop by," he said using the hand he was holding to pull her in closer. "Been waiting for ya."

"Is that so?" she asked cocking her head to the side. "Now why would you wait for little ole me when you could have any of these nice ladies?"

"Because these nice ladies don't have those nice ladies," he said, looking pointedly at her chest. "At least, not real ones, and they don't wear lingerie that I personally picked out either."

Angela laughed, leaning forward to catch his lips in a hot kiss. "Well, I hope I make it worth the wait."

Juice tangled a hand in the back of her hair, his mind running through the many times they were interrupted and the many times they hadn't been. With every interruption, he'd had to wait for another opportunity…but it was always worth it. "You always do, baby."

* * *

><p><strong>So? What'd you think? As always, your opinions are very much appreciated! I love hearing from you! If there's something you'd like me to change, something you'd like to see more of, less of, etc...let me know in a review! <strong>

**Off to bed now! Going to an SF Giants game tomorrow! YAY! :D**

**~Love Ink**


	17. Having Fun

**A/N: This takes place in season 2, episode 4: "Eureka"...Juice is not in this episode because he apparently wasn't invited on the run. :( (Or, more likely than not, Theo had another gig, which is great! The more Theo in this world the better. ;)) Let me know if you liked how I worked him in. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 17: Having Fun_

_By Love Ink_

For the first time in a long time, Angela's phone woke her up instead of Juice's. She grabbed it, quickly untangling herself from the sleeping man at her side as she answered. "Angela Ruiz?"

"Hey kid. You busy?" Happy's gruff voice came from the other end.

She smiled, tossing back the covers and leaving Juice behind in bed. "Nope. C'mon over, cuz."

She pulled on a pair of sweats and a tank top before piling her hair a top her head in a high bun. For a brief moment, she considered waking up Juice, but he looked so peaceful lying there snoring away and it was rare he got to sleep in without the club bothering him.

Going over to the kitchen, she unlocked the front door before flicking on the coffee pot and taking bacon and eggs out of the fridge. She hadn't been cooking long when she heard the front door open. "Hey Hap!" she called from the kitchen just as he rounded the corner.

"Hey kid," he greeted, leaning against the counter where she was working. He paused for a second, picking up on a strange sound coming from the other side of the house. It took him a brief moment to realize what it was; snoring. "The idiot here?"

She glared at him for the insult but nodded. "Yep."

"Heard he got you helpin' with porn," he stated, arms crossed over his chest. He hadn't been too thrilled when he'd found out; the idea of his little cousin anywhere near Cara Cara bothered him. He knew his cousin wasn't a virgin, but he liked to think she wasn't as experienced as other women and that was hard to do when he picture her helping out at a porn studio where they did things like 'anal rain-dances'...whatever those were. "Better not be in front a camera."

Angela rolled her eyes at him. "Nah. Doin' make-up," she explained as if it was no big deal. "So which of your brothers has eyes on me?"

"That idiot in your bed."

"I _know_ that. But which one is fillin' _you_ in the details? I know Juice didn't tell you I was helping out at CaraCara."

Happy shrugged a shoulder. Of course, he had one of his Charming brothers keeping track of her starting the minute she'd set foot in Charming. But he was the only one who knew of their connection...well him and Juice now. "Does it really matter?"

"No, just curious," she said flippantly. After a minute, she asked, "Is it Chibs?"

He shook his head. As much as he liked the Scotsman, he didn't know him well enough to trust with the task of looking after Angela. "Nah."

"Piney?"

"No."

Then it hit her. In Tacoma, Kozik was in charge of keeping an eye on her while Hap went out on his jobs. Though Kozik was sweet on the outside, there was a reason he was Tacoma's Sergeant at Arms. He was a born killer just like... "It's Tig isn't it?"

Happy nodded. He didn't need to keep it a secret anymore. It was good for her to know which of his brothers she could turn to in case of emergency. "Been doin' a good job, too."

"Guess so," she said on a shrug. She hadn't even given Tig a second thought when she'd met him. If he was getting intel about her, he was stealthy about it, a lot better than Kozik who would just ask her. Happy went to grab another piece of bacon and she pushed his hand away. "Stop, Hap!" she said, elbowing him out of the way. She was one of the few people who could get away with something like that and still be breathing after. "Go sit at the table and I'll bring it to you."

Happy grabbed the piece of bacon he'd been trying to get anyway and went to go sit at the table. She rolled her eyes at his little display of power before putting the eggs and bacon onto serving plates and heading over. She set the food down in front of him and gave him an empty plate before sitting down. She sipped at her coffee and ate just the bacon. "Hows your Mom?"

"Same," he replied around a bite. "You make the payment on the house?"

"Yeah, 'course I did," Angela replied on a scowl. Since she was the only one of them with the stable home and cash flow, she made the payments on their Moms' house.

Happy nodded. "You should visit. Ma wants to see you. Doesn't believe you're all right here."

"Yeah, but if I visit _your_ mother, I have to see _my_ mother," she pointed out. "And I don't want to do that."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Would you just go? It'd mean a lot to Ma."

Angela sighed, raking a hand though her hair. She knew he really meant that he wanted her to visit for his sake because he knew Elena worried about her, and Angela loved his mother. Elena had raised her since her father died and her mom, Graciela, went into zombie mode. After that, Gracie threw herself into her job as a nurse leaving Angela with Elena who cleaned houses for a living. Angela would spend hours playing in strangers' houses while her Aunt cleaned or Happy would take her out when he had the time. She owed Elena a lot; the woman practically raised her.

"All right, all right, I'll think about it," she conceded on a sigh.

He nodded, pushing away from the table and dumping his plate into the sink before heading towards the bathroom. She shook her head at him as she went to go clean off her plate as well. Seconds later, a pair of warm arms slipped around her waist. "Mornin' Angel," Juice's low voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

She froze as he started trailing kisses down her neck, his hands snaking under her shirt. He didn't know Happy was there. "Juice," she hissed, turning to find him shirtless. "Baby, you need to some clothes on."

He gave her that silly grin that she loved so much. "Why?" he asked, grabbing her hips and pulling her into his chest again. "Thought we'd have a little more fun before I gotta go."

Angela pushed him away as she heard the toilet flush. "You need to go put some clothes on now," she insisted, turning him around and pushing him back towards the bedroom. "Hap's here."

Juice's eyes widened and he started walking faster. He almost made it to the bedroom when Happy stepped out of the guest bathroom. The Tacoma killer gave Juice a dark look, his arms crossed over his chest. Juice stopped, making Angela run into his bare back. "Uh…hi…Hap," he greeted awkwardly.

"Put some clothes on," Happy ordered, brushing past him and heading back to the table.

"Right," Juice said under his breath.

Once he had disappeared in his bedroom, Happy gave Angela a cold glare. She shrugged a shoulder. "What? You knew he was here." He shook his head at her in response. A small smile turned up the corners of her lips, a little relieved that his only response to seeing Juice half-naked was to tell him to get dressed not to beat the crap out of him. "So what are you in town for anyway?"

"Goin' on a charity ride," he replied on a shrug.

"Fun," she commented with a smile. "Bring me back somethin' pretty."

Happy rolled his eyes, leaning over to kiss her temple. "Yeah, kid," he said, ruffling her hair before heading to the door. "Tell the idiot he's got an hour."

"Got it," she said with a grin. "Bye."

He knew what a smile like that meant; had seen it on many a Croweater. Shaking his head at her, he opened the door, deciding to leave before he felt the need to castrate his brother for making his little cousin smile like that. He gave her a quick nod goodbye before shutting the door behind him.

Angela let out a sigh of relief, running her hands through her hair. _Crisis averted, _she thought with a small smile. She skipped back towards the bedroom and laughed when she saw Juice just sitting on the bed, still in his boxers. "What happened to changing?"

"Figured he was leaving soon," Juice answered on a shrug, reaching out a hand for her. She stepped towards him, moving to stand between his legs. His hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her closer to him before he slid his hands up under her shirt. "And I'm not done with you yet."

* * *

><p>Angela watched Juice get dressed for the day, loving the way his muscles moved under his tanned skin as he pulled his shirt over his head. She sat up in the bed, pulling her knees up to her chest and draping her arms over them. "How long will you be gone for?" she asked him.<p>

Juice glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She was stark naked underneath the cream colored sheet that was pulled up over her chest. Her hair was a mess of waves that tumbled over her shoulders and onto the smooth span of her back. "A day or two," he answered with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Hmm," she hummed, thinking of all the girls he could bed in that span of time. She wrinkled her nose at the thought, better _not_ to think of it.

"What?"

"Nothing," Angela replied quickly, knowing the protective feeling she was experiencing was one that belonged to a girlfriend, not just a friend and if she talked about it, he was likely to go running for the hills. "Just be safe."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her as he put his rings on. "Nothin' to worry about, baby. Only thing I got to worry about is your cousin kickin' my ass."

"I _told_ you to put more clothes on," she reminded him.

"Probably would've been better if you told me he was here first."

She laughed, nodding in agreement. "Probably."

"So what are you going to do without me around?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe I'll find myself a nice doctor, have some fun with him," she teased, fighting against a triumphant grin when she saw a jealous look pass over her face.

"Better not," he warned, turning around to face her.

"Why not?" she asked, feigning ignorance. She wanted to hear him say it. Just once. Tell her he didn't want her to be with someone else because she was with him or even if he called her his…she could handle being called his property as long as he didn't treat her as such.

Juice cocked his head to the side, thinking about how to answer that. His knee-jerk reaction was to tell her she was his and then push her back onto the bed to make sure she understood but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. "I don't know," he answered lamely.

"Okay." She rolled her eyes, unsatisfied with his answer. Getting up from the bed, she brushed by him and pulled open her underwear drawer. Her hands raked over the lacey fabric before she picked up a matching set and some casual clothes before heading to the bathroom, sparing him a small smirk on her way.

He mentally smacked himself for being such an idiot. Taking a deep breath, he rapped his knuckles on the closed wooden doors. "Angel?"

"Yeah, Juice?" she called back, pulling on her jean shorts with a grunt.

He hesitated briefly before asking, "You're not really gonna sleep with some doctor when I'm not here, are ya?"

She chuckled to herself, pulling her shirt over her head before opening the door to find Juice leaning against the door jamb. "Nah. The only man I'll be hanging out with is Mr. Kenny Winston," she assured him with a teasing smile. "Piney needs help since Op'll be out on the ride."

Juice nodded slowly, sensing she still wasn't very happy about his previous answer. "Hey Ang…" he started, ready to tell her what he'd wanted to originally. That she was his and that no other man should lay hands on her while he was gone. She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue when his phone went off. "Shit," he mumbled, turning away from her to grab his cell of the bedstand.

He sat down on the bed as he answered the phone, surprised when Angela set a hand on his shoulder before leaning over to press a kiss to his head just over the start of his tattoo. His eyes followed her out of the room as he barely registered what Chibs was saying on the other line. He was thoroughly confused by the whole interaction. What could it mean?

He hung up the phone before sliding on his cut and heading out to the living room. Angela was in the kitchen again, the sound of sizzling bacon reminded him that he had yet to eat. "Hungry?"

"You know it," he said, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and dropping a kiss to her shoulder.

"You have time to eat?"

Juice nodded. "I'm not goin' on the run. Clay wants me to hang back. Help Piney out." Clay had actually ordered him to stay behind and dig deeper into Zobelle, but he wasn't about to disclose that to Angela; it was something she didn't need to know.

"Oh nice!" she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. Having him stay in Charming meant one less thing for her to worry. She gave him a plate of smile and served herself another cup of coffee before following him to the kitchen table.

She sat down across from him, pulling her long hair over her shoulders and raking her fingers through it. Juice watched entranced as her fingers weaved the strands into some kind of fancy braid. He loved those fingers, loved her hands. They looked so delicate and feminine but held a hidden strength to them. Those fingers could work a sore muscle like you wouldn't believe causing pain at first and then gently brush over said muscle so softly it sent shivers down his back.

Angela looked up, her dark eyes catching his. "What?" she asked, feeling a little self-conscious under his intense gaze.

"Nothin'," he replied, shrugging one shoulder. He wasn't about to admit to give her some mushy line about how much he liked her hands.

"Goof." She rolled her eyes at him, pushing away from the table and rubbing a hand over his mowhawk. She leant over to press a kiss to his cheek. "I gotta go pick up Kenny and Ellie. See you."

Juice bobbed his head, giving her a quick wave. He heard the door closed behind her and sighed. He wondered how she found the strength to put up with him. His stupid replies to questions he knew the answers to. She'd given him the golden opportunity to stake his claim on her, all he had to do was tell her he didn't want her to be with other people because she was his and that'd be it. It was easy! He didn't even have to say it front of other people! But _no, _his idiot brain stopped him before he could even get the chance. It was no small wonder his brothers often referred to him as an 'idiot.'

* * *

><p>The sound of a bass thumping pulled Juice from his research. He rubbed at his tired eyes, sighing as he leant away from the computer screen he'd been staring at all day. He'd hacked into every place he could think of and still found no dirt on Zobelle. The bass got louder, and he could make out some music. Classic rock. A few seconds later, he recognized the tune, as "<em>Highway to Hell<em>" by AC/DC. A smile crossed his face before he could stop it as he pushed away from the desk.

Her dark gray Mazda was covered in dust as it pulled to a stop in one of the parking spaces of TM. The music was blasting but not loud enough to drown out the sound of three voices screaming along to it. He chuckled from where he was standing, leaning against the clubhouse entrance.

Ellie got out of the car first, laughing and skipping around towards the driver's side where Angela was slowly getting out. Kenny kicked open the door and stepped out also laughing. All three headed to the clubhouse, both kids talking a mile a minute at Angela who seemed to be handling both conversations surprisingly well.

She was wearing hiking boots that were covered in mud. The same mud streaked her bare legs, a lighter color than her tan skin. There was mud on her arms, mud on her face, mud everywhere including covering the two kids. Her hair was pulled back from her face in it's usual braid, but she was wearing a red bandana tied across her forehead, as were the kids. He raised an eyebrow, what had they been doing?

Ellie spotted him first, hitting Angela's arm and pointing him out. A bright smile spread across Angela's face, making Juice's stomach do that awful flip thing he hated. "Look! It's the Goonies!" he teased, pushing off the doorjamb and heading towards her.

Ellie giggled, obviously understanding the reference while Harry grinned. "Angie let us have a mud fight!" he exclaimed, the mud in his hair making it stick up a little over his bandanna.

Angela laughed, ruffling his hair lovingly. "We hiked up to that waterfall and I let them put their feet in. One thing led to another and…"

"It was awesome!" Kenny exclaimed on a laugh.

"Looks like it," Juice commented on a nod. "Piney's not back yet guys, but you can go chill inside."

The Winston kids nodded and ran by him into the clubhouse, chattering excitedly about their days. Angela took a few steps towards him, waiting until the kids were all the way inside before draping her arms over his shoulders. "How was work?" she asked.

He didn't answer her, just leant his head down and captured her mouth with his own. She kissed him back hungrily, her fingers smoothing over the end of his mowhawk. His hands slipped into the pockets of her jeans, pulling her hips flush against his own. They were so involved in each other, they didn't hear the tow truck pull in behind them.

Piney watched the two lovers, slightly intrigued by the whole exchange. He loved having Angela around. It saved him a lot of work and made his grandkids happy. The fact that she was with Juice, however, unsettled him. If that idiot messed up, as was inevitable, his favorite babysitter would be gone.

He cleared his throat, effectively making them jump apart. Angela had the decency to look embarrassed, but Juice looked rather annoyed. "Every time," he mumbled under his breath.

Angela giggled, pushing away from him and smiling at Piney. "Hey Piney."

"Hope that's not what you're teachin' my grandkids," he teased her as he approached them.

"Was I not supposed to?" she shot back at him, mock grimacing as though she hadn't realized what a mistake that would be.

Juice glanced at the old man, nervous as to what his reaction would be. He might not appreciate her teasing about his grandkids. To his surprise, Piney clapped her shoulder, chuckling at her. "Kids gotta learn sometime, don't they?" he replied. "They inside?"

"Yep," she chirped. "Sorry they're a little dirty. We went on a hike."

He waved off her apology. "Kids are kids. Long as they're happy, I don't give a shit," he said walking with Angela towards the clubhouse.

Juice stared after them wondering when the two had gotten to be such good friends. Shaking his head, he chased after. "How's Tig?" he asked Piney as Angela rounded up the kids.

"He'll live," Piney answered curtly. "You get all your stuff done?"

"Didn't find much more," he replied with a frown. He rubbed at his tired eyes. "Got a few more databases I can try, though."

The old man shook his head. "Relax. Take her home. Have some fun. That's what all the others are doin' up in Oregon. Go 'head. She deserves it after spending a whole day with those kids."

Juice smiled and shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe I will."

The kids came running out with Angela behind them. They each gave her a quick hug and said thank you before heading towards Piney's car to go home. "You'll be all right lockin' up?" Piney asked, glancing at Juice.

"Yeah, 'course," Juice answered, glancing back at Angela who was standing by the pool table, pool stick in hand. "We'll be all right."

Piney nodded his goodbye to them both. As soon as the doors closed behind him, Juice made sure the door was locked. He heard the clack of pool balls and turned to find Angela starting up a game by herself. "Finish your work," she told him with an understanding smile. "I'll keep you company."

Juice walked over to her, taking her face in his hands and giving her one, long kiss. She melted into him, letting the pool stick in her hand fall to the floor with a _smack_. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth as he lifted her onto the edge of the table. His lips trailed down her neck, teeth scraping along the soft skin there. "Got better things to do," he murmured, pushing her back down onto the red felt table and trying to get on it with her.

One of his hands landed on a ball, and he slipped falling straight down on her, his face buried in her chest. She tilted her head back as she laughed. "Are you okay?" she managed to ask through her laughter.

"Yeah," he mumbled against her skin before looking up at her. Her laughter was contagious and he soon found himself laughing along with her. Reaching out a hand, he pulled her up into a sitting position. "How 'bout we take this somewhere…less dangerous?"

"Sounds good to me," she said with a light laugh, one of her fingers tracing over his jawline. "Next time we should make sure the balls are out of the way. Those things are dangerous."

Juice nodded as he grabbed her hips, lifting her off the table and setting her on her feet. "Well, they _were_ out of the way before you decided to break the rack."

"Hey, I thought you had to work more," she shot back playfully. He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the door. "I needed something to entertain myself."

"Uh-huh, sure. You just wanted me to motorboat you," he teased as he swung their hands between them. Once out the door, he turned and locked it behind him.

She rolled her eyes. "Please. If I want that, all I have to do is ask."

Juice grinned at her, she knew him too well. "That _is_ true."

"C'mon goofy. I need a shower," she said, tugging him towards his bike. "Take me home and maybe we can share one."

"A shower sounds nice." He didn't need to be told twice. Handing her his extra helmet, he swung one leg over his bike. He never used to carry the extra helmet, though he always had one laying around his room at the clubhouse just in case. Now, with Angela around, he always had it with him, not wanting to risk her safety even for just a short amount of time. He waited until her arms were securely wrapped around his waist before driving off into the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer 2: I don't own ACDC's awesome song or the Goonies but they are both awesome! If you haven't seen the Goonies, I highly recommend it! :D**

**Out of curiosity, a few readers said they can picture Angela in the episodes...is there a particular actress you see her as? I'm curious to know. :)**

**As always, your thoughts/comments/critiques are very much appreciated!**

**~Love Ink**


	18. Boom

**Thanks so much to all who reviewed! :D **

**Updating earlier than expected because I was inspired by two things: Theo's tweets with pictures of him shaving his head back into the mohawk we all know and love AND I got to work in a funeral home a couple days ago! yay for inspiration! :) haha**

**I also found which actress _I_ picture as Angela...if you're interested, let me know in a review and I'll post it onto my profile. I know sometimes it ruins stories when they're "cast" so I figured I'd see what you guys thought about it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 18: Boom_

_By Love Ink_

After spending the night at his place, Juice gave Angela a ride back to TM to pick up her car. After parking his bike, he walked her over to her car, opening the door for her. "Such a gentleman," she teased, leaning against the car.

He grinned back at her from where he stood, his arm draped over the open car door. "You really busy today?"

She checked her phone, scrolling through her texts. "Have a pick up at the hospital later once their done with the autopsy over there," she explained on a shrug. "Gotta cremate him and that's it. Mondays are slow."

"Cool," he said, nodding his head. "I'll see you tonight? My place?"

Angela's heart did a little flip at the invite. She knew what it meant for him to invite her to-what she affectionately called-"the Bat Cave" since it was a bachelor's pad filled with all his gadgets. "Yeah, definitely," she said with a smile. Her eyes were drawn over his shoulder to where a Prius was pulling in, one of its front axles bare. Opie went over to go deal with it. She watched as Lyla got out of the car, half her torso left bare by her top in true porn star fashion. "That's quite a flat," she commented, nodding towards the silver car.

"No shit," Juice said, on a chuckle.

Opie nodded at Angela, catching her attention. "Ang, you need to be somewhere soon?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Nope. Got a few hours to kill before work. Why?"

"You mind givin' Lyla a lift to Luann's studio?"

" 'course not," she replied, smiling at the blonde girl who was looking at Opie like he was the hottest thing on Earth. She raised an eyebrow back at Juice who looked a little clueless as to the flirtation going on between Lyla and Opie. "I'll see you later, Juice."

"Yeah. Drive safe, Angel," Juice said, surprising her when he leant over to press a quick kiss to her lips.

She got into her car, fighting off the silly smile that was threatening to spread across her face. It was just a simple peck; they'd been fully making out in front of everyone at Bobby's party just a few days before…why should this kiss be any different? But it was to her. It was so sweet and casual done in front of Opie and all the guys at the garage almost as if she was his…No. She stopped herself. She was not his girlfriend. They were just friends. Best friends. "Always do," she said on a quick breath, pushing a hair behind her ear.

She slid into the car, waiting for Lyla and her son to get in. "Hey Ang," Lyla greeted with a knowing smile. "This is my son Piper, Pipe, this is Angela, a friend of mine."

"Hi," Piper said shyly.

"Hey Piper," Angela replied, glancing at him in the rearview mirror as she started the car. She pulled out quickly, waving at Juice on her way out. "So where to?"

"Charming Elementary," Lyla answered. "Do you know where that is?"

Angela smiled and nodded, it was the same school Kenny and Ellie went to. "I do, actually! Op's kids go there. I babysit them sometimes," she commented, slyly giving Lyla more information about the bearded man she'd just been ogling.

Lyla's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't ask more, just nodded. It was a quick ride to the school and Piper made it there just in time. Once they were alone in the car, Lyla turned to Angela with a grin. "That Mohawked guy your boyfriend?"

"Oh Juice? Nah, he's my best friend," she answered on a shrug.

"You sure about that, Ang? You two looked pretty cozy. That kiss was really sweet."

"So was your little flirtation with Op," Angela pointed out, effectively changing the subject.

Lyla smiled almost shyly which was odd for a porn star to be getting shy about a little flirting. "He seems like a sweet guy. I got a good vibe from him."

"He _is_ a sweet guy, Ly," she insisted, though she didn't really know Opie all that well. She could tell he was a good guy by the way his kids talked about him.

The blonde nodded, content with the other woman's answer. "So back to this Juice guy…"

Angela groaned, rolling her eyes. "Can we not?"

"Why not? I think it's cute! He really likes you, Ang," she insisted with a wide smile. "And you really like him too."

Angela felt like she was back in middle school where girls would share secrets and giggle over secret crushes. Then when someone would admit to a crush, the other girls would turn around and steal him. She was too old for games like that. "Whatever."

"Don't just brush it off. It's special. Rare," Lyla assured her.

"Whatever you say, Lyla," she replied, flippantly.

Lyla could almost see Angela visibly putting up walls to protect herself. She couldn't blame the girl; after seeing the way Ima went after Jax, Lyla thought Angela's cool exterior might had to do with downplaying her man so no one else went after him. "I'm not after your man, Ang."

She scowled at her, shaking her head though it did have something to do with it. "I know, Ly. It's just…complicated."

"Okay," she said on a shrug dropping the subject as they pulled into CaraCara. "You willing to come in and do my makeup?"

Angela grinned at her, she secretly loved doing make-up at the porn studio. It took her back to the days when she was younger and worked at the department store make-up counters doing make-up for random shoppers. "As much as I'd love to, I better go do my actual job."

"Bummer," Lyla said as she got out of the car. "Have fun with the dead people!"

"Have fun with the sex!" Angela shot back before pulling out of the parking lot with a squeal of her tires.

She pulled into the funeral home's large empty parking lot, pulling the emergency brake and skidding into her parking spot. Opening the door of her car, she laughed at her awful parking job. Luckily, she was the only car in the lot because her little drift had her parked across three parking spots.

"You keep drivin' like that, and I'll need a new undertaker to embalm ya," Skeeter commented as her walked out of the crematorium.

"Whoops," she said with a bright smile. She closed the door and parked the Mazda the correct way before getting out. "Whatcha got for me, Skeet?"

He handed her the paperwork and the keys to the big van. "Hospital pick up. Direct cremation. Somethings wrong with the paperwork though. No doctor sign off."

"Awesome," Angela said sarcastically, tossing the keys in the air and catching them. There was always something wrong with the paperwork from St. Thomas. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks," Skeeter said with an appreciative smile. He had no patience when it came to the hospital staff. "And please no, _Fast and Furious_ driving in the van, Ang. Its already on it's last legs."

She grinned at him, spinning the keyring around her finger. "Wouldn't dream of it, boss."

* * *

><p>Angela left her gurney in front of the morgue, grabbed a quick cup of coffee from the cafeteria, and then headed towards the main desk of the surgical floor. One surgeon had failed to sign off on the paperwork, which meant the decedent was technically still "alive", therefore she couldn't take him from the morgue. The nurse at the front desk gave her a friendly smile. "Hey Angela. Another paperwork snafu?"<p>

"Yep. Dude's still alive technically," Angela explained handing over the paperwork. "Can you get someone to sign off on it, please?"

"It's the new interns. They don't know how to properly fill this stuff out yet," the nurse, Kayla, explained with a frown. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Kay."

"Hey Angie," Tara greeted, setting a file on the desk and scribbling something down.

Angela's eyes were drawn to the bandage across the young doctor's face. "Geez. What happened to your face?" she asked, her brows drawn together in concern.

"Just an accident. No big deal."

"Okay," she commented, unconvinced. The bruise on Tara's nose was almost as bad as the one Cherry had sported a few months back. "Shit, did Gemma do that?"

Tara raised an eyebrow, wondering how she could possible know that. "Not on purpose. I startled her and she took action."

Angela touched her own nose, hoping that she wasn't next. "Ouch. First Cherry, now you; that woman has good aim."

"No kidding."

Kayla came back with the paperwork and handed it over to Angela. "All signed and ready to go."

"Thank you, Kayla," she said, looking it over to make sure before signing the release form. "Gotta go do my job. I'll catch you later, T. Take care."

"You too, Ang."

Angela cursed as she tried to load the body into the back of the van. It usually wasn't so hard, but the decedent had to be at least three times her size and the task was proving to be quite difficult. "Just get in the van, you stupid dead person…"

"That work often?" a voice question from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder to find Jax standing at his Dyna, Gemma beside him. Her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment; swearing at a corpse was very unprofessional. "Um…no. Never actually."

"Need some help?" he asked, already hooking his helmet onto the handlebars of his bike.

Angela nodded. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Hey, you helped out Luann for us, figured I'd do somethin' in return," he said on a grunt as he helped her lift the body into the van.

She laughed lightly. "Thanks."

"You helped out Luann?" Gemma inquired from where she was standing just a few feet away, arms crossed over her chest. Angela figured she'd moved in closer when they were loading up the body. "What were you doin'?"

"Make-up," Angela answered quickly, before Gemma could jump to any other conclusions. She folded up the gurney, slipped it into the back, and closed the doors. "Juice asked me to help out so I did."

Gemma smirked as she nodded. She liked that the girl said she'd done it at Juice's request. No mention of the club or how it would help them. Maybe Angela wasn't the little croweater she had originally thought she was. "Good for you."

"Yeah," she replied awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. "Um…I should get going. It's hot out and a corpse in the heat is not fun to deal with."

Jax remembered the smell of the bodies they'd taken from Skeeter the first time they'd met Angela and nodded in agreement. He hoped he never had to smell that again. "Good luck with that."

"Yeah, thanks," she shot back as she hopped up into the van.

After finishing up the cremation, Angela took a long, hot shower, and got dressed in more casual clothes; a tight pair of jeans and a black beater with the Rolling Stones logo on it in silver that was a little too short for her and revealed more of her tattoo than she normally showed. Her phone rang just as she finished braiding her hair in a side braid that wrapped around her head.

Sighing, she picked it up off her bureau. "Angela Ruiz?"

"Angie, hi," a small voice replied. "It's Lyla. I got your number from Luann."

"Oh hey, Ly. What's going on?"

Lyla sighed. "I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if you could take me to go pick up my car."

"Sure. No problem," she replied, slipping on a pair of black leather riding boots. "You still at Cara Cara?"

"Yeah. I was going to ask Ima but…something tells me that wouldn't be wise."

Angela laughed, remembering the way Ima and Tara faced off at the porn wrap party. "Good call. I'll be right over."

"Thanks, Angie."

* * *

><p>As Angela walked into CaraCara, she was intercepted by none other than Ima herself. "Back again? You want a job or somethin'?" the porn star asked, just inches away from Angela's face.<p>

"I got one, and I don't have to suck cock for it. But thanks for the offer," she replied calmly, a small smile on her face that was anything but sweet. "I'm Angela by the way. Lyla's make-up artist."

"Luann hired a make-up artist for _Lyla_?" Ima repeated, a jealous look on her face.

"Oh yeah. If you're lucky, she'll ask me to help you out too. I can even out that Oompa Loompa look…unless your next movie is _Willy Wonka and the Cum factory._ Then you look great, no makeup needed."

"Angie!" Luann called, waving at her. "Good to see you sweetheart."

Angela smiled at the porn director. "Nice to meet you, Ima. Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, nodding to Ima before stepping around the taller woman, "Gotta go see your boss."

Instead of heading towards Luann, she went straight for Lyla's dressing room, leaning a shoulder against the doorjamb as she watched Lyla take down her hair. "Hey Ly. Ready to head out?"

Lyla raked her hands through her slightly curled hair and swiped at the eyeliner that had gathered under her eyes. "Yeah," she answered, standing from her chair. "Hey, you think if I give Opie my number, he'd use it?"

"I don't know. Maybe," Angela said with a wide smile. "It doesn't hurt to try, right?"

She smiled in return, taking out a scrap of paper and scribbling out her name and number in her bubbly handwriting. "My thoughts exactly. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Lyla gripped the door handle as Angela sped though the back roads to get to TM. In no time, she pulled into a spot in the TM parking lot, smiling as Lyla nervously toyed with the little piece of paper in her hand. "Just do it. What do you have to lose?" Angela encouraged her before getting out of the car.<p>

"Right," Lyla said on a breath.

Chibs approached them, clipboard in hand while Opie moved to go to the back lot, apparently to get the car. "Hey there, Angie girl. How you doin'?"

"Can't complain," she replied, looking over where some of the brothers were hanging out by their bikes. "Lyla's got the silver Prius."

"Op'll be out with it in a second. Go on over there, I'll take care 'a her," he said nodding at the clubhouse.

Angela nodded, heading in the direction Chibs had nodded. Juice emerged as she made her way over, going to sit a top the picnic table, a cigarette dangling from his lips. She said a quick hello to Tara and Gemma, surprised when Gemma gave her a smirk in return rather than her usual cold glare. Angela smiled, at least it was some kind of progress.

Juice's dark eyes found hers, a small smile spreading across his face that in no way reached his eyes. It was clear something was bothering him. He reached out an arm, draping it over her shoulders when she was close enough. "Hey baby," he greeted, his voice rougher than usual from the cigarette smoke. "Surprised to see you here."

"Ly needed a ride over to pick up her car," Angela explained, leaning into him. As she watched Lyla slip the note into Opie's hand before driving away. "You all right?"

He turned his head to kiss her temple, a sweet gesture to show he was glad she was there. It'd been a hard vote for him. One he had be coerced into none too gently by Tig. But Tig had been his sponsor back when he was a Prospect; he was someone Juice trusted more than others and if he thought retaliation was the right vote, it had to be even though it felt wrong. "Yeah. Been a crazy day," he answered on a sigh. Her hand slipped under the back of his cut, rubbing smooth circles on the skin of his lower back. Sighing, he relaxed under her touch. "Nothing a good massage can't fix."

She gave him a naughty smirk in return. "Hope you know a good masseuse then."

"Nah, but I do know a girl with magic fingers that are wasted on dead people."

"Huh, fancy that," she replied, playing dumb. "Well, maybe that girl doesn't want to massage you."

Juice's arm dropped from her shoulders to her waist, his hand settling on the curve of her hip and squeezing. "And why would that be?"

"Maybe she wants to massage someone else," she shot back, glancing up at him with a teasing glint in her onyx eyes.

He leant forward and caught her lips in a soft kiss. "That's not possible. She's m..."

Before he could finish, a loud boom filled the air as the van Chibs had been sitting in just second before was blown inches off the ground and engulfed in flames, throwing the Scottish man back onto the concrete.

"Chibs!" Juice exclaimed, pushing her gently behind him as if to shield her from the blast before running towards where Chibs was lying on the ground. It took her a minute to react, but soon she was following after him, her heart hammering against her chest.

"Oh shit, man," Juice swore, his eyes on the pool of blood that was quickly expanding under Chibs' head. He glanced over at her, seeking some kind of comfort and she was there; her hand on his cut just over his Reaper, her dark eyes wide with fear as she looked at the man on the ground.

Juice folded his hands behind his head, his mind racing. Someone had set off a bomb on their own turf, someone had hurt his brother…someone was going to pay. Before he had felt guilty about his vote for retaliation, now as he watched the ambulance drive away with one of his brothers in the back, he knew he'd made the right choice. Those fuckers had hurt his family and they had to pay.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think of this chapter. It's a bit jumpier than usual but smoothing it out would entail a lot of meaningless writing about Angela driving to and from places and stuff...<strong>

**If you think it's crap, let me know and I'll re-write it and make it better! Deal? Deal. ;) **

**~Love Ink**


	19. When in Rome

Thank you all for your reviews, alerts, favorites, etc. Ya'll rock! :D

Just a quick thanks to **Noodlehead** who's unsigned-in (yeah, I just made up that word) review was definitely a reality check! :) Thanks for that! You're definitely right and your review was something I needed to hear (read?). So thank you!

Anyways...this chapter is set mostly in season 2, episode 6 "Falx Cerebri" (Falx cerebri is the piece of dura mater that goes between your two brain hemispheres, btw. Its pretty damn strong too...just an interesting tidbit from an anatomy nerd. ;p)

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 19: When in Rome_

_By Love Ink_

It wasn't long after Chibs was loaded into the ambulance that Happy rolled in on his bike. He'd just been visiting his mom when he got the call and came as fast as he could. Glancing towards the group of people standing around the ambulance, he was surprised to find Angela standing there next to Juice, her hand on the mowhawked man's back in a comforting gesture. He had to admit he was glad she was there. Despite the big blast that had just happened, there was no safer place for her to be, and it saved him a trip to the funeral home to check up on her. Angela spotted him right away, her dark eyes wide with fear. He fought against the instinct that told him to comfort her; that would should weakness in front of the club, something he didn't care to show. Plus, that was what Juice was there for.

Happy set a hand on her shoulder as he walked by, as close to a comforting gesture as he was willing to provide with all of his brothers around. "You all right?"

"Fine," Angela replied quickly.

"Good. Stay close, kid," he said, squeezing her shoulder. He glanced at Juice who was visibly shaken, his eyes on the wreckage left behind by the bomb. "Let's go, Juice. Chapel."

Juice nodded. "Right," he said on a breath. He turned towards Angela at a complete loss for words. "I…I'm…"

Hesitantly, she leant forward and kissed his cheek. "Go," she whispered, discreetly pushing him towards the door.

Nodding his head, he turned and headed into the clubhouse leaving Angela standing there alone. Awkwardly, she headed towards where Gemma and Tara were sitting, waiting a few feet away for them to finish their conversation before she approached them. Tara gave her a quick nod before excusing herself so she could head over to St. Thomas which left Angela standing in front of Gemma.

She shifted from foot to foot, feeling nervous under Gemma's watchful gaze. "You got a thing for brown boys, Ang?" Gemma asked, one eyebrow raised. The little exchange between Happy and Angela had not gone unnoticed and it wasn't the first time Gemma had seen the two talking either. She'd seen them once at Donna's funeral and again at Bobby's party. The whole thing was a bit sketchy in Gemma's eyes.

"Beg your pardon?" Angela asked, a bit confused.

"First Juice, now Hap," Gemma elaborated. "Thought you weren't a sweetbutt."

Angela was a bit taken aback by the assumption. Though, she had to admit, it was understandable; she just never thought it'd be brought up only minutes after a man got blown up. "I'm not," she stated.

Gemma snorted. "That's what they all say, but the way I see it, you're playing two of my boys. Shit don't look good."

"I'm not interested in Happy, Gemma."

"Yeah? Why were you looking at him like he a goddamn superhero a few seconds ago?"

She grit her teeth together, trying to be patient when all she wanted to do was scream at her to butt out because it wasn't any of her business. "Gemma…"

The queen smirked in triumph as she shook her head in disappointment. "Just when I was starting to see some potential…"

"Gemma, he's my cousin!" Angela interjected quickly before she could go any further. At the older woman's questioning glare, she shrugged. "Happy's my cousin."

"Since when?"

"Since I was born. His mom is my mom's sister," she explained, a little confused by the question.

"I know how it works. Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

"Does it really matter all that much?" Angela asked, nervously toying with her ring. "Doesn't change who I am."

Gemma had to admit, she was a little impressed by the young woman's answer. She'd met many a family member who had tried to use their connections to the club for selfish reasons. Daughters, sisters, ex-wives who all thought the club owed them something for taking away their men and that they should be treated with respect. The fact that Angela didn't see the need to pull out the "family card" when she'd been given a hard time about Opie's kids, was impressive. "I might've gone a little easier on ya about Op's kids if I'd known."

She shrugged a shoulder. "You're protective of what's yours. Can't blame you for that."

"You really into Juice, then?" she asked, looking her over.

Angela's reaction told her what she needed to know. She took in a quick breath, staring down at her feet as a small blush colored her cheeks. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah," she admitted on a nod. If there was anyone that needed to hear how she felt about Juice, it was Gemma. Maybe then the woman would stop bothering her.

"Good," Gemma said, standing up and nodding to her before heading into the clubhouse.

Once she was alone, she heaved a sigh of relief and took a seat on top of the picnic table. Propping her elbows up on her knees, she put her face in her hands and waited.

* * *

><p>Juice walked back out of the clubhouse, smiling when he saw Angela sitting on the picnic table, eyes closed in sleep. He gently shook her awake. "Angel, hey, wake up!"<p>

She opened her eyes, sitting up straight with a jolt. "Oh shit. I didn't mean to fall asleep," she mumbled rubbing at her tired eyes. "Everything all right?"

He leant forward and kissed her forehead. "Let's just go home," he said, avoiding answering the question.

Her brows furrowed in worry as she looked at him. "Okay," she said, hopping down from the table. "Should I drive over or just…"

Juice glanced at his bike. What he really needed was to clear his head. "Want to go for a ride?"

Angela smiled at him and nodded. "That sounds perfect."

They ended up sitting at the same place he'd taken her the night after Donna had died. She got off first, walking to the very edge of the mountain overlooking Charming. Juice leant against his bike, taking in the way her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. Strands of her dark hair that had escaped the braid floated around her face in the soft breeze. He watched her shoulders rise and fall as she breathed in a deep breath and let it out.

She heard the ground crunch underneath his feet as he moved to stand next to her. "You think people can hear us up here?" she asked, her eyes focused on the city below instead of him.

"Nah," he replied, his hands in his pockets.

Flashing him a wicked grin, she began to scream. Not a shrill scream, or one of being in pain or afraid, just a long, frustrated one, putting in all the emotions that were warring inside of her. The anger at Gemma's insinuations, at whoever blew up Chibs, her frustration with her situation with Juice. Everything.

Juice knew what she was doing and joined in with her. She stopped first, laughing when he stopped and turned to her, his eyes bright, a grin on his face. For the first time that night, he was starting to feel as though everything was going to be okay. At her curious look, he shrugged. "What? I saw _Garden State_, sometimes you just gotta scream into the infinite abyss."

Angela laughed, surprised that he'd understood what she was doing. That he got the movie reference. It was just another little thing she loved about him; he always got her random references. "Right," she said with a smile.

He took a step in front of her, taking her face in his hands before pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. She was the one thing that helped him push through all these hard times, first with Donna, then with the witness thing, now with Chibs. He honestly didn't know what he'd do without her there.

* * *

><p>Angela groaned as she woke up in Juice's bed. He was already up, X-box controller in hand, clicking away as he killed differently people in his army game. She watched him play, smiling at the cute look on his face. His brows were drawn together, dark eyes intensely focused on the screen, his nose was scrunched, and lip curled as he mumbled cursewords under his breath. He swore loudly and tossed his remote down with a scowl.<p>

"You just died," she pointed out, lying on her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows.

Juice's brown eyes widened in surprise as he turned to look at her. "I thought you were asleep," he said, restarting his game.

"I was," she answered on a tired sigh. Lately, she'd been going to sleep on his schedule and waking up on hers meaning she really wasn't getting all that much sleep. Sighing, she checked her phone messages. Another hospital paper mix-up. There was no body to pick up, because someone had dropped it off leaving behind a mess of paperwork that had yet to be signed. She glanced at Juice who was once again immersed in his game.

Pushing herself up so she was level with his ear, she placed a soft kiss on the skin just below his earlobe. "I'm going to take a shower," she whispered, her lips moving across the skin of his ear and sending shivers down his back.

Juice swallowed hard, pausing his game to watch her slip out of the bed stark naked. Her hips swayed as she walked away from him towards the bathroom. He glanced back at the game screen, contemplating whether or not to get up and chase after her. Scowling at himself, he tossed the controller onto the bed and chased after her. Sharing a shower with Angela was something he would gladly lose his game for.

Afterwards, they both stood in front of his bathroom mirror, music playing from Juice's iPod. Angela had a towel secured around her chest and was brushing out the tangles of her wet hair while he had a towel wrapped around his waist and was applying shaving cream to his head to fix up his mowhawk.

As he shaved down the side of his head, he glanced over at Angela who was braiding her hair once again, her hips swaying back and forth to the beat of the song while she mouthed the words to herself. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are?" he asked, catching her off guard.

A small blush filled her cheeks as she rolled her eyes. "Everyone looks sexy in a towel, Juice."

"You've obviously never seen Bobby in a towel," he joked, rinsing off his razor. His eyes followed her as she walked out of the bathroom. "Hey Angel!" he called after her. She stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow. He leaned over and cranked up the song, Akon's "Beautiful" blasted through the speakers. "_You're so beautiful, so damn beautiful_," he sang, thrusting his hips as he pointed to her.

"Goof!" she shouted over the music as she pulled on her pants. She'd just barely gotten her bra clasped when he attacked, tackling her onto the bed. She giggled as he buried his face into her neck, his freshly shaven head smooth against the skin of her jaw.

Juice pulled his head back as he heard his phone go off. He pushed himself off her, taking her face in his hands and pressing a long kiss to her lips. "It's true, you know," he said, fixing the towel around his waist as he answered the phone.

Angela sat up on the bed, shaking her head at him as she grabbed her shirt off the ground and put it on. Sometimes it was hard to believe the goofy guy dancing in a towel was part of the same badass MC as her crazy cousin. But that was what she liked about Juice; he was different. Despite his goofiness, she felt safe with him. He had some kind of hold on her that she wasn't used to. Sure, she'd dated other guys, but she'd never felt quite so attached to them as she did to Juice which bothered her especially since they weren't really "dating".

He called her name, pulling her from her thoughts. "Ready to go?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "You left your car at TM, right?"

"Shit, yeah. The police aren't gonna let me take it out of a crime scene though," she said on a sigh. "And Skeet's got the van for a pick-up in Lodi. Can you just drop me off at St. Thomas? I've got stuff to do there anyways."

"Yeah, no problem, baby."

He surprised her by stopping at the funeral home first, his reasoning being that he didn't want her walking around in clothes from the night before. Once dressed in a more professional-looking outfit, they headed off towards the hospital.

She swung her leg off his bike and strapped the helmet back to the place he usually put it. "You have time to check on Chibs?" Juice asked, glancing warily at the hospital. He wanted to go in himself and check on Chibs, but he was already running late for work.

Angela smiled softly and nodded. "Of course. I'll give you an update."

"Thanks, Angel," he said, giving her a grin. He looped one of his fingers around the belt loop of her slacks, pulling her in closer and catching her lips in a quick kiss. "Have fun with your paperwork! I'll see you later," he said, smacking her ass as she turned to leave.

"Juice!" she exclaimed, looking around to see if anyone had seen him smack her ass.

He gave her that mischievous grin of his that made her heart do flips before riding away. Angela sighed, rolling her eyes and heading into St. Thomas. Her first stop was at the cafeteria for a cup of coffee, then she headed towards ICU. She ran into Tara in the hall. "Hey T," she greeted. "Any news about Chibs?"

"He's stable but critical," Tara replied with a frown. "No visitors at this time, though."

"Oh." Angela frowned as she took in the information. "He'll pull through, he's a stubborn Scot."

Tara smiled. "I hope so. What are you doing here?"

"Coffee and paperwork. Again," she said on a long sigh.

Tara pulled a face; she knew what that was like. "Have fun with that."

"Oh yeah, totally," Angela snarked back, changing her direction and going to the elevator so she could go to the front desk. "See ya, T."

* * *

><p>After talking to Hale, Gemma spotted Angela standing at the front desk, flipping through stacks of multicolored paper. She took in a moment to look her over. Dressed in her work clothes, the girl was nothing special. The fact that she was related to Happy was intriguing though. That new morsel of information made her a bit more credible. The first time Gemma had met Happy, he'd been in his late twenties. As a prospect, he had to go visit each charter and introduce himself to its members. They'd met in passing when Gemma had caught him watching over Jax and Opie. The twelve year old boys had been messing around in the shop. He'd had almost a fatherly look on his face that Gemma had to ask if he had kids. His response had been a simple no, but he did bring up his young cousin and that protective note in his voice told Gemma that the little girl meant more to him than he was leading on. Now, seeing that little girl standing in front of her, Gemma was sure Happy would never allow her to be a sweetbutt; not in a million years. "Mornin' little Miss Undertaker," Gemma greeted, leaning on the counter next to her.<p>

Angela looked up at her, her dark eyes wide as if she was shocked that she'd been greeted so kindly. "Oh hi Gemma," she said with a small smile. "How's it goin'?"

"Good, good. Just checkin' up on Chibs."

"Yeah, I went up there a few minutes ago," Angela said, signing off on another paper. "Glad to hear he's stable."

"Me too." Gemma studied the girls face, noting it's similarities to Happy's; the dark eyes, the dimples in her cheeks that came out when she smiled. It was a wonder she'd never noticed it before. "Your car still at the garage?" she asked, when she spotted Tara heading towards them.

"Yeah. Juice gave me a ride over," she replied with a sigh. "Figured I'd walk back. Get some exercise or somethin'."

"I'll drive you over," Gemma offered. At Angela's reluctant look, she smirked. "Can't have you wandering around town alone after what happened now, can we? Plus, I gotta take Tara too."

Angela glanced at Tara as she made her way over. "Yeah, sure. That'd be great, actually. Thanks."

Gemma nodded. "We're taking the undertaker with us," she told Tara. "Got some errands to run first. Hope that's all right with you ladies."

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><p>After a quick trip to the grocery market, Gemma stopped at her place. Angela grabbed an armload of groceries and followed Gemma and Tara into the house. Setting the bags on the table, she watched Gemma pull out a gun from her purse and setting it into the basket usually used for keys. Tara stood next to it, staring at the gun.<p>

"Bathroom?" Angela asked, sensing Tara needed to talk to Gemma about something that was none of her business.

"Yeah, just down the hall," Gemma said gesturing to the location.

She headed that way, closing herself in the bathroom. She waited a minute before opening the door and nearly running into Gemma who was carrying two hat boxes. She handed one over to Angela. "Here, take this over to the kitchen," she ordered.

"Hats?" Angela asked, surprised by how heavy the box was.

"No," Gemma said waiting for her to place the red hat box down before opening up the lid. She pushed back the cloth hankerchiefs to reveal guns of all shapes and sizes.

Angela and Tara exchanged wide eyed glances. "Jesus Christ, do you and Clay really need this many guns?" Tara asked.

Gemma sighed. "These are just mine."

"Awesome," Angela said under her breath, her fingers itching to play with them. She'd grown up around guns, and though she'd never shot anything living; she loved to practice.

Gemma smirked at Angela's comment. Apparently, the girl was more like Happy than she had thought. She handed Tara a .38, asking her how it felt. "Thirty-eight. That'll blow a good hole," she informed her before picking up a Glock 26 and handing it to Angela. "I assume you know what this is."

Angela nodded, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the slick black gun. "Oh hell yeah."

"Good girl," she said, handing Tara a box of bullets.

The doctor looked at her like she was crazy. "What's this for?"

"Let's go," Gemma said, already opening the door.

Tara locked eyes with Angela who shrugged and headed towards the door. The undertaker tucked the gun into the back of her pants like she had done it her whole life. "Where?" Tara asked their backs. Neither answered her though. With a sigh, she followed after them, hoping it wouldn't lead to something dangerous.

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><p>Angela watched Gemma pin up some porn poster against one of the walls at CaraCara. It was of a pretty brunette. Once satisfied, she turned to Angela. "Hey, Happy's cuz. Let's see what you got," Gemma said, gesturing to the poster. "Try and shoot in that pretty little mouth of hers."<p>

"Okay," Angela said, disengaging the safety and holding up her firing arm. Spreading out her feet into the appropriate stance, she lined up her sights and took a shot. She was out of practice, so it wasn't perfect, but she made it decently close to her mark. "I'm rusty."

"Hap teach you?"

"Yep."

"You got one of those at home?"

Angela smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Mine's a little bigger."

"Figures Happy would get his little cousin a big ole gun," Gemma commented with a smirk. She turned to Tara who looked a little nervous holding the heavier .38 in her hand.

While she instructed Tara, Angela glanced out at the parking lot, grimacing when she saw Ima's Lexus pull in. Tara pointed her gun at it, spinning the chamber as Ima hurried inside. "That was fun," she commented with a satisfied smirk.

"You like that? You're gonna love this," Gemma said, shooting out the back tire.

Angela watched, mouth slightly agape as the two woman shot up Ima's car. Ever since she was thirteen, and he'd caught her shooting aimlessly at the ground in her backyard, Happy had instilled in her the idea that guns were not toys and that the only time they should be used was during target practice or to kill. Gemma glanced back at her, waiting for her to join in.

Sighing, she thought a quick mental sorry to Happy and aimed the gun at the pretty white car. "When in Rome," she mumbled before firing out the back window.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think! :) As always your reviews are very much appreciated!<strong>

**Disclaimer 2: I do not own _Garden State_ or "Beautiful" by Akon...but if you haven't seen _Garden State,_ I definitely recommend it! Its weird in a good way. :) and Zach Braff is awesome.  
><strong>

**~Love Ink**


	20. In and Out

**This chapter is super duper long! 12 pages on Word! :D****Hope you guys like it! **

**Only 107 days til Season 5! YAY!**

**This chapter takes place in Season 2 Episode 6: "Falx Cerebri" and Episode 7: "Gilead". ) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 20: In and Out_

_By Love Ink_

Gemma dropped the girls off at TM, heading off to run some more errands which left Tara and Angela standing there in the parking lot alone. Angela glanced at the motorcycles parked in a neat line, recognizing both Juice and Happy's Dynas. "Jax is on his way so I'm gonna wait out here, but you can go inside if you want," Tara suggested, nodding towards the clubhouse. A few Croweaters were standing outside talking to some hang-arounds.

"I don't want to bother them," Angela said, playing with her keys as she glanced at her car.

Tara smiled, pushing her forward gently. "What do you have to lose?"

"Oh nice, T," she snarked back, rolling her eyes at the doctor. "Throw my own words back at me why don't you."

"They were wise words," Tara said with a knowing grin. "Go on. You're not gonna get very far with this club if you're too scared to walk in there alone."

"I hate you," Angela said with a shake of her head and a smile to show that she didn't mean it. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the front door of the clubhouse. She hesitated at the threshold; her nerves making her feel a little sick to her stomach. She was about to head back to her car when a Croweater brushed by her, knocking her shoulder against Angela's and giving her a glare as she disappeared inside. "Fuck it," Angela murmured, following her in; if the Croweater could just breeze in there, so could she.

Luckily, Happy spotted her first, the other club members were out of sight, most likely at the other end of the bar since she could hear them talking in low voices. Her cousin headed towards her from where he'd been looking at the computer with Juice who was still typing away, every so often making a frustrated grunt.

"Hey kid," he greeted, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into a headlock. "What'd I tell you about playin' with guns?"

Of course he found out. He always did. She struggled against his arm, trying her best to get out of his grasp, though she knew it was pointless. She'd be stuck there until he decided to let go. "I wasn't playing. I had a target," she said logically, pushing at his arms with her hands to no avail. "It just happened to be a car this time."

Happy chuckled at her logic, letting her go with a shake of his head. "You at least get some good shots in?"

Angela nodded. "Back window, side mirror. Got a good shot at the rearview mirror, actually. You know, all the fun, shattering parts. I kept away from the body. That shit is expensive to fix."

A proud smile crossed his face as he bobbed his head. "That's my girl."

Juice didn't look up from the computer when he heard her. He just extended an arm, waiting for her to come and fill the space left there. She didn't disappoint. She stepped right into the space he'd left for her, allowing him to wrap his arm around her legs in an awkward hug. "Hey baby," he greeted, pulling his eyes from the screen for a brief moment to look up at her. "How'd you get here?"

"Gemma, surprisingly," Angela answered, sliding her arm around his shoulders. "Just came to pick up my car. Thought I'd say hi."

He pulled her down into his lap, grinning at her laughter. "Hi," he said, catching her lips in a sweet kiss.

"Hi," she replied before shooting a quick glance at Happy who wasn't looking too happy. She quickly pushed herself off of Juice knowing it was better not to piss her cousin off. "I gotta go take care of some things. I'll see you later?"

Juice nodded. "Yeah. Your place?"

She glanced at Happy who rolled his eyes and turned away for a moment, allowing them a minute of privacy. "Sounds good," she said, leaning over and giving him one last, long kiss.

He gave her ass a squeeze as she turned to go, and she turned to give him a heated glare though the smirk on her face took the sting out of it. His eyes followed her back as she sauntered away, dirty thoughts creeping into his mind as he watched the swing of her hips. A slap to the back of his head pulled him from his thoughts. "Get back to work," Happy growled, a scowl on his face.

* * *

><p>Angela glanced at the clock as the minutes ticked by. It was late, but not that late. No reason for her to be worried that Juice hadn't come back yet. Still, she had a nervous knot in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't shake. She glanced back at her book, rereading the same sentence she'd been trying to get through for the past ten minutes. Her cell phone started to ring, making her jump as the loud sound filled the dead quiet of her apartment.<p>

Standing, she ran towards the kitchen counter, where'd she left it. "Angela Ruiz," she greeted out of habit.

" 'ey kid," Happy's rough voice replied. "Shit went south."

"What?" she asked, completely confused. They'd just been at the clubhouse only two hours before. What could've possibly gone wrong? "Where are you?"

Happy sighed and she could picture him running a hand over his head. "San Joa correctional," he replied curtly.

Angela clenched her teeth together, she knew what that meant. She'd gotten this phone call one too many times from her older cousin. He kept a stack of cash at her house for occasions such as this. 'Emergency money', he called it. "Shit, Hap," she murmured, trying to recall where she'd hidden it this time. "You need me to bail you out?"

"Don't think that's possible this time. You don't have enough. Just wanted to let you know where I was 'cause we might be here awhile. Don't say anythin' yet."

The fact that he thought she didn't have enough cash to bail him out was not a good sign. It meant he was going to be in there longer than usual which meant he'd gotten caught doing something really bad. She knew he'd called her so that she could think of some excuse to tell his mom since Elena would worry herself into an early grave if she found out her son was back in jail. "Yeah, all right. Is Juice with you too?"

"Yeah."

Worry squeezed at Angela's heart making her feel like she couldn't breathe. Happy had been in prison before, Happy was a ruthless killer, Happy didn't need protection…Juice-with his goofy grin-did. "Keep an eye on him, Hap."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Stay smart, kid. Be safe."

Angela smiled slightly. That was as close to an 'I love you' as she was going to get from her cousin while he was in a state facility. "Love you too, Hap. Be good in there."

* * *

><p>Skeeter walked into his office to find Angela sitting there flipping though a catalog, her head propped up on a hand looking absolutely miserable. "Hey Angie," he said, catching her attention. She looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with worry. He'd heard a few members of the club had gotten picked up and were in county. By the looks of his assistant, one of them had been hers.<p>

Charming wasn't always booming with funeral jobs, so he'd taken to helping the San Joaquin Coroner's department with transport as well. He'd gotten a call earlier in the morning for a body pick up at the San Joaquin County Corrections Facility that needed to be taken to St. Thomas for autopsy and now seemed as good as time as any to go, especially if going there would cheer Angela up. They had to walk through some of the jail to get to the morgue; maybe she'd be able to see her boys. "I got a pick up at San Joa County. I could use some help if you want to tag along. I know the guys are there. Maybe we'll hear some news."

She perked up a little bit, a small smile crossing her face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. C'mon, sweetheart," he said fiddling with his keys. "Better than watching you pout all day."

"Thanks, Skeet," she said as she followed him out to the van.

Once at San Joa County, Angela followed behind Skeeter as they headed into the back entrance, a plastic body bag tucked under her arm. "We're gonna go through the infirmary to get to the morgue," he explained, pushing the cart in front of him. "Stay close."

Angela nodded as they stepped into the infirmary. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of blood and sweat that filled it. The facility was antiquated and filthy. She glanced at a few of the beds to find the prisoners in them didn't look much better. Then she saw a familiar tattooed head. A lump formed in her throat as she noted the two bandages on his back, both with red splotches staining them from where blood had soaked through. She felt sick to her stomach. "Juice?" she breathed, hoping it was a coincidence and some other prisoner just happened to have the same tattooed head and hairstyle.

Juice heard her voice and whipped his head around to the doorway. He swallowed hard when he saw her standing there, a worried look in her dark eyes. "Angel," he breathed, wincing as he moved to sit up on his elbows.

She rushed to him, kneeling down beside his bed, taking his face in her hands, and pressing her lips to his. His hand reached around her head, fingers tangling in her hair and holding her closer. After almost getting raped by Dion, the feel of her hands on his skin was like heaven. "What happened, Juice?" she asked, her voice shaking. She knew she shouldn't be doing this; that it might cost Skeeter his transport job since she was breaking protocol but at that moment, she didn't care. She was being selfish, but she couldn't help it; Juice was hurt and she needed to make sure he was okay."Are you okay?"

"You don't want to know but...I'm a lot better now," he replied honestly, giving her a smile.

A throat cleared behind them and Angela froze, her dark eyes growing wide as she looked over his shoulder. "What do we have here?" Agent Stahl drew out, a smirk on her face. She nodded at Angela. "Ms. Ruiz."

Angela stood up straight, her fingers just barely brushing across the skin of his shoulder. Her feet were spread out shoulder width apart, shoulders squared towards Stahl to show she wasn't afraid of the her. "Stahl," she greeted on a nod.

"Strange to see you here. I didn't think lowly undertakers had clearance for infirmary visits," she said, her head tilted to the side as she looked Angela over. "Your visit is over. It's my turn now."

Juice glanced up at Angela, watching as she clenched her jaw. She made no move to leave, just stood there, her fingers curled into fists. "I'm not going anywhere," she spat.

"That's not up to you, Angie. You see, unlike you, I have clearance to be here. You're lucky I don't have you arrested on the spot, though I'm sure San Joa's female prison would love to have a pretty little thing like you," Stahl threatened, her face just inches from Angela's.

"Angie," Skeeter's voice said from the doorway. He had thought to leave her with Juice until he was finished with his business and then come pick her up. But when he saw the suited woman walk in, he knew there was going to be a problem. Angela's dark eyes stayed on Stahl as she stood firm. It was almost as if she couldn't hear her boss. "C'mon, sweetheart, let's go," he tried to coax her.

"Why don't you listen to your boss, sweetheart?" Stahl mocked with a smug smirk. "Before you hurt yourself. You wouldn't want to lose your job protecting someone who doesn't really care about you, would you?"

Juice watched as she lifted her arm, ready to swing at the Agent. "Angel!" he shouted, taking her other hand in his. He placed a kiss on the top of it, trying to subtly convey how wrong Stahl was. "Go. She's not worth it. I'm fine."

Angela swallowed back her rage and nodded, squeezing his hand and leaning over to drop a kiss to his head before she let go. Silently, she pushed passed Stahl, making sure to hit her shoulder with her own on her way out. Juice turned his head to watch her go, feeling slightly turned on by the dark, protective look in her eyes. "Got yourself a feisty one, dontcha Juan Carlos? Would hate to see her skip out on ya while you were inside."

Juice didn't doubt for a second that Angela would stick around. Seeing her ready to punch out a federal agent was proof of that. If he hadn't stopped her, he was sure she would've decked Stahl. And he would've done the exact same thing for her. He was sure Angela wasn't going to anywhere anytime soon, mostly because he was never going to let that happen. She was part of his life now, one of the best parts, and he wasn't about to let her slip away.

* * *

><p>After what happened at the prison infirmary, Skeeter gave Angela the rest of the day off to cool down. She honestly didn't know what to do with herself. Sitting in front of the TV, she tried to play a video games, but couldn't focus. The image of Juice lying in the hospital bed with those bloodied bandages kept flashing through her head, making her heart ache. She turned off the video game and took in deep breaths, closing her eyes and trying her best to calm down.<p>

Her phone rang, providing her with a much needed distraction. She answered it quickly. "Angela Ruiz?"

"Angie? It's Gemma," the woman's voice came on the other line. "Listen, I got Op's kids here. I was wonderin' if you were free."

"Yes!" she replied a little too eagerly. She would much rather be out with Ellie and Kenny than sitting there going over what had just happened. "I can take 'em off your hands for awhile. No problem."

"We're at Jax's place."

"Okay. See you in a bit," Angela said, standing up from the couch and rushing to her room. She changed quickly into a pair of simple jeans and an old, cropped concert tee before putting on some flip flops and heading to Gemma's.

"Hey there Undertaker," Gemma greeted as she opened the door. The worried and almost pained look on Angela's face bothered her; Happy had been in prison before, she shouldn't look so worried. Though, the fact that it was Juice she was so worried about didn't cross Gemma's mind; family always came first with her. "What's wrong?"

Angela glanced over the woman's shoulder to make sure the kids were out of earshot. "I went to San Joa today for a job," she said softly, pushing a stray hair behind her ear nervously as she followed Gemma inside to the kitchen. "Had to walk through the infirmary."

Gemma's eyes widened, she knew exactly where Angela was going with this. "Who was it?"

She sighed, twisting her ring around her finger as the image flashed through her head again. "Juice," she replied, the angry feelings bubbling back up.

"I _knew_ they weren't safe in there!" Gemma explained. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know. That ATF bitch kicked me out before I could ask," she spat out in answer. "I woulda hit her but Juice stopped me."

A hint of a proud smile turned up the corner of Gemma's lips. "You were going to hit a fed?"

Angela nodded slowly. "I wasn't really thinking clearly. He was hurt and bleeding and she was being such a bitch that I just…lost it. Juice was the only thing that stopped me."

Gemma set a hand on her shoulder. "You did good, Ang. Hittin' her was only gonna land you in jail too," she said, trying to calm the other girl. "That why you're so eager to take the kids?"

"Yeah," she answered on a breath. "I couldn't sit in that apartment anymore. I was driving myself crazy."

"Bring 'em back here and we'll all have dinner together," Gemma ordered, squeezing the younger girl's shoulder before leading her towards the living room. "Look who's here, kids."

"Angie!" Ellie and Kenny both jumped up to greet her. Their familiar chatter was a welcome distraction from her own thoughts and oddly relaxing to Angela. Sighing, she smiled at Gemma as she led them out to her car.

* * *

><p>Angela pushed her food around on the plate as she listened to Gemma and Tara talk about what happened with some guy named Oswald. She felt so lost in everything that was happening. She'd taken Kenny and Ellie to the movies, but hadn't been able to focus on the images on the screen. Then they went to visit Chibs, taking him flowers and a card. Unfortunately, the Scot had been asleep when they got there. Whatever assurance Angela was seeking with him had to wait until a time when he was awake.<p>

The doorbell ringing pulled her from her thoughts. Tara pushed away from the table and went to get it. After a few minutes, Gemma went to go see what was going on. Angela got up from the table, reaching over to clear the plates and take them to the kitchen. Ellie went over to help her. "Angie, what's wrong?" she asked, helping Angela scrape the plates into the garbage while her brother pulled out his video game. "I heard about Pop's friends going to jail. Is that were Juice is?"

Angela wasn't surprised Ellie had picked up on it. Gemma treated the kids like they were invisible, talking to Tara as though they weren't there. "Yeah, it is."

"Is that why you're sad?"

"I'm not sad, just worried," she admitted with a small smile as she put the last dish in the dishwasher.

Ellie wrapped her arms around Angela's waist in a hug. "It'll be okay, Angie. My Pops went to jail and he's okay now."

Angela smiled, bending over to hug Ellie back. "Thanks, El."

Tara came back into the kitchen, muttering to herself. "Stupid porn star."

Angela raised an eyebrow at Gemma who sighed. "Little blonde porn star came to pick up Op's kids," the older woman explained.

"Lyla?" she asked, trying to hide a smile. If Opie had asked Lyla to pick up his kids, that was a step in the right direction for their budding relationship.

"Sure." Gemma glanced over at Tara who had started helping Ellie with her homework. "I'm gonna go to the garage. Will you two be all right here?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah, we should be good."

The Queen kissed both children on the head before making her exit. Angela walked over to the couch, taking a seat next to Kenny. He shifted so his head was resting against her arm, turning so she could see the video screen. She watched him play the game, her fingers playing absentmindedly with his hair.

The doorbell rang again about an hour later and Opie stepped into pick up his kids. He glanced over at the couch where Kenny was talking with Angela as she watched him play her video game. The sight of his son leaning up against her and chatting with her made Opie miss Donna who used to do the same thing. His kids needed a mother and needed one soon. He cleared his throat, catching Kenny's attention. "Hey you guys, let's go," he said to the kids. "Thank Tara and Angie."

"Thanks Angie," Kenny said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder before turning to Tara. "Thank you, Tara.

Ellie gave Angela a quick hug before thanking Tara. They both headed to the car while Opie hung back. Angela nodded a greeting to Opie before heading off to the bathroom. Whatever Tara wanted to say to Opie was not her business.

When she walked back out, Opie had already left. She spotted Tara sitting on the couch, head in her hands and went to go sit down next to her. "I wasn't…out of line with this whole porn star thing, was I?" the doctor asked.

"Depends," Angela answered honestly. "Were you doing it because you didn't trust a woman you hardly know with those kids or because she's a porn star?"

Tara shook her head. "I don't even know anymore. Everything is so messed up, I just can't…make sense of it all. How could he send a woman like that to pick up his kids? Did they even know who she was?"

"No," Angela said with a shake of her head. Tara gave her a questioning look and she shrugged. "I asked. You did the right thing, T. Maybe not for the right reasons, but it _was_ the right thing. Lyla's a nice girl, but you didn't know that."

"Thanks."

"I got your back," she said with a small smile.

The house phone rang, loud and shrilly in the house. Tara rushed over to get it, almost knocking over a kitchen chair in the process. "Hello?...Really!...We'll be right over!" she exclaimed, gesturing to Angela to get ready before hanging up the phone. "Oswald posted bail."

Angela's dark eyes lit up with happiness as a sigh of relief escaped her lips. "Really?"

"Yeah," Tara said going to hug the other girl. "Our boys are comin' home!"

* * *

><p>Angela stood in the doorway of the TM office, watching the front gates anxiously. She knew Juice wouldn't be in that van, but Happy would be and she was just as eager to see him. She didn't know how Tara and Gemma kept calm during an exciting night like this, she could hardly stand still. Their boys were coming home! The headlights flooded the parking lot. "They're here!" Angela exclaimed.<p>

Gemma and Tara both jumped up following Angela as she headed towards the van. Clay got out first and headed straight for the clubhouse without sparing a second glance to the women waiting there. The other boys followed after slowly while Jax headed in the other direction leaving the three women standing between the clubhouse and TM very confused.

"Go," Gemma said, pushing Tara towards where Jax had disappeared. "Undertaker, you're with me."

Angela nodded following Gemma into the clubhouse. The boys were sitting at the bar looking thoroughly exhausted. Gemma went straight to Clay and the two headed back towards the bedrooms to talk. Angela made her way over to Happy who held out an arm to her, draping it over her shoulders and pulling her in for a half hug. "Sup, cuz?" he asked.

She knew it was his subtle way of telling the brothers who didn't know of their relationship that he wasn't trying to slide in on Juice's girl while he was gone; that she was family. She could tell by Bobby's curious look that he hadn't known. "Interesting," he muttered under his breath, but he kept all other comments to himself. It was not the time for questioning when there was so much turmoil going on within the club.

"Glad to have you all back," Angela stated on a relieved sigh. "I heard what happened to Juice."

"Nothin' I could do about it," Happy assured her with a shrug of his shoulder.

Angela didn't look convinced, but she wasn't about to call him on it. It was best not to question Happy. "Where did they take him?"

"On his way to St. Thomas," Tig put in. "Should be there any time now. Visiting hours don't start 'til nine though so you got awhile."

She was already pulling her keys out of her pocket. "Not for me," she said, pecking Happy's cheek. "St. Thomas doesn't have the money to make individualized key cards. You have one card, you can open any door. Morgue, ICU, whatever."

"Check on Chibs while you're at it, darlin'," Bobby suggested.

"Will do," Angela called over her shoulder as she headed out the door. She sprinted to her car, not wanting to waste any time in getting to the hospital. The trip there was short, mostly because she drove well over the speed limit.

She pulled up to the back entrance of the hospital, using her key card to let herself in. Stealthily, she climbed up the stairs to the intensive care unit and crept down the halls, peeking in windows as she went. She passed by Chibs' room and peeked in to see him watching TV, a bored look on his face. She'd come back later, she decided, as she headed down the hall.

She glanced at each white board, looking for his name. Finally, she found it. _Juan Carlos Ortiz_. Smiling, she set her hand on the door knob when a voice stopped her. "Visiting hours are way over."

Angela turned to find one of the older nurses heading her way. She clenched her teeth together, feeling foolish for getting caught. "Oh I know. I just…"

"Juan Carlos," the nurse read his name. "This one just got sent over from San Joaquin Correctional."

"Yep," she said on a breath.

"I've seen you around here before…"

Angela nodded. "Yeah, I pick up the dead bodies."

"Right," she said on a smile. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"You could say that," she answered, a little uncomfortable with the label but she'd agree to anything if it allowed her a visit. "Look, Miss, I don't want any trouble. I just want to see him. I don't even know what happened."

The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile. "He was shivved in the back twice. Lucky for him, the shank missed his vital organs. Unlucky for him, he's got blood in his stool…means something isn't patched up all the way so we're gonna keep him here a bit 'til that goes away," she explained in a calm voice. "Now, I'll let you in there, but the boy's heavily sedated; not much good is going to come from visiting him. But I have a feeling you already knew that and just wanted the peace of mind that comes with seeing your loved one alive and breathing."

Angela nodded slowly, surprised by the nurse's kindness. "Yeah, thanks."

"No worries. Take your time," she said heading down the hallway.

Quickly, Angela slipped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind her. As the nurse had said, Juice was sleeping peacefully. She was glad to see he was resting on his back this time. It meant he was healed enough to be comfortable in the position. Slowly, she approached the bed, her hands curling around the railing. "Hey you," she murmured, feeling stupid for talking to a sedated person.

She reached a hand out and ran it over the side of his head; smiling a bit as his short hair tickled her palm. He wasn't going to be happy about his mowhawk growing out; he worked damn hard to make sure it was perfectly shaved every day. Leaning over the bed, she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow, baby," she whispered, squeezing his hand before walking out of the room.

She was glad to see there were no nurses in the hall this time and took the opportunity to sprint towards Chibs' room. Slipping in quickly, she grinned at the Scottish man sitting in the hospital bed. " 'ey there, Angie girl," he greeted her with a tired smile. "Bit late for visitors, no?"

"Key card," she explained holding up the card with her ID picture on it. "How you feelin', Chibbies?"

"Like I got blown up," he answered with a smirk. "Don't help that there's nothin' but shit on TV. What are you doin' here? And don't say visitin' me, 'cause it's too damn late for that."

Angela sighed as she took a seat in the chair next to him. "Juice got shivved in county."

"You're kiddin'," Chibs said on a frown. He'd heard from Gemma about the guys being taken inside, but he had yet to hear about Juice. "He all right?"

She nodded. "Sedated. Just down the hall. The boys got out on bail tonight so…"

"He was transported here," he finished. "And you bein' the good girl ya are, came right away."

"I was worried," she said on a shrug. "Then I thought I'd stop by and see my favorite Scot too."

Chibs smiled at her as he sighed. "You're too kind. Ye should go home and sleep a bit, though. Make yourself pretty for when Juicy boy wakes up. I'm sure you'll be a sight for sore eyes."

"Are you tryin' to tell me I don't look pretty?" she teased with a grin. She knew she had to look awful. She hadn't slept at all the night before and after the day she had today…she must look like crap.

"You know you're always pretty, Angie. You just look like shit right now."

Angela laughed as she stood up from the chair. She appreciated his honesty. "Thanks, Chibs. I'll see you soon."

"Night, love," he said, nodding to her as she headed towards the door. "Get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she murmured, rolling her eyes at him. She headed back into the hallway and ran into the nurse from before.

The nurse nodded to her. "Get that peace of mind?" she asked.

Angela nodded. "Yeah, I did. Thanks."

"My job's to heal. Healing goes past the people in those beds. Sometimes other nurses forget that family members hurt too."

"Guess you're right," she replied, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Thanks again."

* * *

><p>Trudging up the steps to her apartment, she was surprised to see the lights were on. Breathing in a deep breath to slow her heart rate, she reached into her purse and pulled out the Glock Happy had given her for her sixteenth birthday. She'd slipped it into her purse the night the boys were taken into custody knowing that without them around; things were a little more dangerous. Now she was glad she had thought of it. Slowly, she opened the door stepping in with the gun pointed in front of her.<p>

"Put it down, kid," Happy's bored voice came from the couch.

Angela lowered the gun with a relieved sigh and put it back in her purse, kicking the door closed behind her and flipping the lock. Happy was sitting on her couch, his long arms draped over the back of it, feet propped up on the table, a beer dangling from his long fingers. "What are you doin' here? Shouldn't you be with a Croweater or somethin'?" she asked, sitting down next to him, her legs folded underneath her.

"Nah, bitches already went home for the night," he explained, moving his arm so it was around her shoulders. "Just needed some chill time and didn't feel like drivin' to Mom's."

"Did I leave the door unlocked again?" she asked on a yawn. She'd been in such a rush to get out, she couldn't remember if she'd locked it or not.

"Nah, you gotta key hidden in that ceramic skull," he said, his eyes focused on the TV instead of her.

"How'd you know?"

"Saw it out there. You been hiding shit in there since you were a kid." He turned his head to look at her and frowned, she looked like shit. Dark circles ringed her eyes and her hair was a mess, like she'd been running her fingers through it all night. "You all right?"

"Tired," she answered on another yawn, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"You really care about that idiot, don't you?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. I guess."

He grunted in response. "Fool cares about you too."

"You think…do you think it'll last, Hap?" she asked, merely out of curiosity. Happy was more in tune with the way club relationships work than she was.

Happy shifted uncomfortably. He was probably the worst person to ask relationship questions. "You gettin' in too deep, kid?"

Angela shook her head slowly. "No…I don't know. Maybe," she whispered honestly. "I went to San Joa today and saw him in the infirmary and then Stahl was there and I just...Hap, I was gonna hit her. I almost hit a fed because she wanted to get between us. I saw red for a second and all I could think about was hitting that dumb bitch. I woulda done it too, 'cept Juice stopped me."

"I know the feeling," he admitted with a sly grin. It was one he knew well and loved; that blind rage that made it so easy to kill so guiltlessly for his family. "Family trait."

"Weird," she murmured before looking up at him. "Is that how you feel when you do…what you do?"

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it." She nodded in response, a wide yawn escaping her lips. He chuckled as he saw her eyes start to droop closed. "Go to sleep, kid."

"I can take the couch, Hap. You won't fit."

Happy snorted and shook his head, he wasn't about to go sleep in the same room his little cousin and that mowhawked idiot slept every night. "Nah, I'm okay. Just sleep. You look like shit."

"Thanks, cuz," she said, standing up with a grunt. That was the second time someone had said that to her. She must look just as awful as she felt. She leant over to kiss his cheek. "I'm glad you're out, Hap. I really hate when you go inside."

"I know," he replied. Last time he'd gone inside, she'd been almost fourteen, and he'd been stuck in there for three years. By the time he got out, she was skipping school and dating a Mayan. He was the one that had always kept her on track; he was the one who made sure she kept her nose clean. His brief absence had turned her world upside down. "Love you, kid."

She gave him a full-fledged smile, kissing his scruffy head once again. Though she knew he loved her, it was rare he said it, and she loved to hear it as any kid loved to hear from their guardian. "You too, Hap. Night."

* * *

><p><strong>As always, let me know your thoughts on this chapter in a review! :) I love hearing from y'all! <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	21. Everything's Okay

**Wow! 202 reviews! You guys rock! **

**To thank you all for taking the time to review, I decided to post a new chapter right away! woo! **

**This chapter takes place in Season 2 during episodes 8 (_Potlatch_), 9 (_Fa Guan_), & 10 (_Balm_).**

**Its a little jumpy but there's not much that goes on in those three episodes that Angela can be involved in seeing that Juice is in the hospital and Hap's doing his business... ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela...Quick note: I thought of posting a picture of her and then decided against it. After the (sometimes) heartbreaking process of watching my favorite book characters get cast for movies, I decided however you picture her is probably better than forcing an actress on you. ;) **

**Sorry for rambling...onto the new chapter! YAY!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 21: Everything's Okay_

_By Love Ink_

Juice looked up from the TV when he heard the familiar sound of flip flops against tile. A few hours earlier, Angela had called him to apologize for not being there as soon as visiting hours started, stating that she'd had to help at three funerals and had four more bodies to prepare so she wouldn't be there until late. He didn't mind much, he was just happy she was going to visit him eventually. He smiled faintly when she walked into the room. Her long dark hair hung down her shoulders, just like he liked it, crimped by the braid he assumed it had been in all day. She was wearing a simple purple tank top and a pair of velour sweatpants that pooled around her feet. Her dark brown eyes were worried as she approached, though the smile on her beautiful face put him at ease. "Hey baby," he greeted, reaching out a hand for her.

"Hey you," she replied, as was custom. The weight of her worry eased as his grin blossomed into the smile she loved. She let out a small sigh of relief; if he was smiling at her like that, than he had to be okay. "How you feeling?"

"Good, better," he answered, patting the bed next to him. He tilted his head up towards her, his eyes seeking hers.

She leant over the bed and obliged him with the kiss she knew he wanted. "You scared the shit outta me, Juice."

"I'm sorry," he muttered, watching her as she kicked off her flip flops before taking a seat on the edge of his bed, one leg curled under her, the other just hovering off the tiled floor as she faced him. "How'd you end up there anyway?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Skeeter had a pick up there. You have to go through the infirmary to get to the morgue."

He nodded in response. It made sense for the morgue to be by the infirmary. Prisoners who got stuck in the infirmary usually were sent there next. "The stuff that Stahl said…about me not caring…"

"Don't worry about it, Juice," she said, cutting him off with a small smile.

He scowled at her, his eyes on her legs instead of her face, his fingers sliding up and down the soft material on her thigh. "It's not true, you know. I…I do…care," he said, fumbling for the right words. He took a second to glance at her face as he swallowed hard. "A lot."

A stampede of butterflies made its way through Angela's stomach at his words. She knew he cared about her, but he'd never said it out loud before. "I know," she said, smiling at him. "I care about you too."

"I know," he said with a small smile. His hands slid higher up on her thigh as he gave her a curious look. He'd never seen her in sweatpants like those before. She usually wore the normal ones with the cinched legs, not this fancy girly shit. "Pimpin' sweatpants, Angel," he commented, changing the subject.

Angela laughed, happy for the subject change. Talking about feelings was not one of her favorite things to do. Her whole family avoided those kinds of things like the plague. "You like 'em?" she asked, a little skeptical. They'd been on sale and she bought them for one reason and one reason only. "Check out the back."

He watched as she stood, turning around to show him the seat of her pants. They hugged the curves of her ass perfectly, but that wasn't the only thing that had turned him on…emblazoned across her ass was the word: _Juicy. _"Damn girl," he said under his breath, watching as she sat back down in the same place she'd been before.

She was much too far away, he decided, leaning forward to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her onto him. She let out a shocked gasp as she felt forward, trying her best to avoid falling directly on his chest so as not to hurt him. "Juice!" she exclaimed on a laugh as his hand smacked her ass.

"Hey, it's got my name on it!" he justified, his fingers tracing over the lettering. He tangled his other hand into her dark hair, using his grip to tilt her head back to gain better access to her lips.

He pressed a hot kiss against her soft lips, relishing the feeling of her body pressed against his, her fingers tracing patterns along his chest. The feeling was almost enough to drive away the memory of Dion's hands on him. He slipped one hand under her shirt, inching it up towards her breasts. Cupping a hand over her the lacy fabric of her bra, he gave her soft breast a squeeze, eliciting a moan from Angela which only encouraged him further.

Her hand slid down the front of his hospital gown, inching closer to exactly where he wanted it when the door burst open; a low chuckle, alerting them of someone else's presence. Angela pulled back, suddenly aware of where they were. As it usually happened when she was with Juice, she'd lost all track of place and time."Oh shit," she gasped, gently pulling Juice's hand from underneath her shirt and straightening out the dark fabric.

"Don't stop on my account, doll," Tig said as he walked in. "It was just gettin' good."

Juice leant his head back against his pillows with a sigh as he watched Angela fix her shirt. He shifted slightly, grabbing one of the pillows from behind him to put on his lap to hide the tent in his sheets. Angela's eyes met his and a light laugh escaped her lips as she ran her hand through her hair. "Hey Tig," she greeted, giving the Sergeant at Arms a smirk. "Enjoy the show?"

It wasn't until Tig stepped fully into the room that she noticed Happy, Clay, and the Prospect behind him. Her eyes widened as she practically jumped out of the bed. "Yeah, you better jump out," Happy said, his dark eyes narrowed at her.

Tig chuckled. "Good to see someone's taking good care of him," he said, clapping Angela on the shoulder. "How you feelin' Juice?"

"Was feelin' great 'til you interrupted us," he answered honestly. He knew Happy hadn't heard him; he was too busy pulling Angela towards the corner of the room.

Angela shifted uncomfortably under Happy's gaze feeling like a kid who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She glanced over his shoulder to where Clay and Tig were talking to Juice. The Prospect was the only one who was staring at her and Happy, a confused look on his face. Apparently, he hadn't gotten the memo about her and Happy being cousins. "What?" she asked finally meeting Happy's eyes.

Happy shook his head at her in disapproval. "Doin' shit in public places. You're better than that," he growled, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't overhear.

She sighed and nodded. "He just got back, Hap," she whispered, trying to defend herself. She noticed Tig headed her way and hoped he'd help her out, though the way the club worked, he was more likely to help Happy than her.

"Ease up on her, Hap," Tig said, setting a hand on his friend's shoulders. "She was just showin' the guy a little love. We owe the kid that much after his little…episode. Seems it's hard for people to keep their hands off him."

Happy clenched his jaw, but gave in with a sigh. Tig was right, Juice had let them use him as bait in county, had been groped, and shanked. The least he could do for the kid was allow Angela to give him some sort of comfort. Happy grunted and nodded, stepping away from her and heading towards Juice's bed.

She let out a relieved sigh and glanced at Tig. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, doll," he said with a nod.

She cast Juice one more glance before heading towards the door. Clay's voice stopped her. "Gemma's doin' dinner tonight, Angie. You should go over. The ladies are already settin' up."

Angela turned around and glanced at Happy. He gave her a small nod. "Uh yeah…sure," she said feeling awkward at being invited to a club thing without Juice. "I'll try to stop by."

She headed down the stairs feeling shitty. She hated the disappointment she saw in Happy's eyes; it made her feel terrible. As she walked into the main lobby, she found Tara there thoroughly stressed. "Hey T. You all right?" Angela asked, head tilted to the side as she looked at the doctor.

Tara shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "I got a hostile work environment claim from my supervisor."

"Why? What happened?"

"Gemma Teller happened," Tara seethed, her green eyes flashing angrily. "She threatened one of my co-workers."

Angela bit back a laugh; she couldn't believe Gemma's balls sometimes. "Shit. That sucks."

"Right?" she asked, glad someone agreed with her. If she'd told anyone else in the club, they might side with Gemma, saying she was justified in threatening someone who was threatening the club. At least Angela hadn't been brainwashed by the club's beliefs…not yet anyhow. "How's Juice doing?"

"He is proud to say that he still has blood in his stool," Angela replied, a wide grin on her face.

Tara laughed despite her terrible mood. "Guess he'll be here awhile longer, huh?"

She sighed and nodded. "Guess so. You goin' to Gemma's?"

"Of course. I wouldn't be a good Old Lady if I didn't," she answered, a bit of bitterness stainging her words. "Are you?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah. Gonna stop and grab some cookies beforehand. See if I can get away with not making them at home."

"You're starting to sound an awful lot like an Old Lady, Ang," Tara pointed out, knowing the term bothered Angela.

Just as Tara had expected her to, Angela rolled her eyes and scoffed at the suggestion. "Please. I was invited because Hap's my cousin. That's it. It's got nothin' to do with Juice."

"Don't be so sure about that," Tara said with a smirk. She finished off her paperwork and handed it off to the nurse. "I'll see you at the house."

Angela nodded, watching as Tara walked off. The doctor's words ran through her head as she walked towards her car. She was almost one hundred percent sure Juice didn't think of her as an Old Lady. Hell, they'd been together for a few months, and he'd only just admitted to caring about her. True, his actions had already told her that but…it wasn't the same. How could she be his Old Lady if he wouldn't even admit that she was his girlfriend?

And what if she didn't want to be an Old Lady, she thought, wrinkling her nose as she paid for some cookies at the local bakery. She didn't need some guy ordering her around, expecting things from her, expecting to understand the rule of what happened on a run stayed on a run, expecting her to sit and play wifey while he went out and worked…that's what she saw in Gemma at least. Though the Queen of SAMCRO was tough as nails, she still had to listen to Clay.

But Juice was different. She knew he wouldn't order her around, not like some of the other men would. He had a kind of patience to him that surprised her initially. All the MC men she knew were quick to anger, but Juice seemed to think before he lashed out. Yeah, they called him an 'idiot', but she knew he was smart. The old adage, "brains before bullets" was the embodiment of Juice. He thought things out before he reacted. She liked that about him. As for straying from her on runs…he hadn't done anything to betray her trust yet, and he'd had many chances to too.

She sighed, running her hand through her hair as she drove. She banished those thoughts to the back of her head, hating Tara for bringing them up. Cursing under her breath, she kicked open her door and headed towards Gemma's house, cookies in hand.

"Hey Gemma," she greeted, stepping around a few Croweaters before setting the pink box on the counter.

"Oh hey Angie," she replied, checking on the oven. She glanced at the pink box in her hand. "Couldn't home make those?"

"Who says I didn't?" Angela shot back, a tell tale grin on her face. "I had a busy day. Give me a plate and I'll just lay 'em out. The boys will never know."

Gemma chuckled, handing her a serving plate. "Bobby will know."

"I know," she admitted on a frown. "Happy will too. My baking is much better than this. My cupcakes are to _die_ for."

"Says the Undertaker," Gemma said, an amused look on her face as she supervised Angela's plating. "You got somethin' written on your ass, you know."

Angela smiled as she nodded. "I was just visiting Juice."

"Bet he liked those."

"Oh yeah," she answered with a naughty grin. "Cheered him up…maybe a little too much."

Gemma shook her head at the innuendo, leaning down to pull out the pot roast just as Tara walked in. Angela quickly busied herself with helping the other ladies set up while Tara confronted Gemma about the complaint. She tried hard not to eavesdrop, but she managed to catch the end since Tara practically shouted it. "The club is the club, my life is my life, stay out of it!"

Angela felt her jaw drop; that was quite a statement to make to the Queen of the MC. She was surprised Gemma didn't slap her. Of course, Lyla chose that exact moment to walk in. "Perfect. Serving hand jobs for dessert?" Tara snarked.

Lyla slammed whatever dish she had in her hands down onto the table. "That's real nice in front of the kids," she exclaimed before storming out.

Angela closed her mouth quickly before heading over to Kenny and Ellie who both looked very confused. "C'mon, let's go find something else to do…out of this room. Like now," she said, gently pushing them towards the living room, away from the commotion in the kitchen.

Kenny pulled out his GameBoy right away; something Angela noticed he did when he was uncomfortable or nervous. It was his escape to an alternate reality. She ruffled his hair lightly before going to sit next to Ellie on the couch. She noticed the braids in the young girls hair and grinned. The last time she'd talked to Lyla, she'd told her about Ellie's love of braids. Apparently, the porn star had taken her comment to heart and did Ellie's hair for her which meant that Ellie liked her enough to allow her to do so. "Angie, what's a hand job?" Ellie asked curiously.

Her eyes widened at the question. That was something she did not want to explain to the young girl. She remembered how she'd learned about that kind of stuff; Happy had sat her down and made her watch one of his porn movies. Happy's porn was not normal porn, either. At thirteen, watching the kind of porn that involved leather and bondage had scared the crap out of her. His little lesson had done exactly what he'd wanted it to do; kept her from having sex for a long time. "Don't worry about it," she said, using the phrase she'd picked up from her cousin before trying to change the subject, "How was your day today?"

"It was good," Ellie answered on a shrug. "I only got one wrong on my spelling test."

"Nice job, El! Congrats!" Angela exclaimed giving the younger girl a high five. "What about you Ken?"

She saw it as a sort of triumph when he paused his GameBoy to look at her; Kenny rarely paused his game once he was into it. "I beat that Mario level we were havin' trouble on. Without cheats too."

"Awesome. I knew you could," Angela replied proudly.

"Everyone come eat!" Gemma announced.

Angela went over to the empty seat at the end of the table next to Neeta and Tara and across from Ellie. Glancing, down the table she watched as Clay strode in tensed and obviously, looking for a fight. Happy caught her eye and gave her a nod of approval before stepping in when Tig and Bobby started pushing each other. The men erupted into shouting, all about things Angela didn't understand. _I don't want to know_, she thought on a sigh.

Her eyes were drawn to the door where Deputy Hale had walked in as though he had been invited. "Excuse me!" he shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Sorry to interrupt. I figured I should tell you this in person. We just found Luann Delaney off County 18. Beaten to death. There are no other details right now. I'm sorry."

The whole room fell silent for a brief moment; everyone in shock. Then the fighting erupted again. This time Clay and Jax got into it. Finally, Gemma took her pot roast platter and slammed it against the table, breaking the dish and sending pieces of meat flying. And just like that, the fighting stopped. Everyone stared silently at the ground or at the food or the table; no one looked anyone in the eye. They all sat, absorbed in their own thoughts.

Then one by one the men walked out; whatever happened to Luann was club business and it would be settled at the clubhouse, not at the dinner table. "You girls should go," Gemma whispered looking from Angela to Lyla. "Take the kids."

Angela nodded quickly, ruffling Kenny's hair as she pushed along in front of her. He was following slowly behind Ellie and Lyla. Once outside, Lyla sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep from crying. "I can't believe it. I just saw Luann like an hour ago," she breathed, shaking her head as she watched the kids get in the car.

"Me neither," Angela whispered, swallowing hard as she raked a hand through her hair. "Shit."

"Yeah," the blonde agreed. "This night could not get any worse."

Angela laughed humorlessly before grimacing. "Oh, Ly…El asked what a hand job was."

Lyla's eyes widened in shock. "Oh shit. What did you tell her?"

"I told her not to worry about it," she admitted. At Lyla's incredulous look, she shrugged. "What? I don't know how to explain that stuff to kids. I work with _dead_ people, Ly. You work in _sex_ which one of us is better qualified for that shit?"

Lyla laughed and nodded. "Fair enough. Thanks for the heads up."

"Yeah. 'course," she said, smiling as Lyla pulled her in for a hug. "Good luck."

"If it goes badly, I'm blaming you," Lyla teased, giving her a mock glare as she got in the car.

Angela rolled her eyes and flipped her off as she headed towards her own car. It felt weird to be joking around literally seconds after finding out about Luann, but it was a good way to make light of the situation, especially in front of the kids. The less they knew about things like that, the better. As she headed towards her apartment, she let the sadness sink in and said a quick prayer for Luann, hoping she was in a much better place now.

* * *

><p>After weeks of telling her to visit, Happy finally got Angela to go with him to their moms' place. Her mom, Graciela, had cooked a wonderful brunch for them and after they were all stuffed, the four family members were sitting around the dining room table playing a game of dominos.<p>

"I heard what happened to Esai, _mija_," Graciela said, glancing at her daughter over her dominos. "I told you he was no good."

Angela smirked, sharing a quick glance with Hap before looking down at the dotted pieces of ceramic and adding one to the growing game on the table. "Yeah, it was sad," she replied with a frown.

"Did you go to the funeral and see all those _vatos_?"

"No, Mama," she said, rolling her eyes. Though she had thought about attending at the time, she hadn't. Her brand new ties to Juice had kept her from going to his funeral. "I decided it wasn't a good idea."

Graciela nodded in approval. "Good. The last thing I need is for you to meet another one of those _vatos_," she commented before pausing. "Though, I'd like to have a few grandchildren before I die."

Angela groaned, so it began. This was why she hated visiting her mother; Graciela was constantly pointing out all the ways Angela had failed her. It always started with her lack of grandchildren then it usually progressed to her line of work. She wondered how long it would take her mother to get there. "You know, I'm not the only one who can give them to you," she answered shooting a glare at Happy.

Hap smirked and shook his head. "Yeah, ya are."

Elena smiled at her son across the table. She knew his reason for not having children was because he practically raised Angela. He was done with the babying and the little kid stuff. "You would make such a wonderful mother, Angela. Children love you."

"And that Kozik is still free, isn't he, Happy? Can you imagine _que lindo_! I'd have beautiful blue eyed grandchildren!" Graciela exclaimed, smacking down a domino. Happy had brought Kozik over once and she had been obsessing over getting him and her daughter together ever since. (_Translation: how nice_)

"Gross," Angela muttered on a scowl. She loved Kozik like a brother, but the thought of going out with him disgusted her. She was pretty sure he had every STD known to mankind. "He's a decade older than I am, Ma."

"Who cares? He's gorgeous!" she replied with a dreamy smile on her face.

Elena gave Angela a sympathetic look. "She will find someone on her own time, Graci."

"Not with that job _con los muertos_!" Graciela exclaimed, dramatically placing a hand over her heart. "I told you to be a nurse, but _no_, Angela wanted to play with make up and dead people! _Ay!_ What good man would want to be with a girl who spends most of her time with dead people?" (_with the dead)_

Happy watched as his cousin clenched her jaw, her shoulders tensing. That was how their fights always started, first the comments about the lack of a husband, then the digs at her job. He caught Angela's eyes, waiting for the slew of angry words that would be leaving her lips shortly as they always did. It wasn't a complete visit if Angela and her mom didn't end up screaming at each other.

But there was no slew of angry words. Very calmly, Angela tossed her domino onto the table and walked quickly out the front door. He raised an eyebrow at her back while Elena smiled proudly at the calm way her niece was dealing with her mother's scrutiny.

"What was that about?" Graciela asked looking between her nephew and her sister, completely perplexed. "I was just telling her the truth…"

Happy smirked, shaking his head at his aunt as he stood. He was always grateful that his mother never pushed him like Angela's pushed her. He bent over to kiss his mom's cheek before following in the direction Angela had disappeared. Stepping out onto the porch, he scanned the area as he lit up a cigarette. Her car was still there so she hadn't gone far. "I'm right here," she said softly, making him turn.

She was sitting on the porch swing, one leg tucked up underneath her, the other planted on the ground gently rocking the swing back and forth. "That was different," he commented, taking a seat next to her.

"I'm done fighting with her," she replied honestly. "It's exhausting and pointless. I can't change what she thinks."

"Coulda told her about the idiot," Happy pointed out, exhaling some smoke. "That mighta shut her up."

Angela scoffed and shook her head. "Tell her what, Hap? I'm currently fucking this awesome guy from Hap's MC. No, he's not my boyfriend and no, he's not Kozik but he's funny as hell and he makes me happy," she explained, her tone frustrated. "She wouldn't get it. Hell, half the time _I _don't get it."

Happy grimaced at her blunt terms. He knew she was no virgin, but he didn't need to hear about it from her. "Get what?"

"What we're doing. Why he sticks around," she replied on a shrug. "It's so weird."

Happy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before reaching out an arm and draping it over her the backrest where she was leaning against. He didn't do relationship advice nor was he going to pretend that he understood what Juice and his cousin were doing. "Can't help you there."

Angela smirked. "I figured," she muttered.

The sat in silence for awhile, both wrapped up in their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Happy stubbed out his cigarette and glanced at his cousin. "It's hard to find someone who gets it, kid," he stated cryptically. "You do."

"Get what?" she asked, repeating his previous question.

Happy smirked, shrugging a shoulder. "Think about it," he said, getting up from the swing. He kissed her forehead before heading to the door. "Come in soon. You're worryin' Ma. Shit ain't good for her."

"Yeah," she breathed distractedly, her brain sorting through his words.

He nodded, taking a seat back at the domino table with his mom and aunt. His aunt raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"She's calmin' down," he answered simply. "Gotta get off her case about it, Tia. She ain't ready for that yet."

"Why? She needs to be pushed! All she does it work. Work, work, work. How can I have grandbabies if all she's going to do is work?"

"You won't be seein' much a her kids when she's got 'em if ya keep treatin' her like that," Happy reminded his aunt bluntly.

Elena fought the urge to smile at her son. She was always proud of the way he took care of Angela. Graciela scoffed as she pushed away from the table and went into the kitchen to go clean up. A few minutes later, Angela wandered in, leaving Hap and Elena talking and going over to the living room to look at the pictures on the mantel; anything to avoid her mother.

She grinned at one of her and Hap at a ceramics place where they let you paint little figures. He had taken her there for her seventh birthday. At twenty years old, Happy only had a half sleeve of tattoos on each of arm and a full head of hair that was covered by a backwards baseball cap. She was wearing a Harley Davidson t-shirt that he'd gotten her and jeans that were covered in paint. Her hair was pulled back in one ugly ponytail that Happy had done at her request. In the picture, she was on his lap, a ceramic piggy bank in the shape of a skull in front of them. He had his chin on her little shoulder, his right hand on hers to help guide the paint brush in the right direction. A small smile was playing on his lips, his eyes intensely focused on the skull while Angela was looking at his face, a wide smile on hers, no doubt in the middle of telling him something.

She remembered that day vividly, remembered watching Happy first make designs on the skull in pencil and then letting her choose the paint to color them in. He was a fantastic artist and did most of the work on the skull though he'd let her take the credit. Those were the memories she liked the best. Hanging out with him while he taught her different things. How to paint, how to shoot, how to defend herself. When she was little, he was exactly what every girl dreamed of having; her very own superhero to save her when she needed it.

"I don't think your Mom will be bothering you again for awhile, _mijita_," Elena said, surprising Angela; her aunt was just as stealthy as Happy sometimes. "Happy took care of it."

Angela smiled, once again Happy had played superhero. "He always does."

Elena nodded, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Graciela was still in the kitchen and out of earshot. "So what's this I hear about you and a Son?" At Angela's shocked look, the old woman smiled. "Hap told me. I was worrying so much about you, he thought telling me about your little fling would make me worry less."

"He would," she muttered in response, sending Happy's back a glare. He was currently talking to Graciela, helping her dry the dishes. "It's not a big deal, Tia. We're just…having fun."

Her aunt's dark eyes grew worried once again as she shook her head. "Be careful with that. It's all fun and games until someone gets their heartbroken."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I'll be all right," she replied softly. "He's a really sweet guy, _Tia_. You'd like him."

Elena smiled as she saw her niece's eyes sparkle as she spoke of her new fling. She knew that look well, knew what it meant. It seemed the girl was hiding just how much she really felt about her new boy. Not only hiding it from those around her, but also hiding it from herself. "Hap seems to think you're a good fit. Says the boy makes you happy."

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at her cousin's back. All the times Happy had seen her together with Juice, the look in his eyes had never been one of approval. "Does he now? He doesn't tell me anything, I swear."

"Oh no, of course not," Elena said with a smirk. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Hey kid," Happy's voice interrupted their conversation. "I gotta head back. Club stuff. You comin'?"

Angela grinned at him, very appreciative of the excuse to leave especially since her mother had just finished the dishes and was free to come back and bug her. "Yes! Definitely. I'll follow you back."

* * *

><p>The next day…<p>

Angela locked the door to her apartment, ready to go change into some comfy clothes and relax. It'd been a busy morning filled with two funerals, including Luann's, so she'd had to stand around in her heels and stuffy formal clothing all day. She heard the key turning in her lock and raised an eyebrow, stopping her trek to the bedroom to see who it was.

Happy strode in like he owned the place, nodding his greeting as he kicked the door closed behind him. "Hey Hap," she said, pulling out the tie on her braid and weaving her fingers through it to undo it.

"Got a minute?" he asked. "Need that black book and your computer."

"Yeah, 'course," she said, heading to her room to grab the little black address book he'd given her and her laptop. She handed them over to him, watching as he went through the little black book. "Tell Koz I say 'hi'."

"Not callin' Koz. I know his number. Callin' Quinn," he replied, finding the right entry and punching the numbers into his cell as she booted up the computer. He'd given her the address book because he didn't store contacts in the burners he usually used. He knew all the important numbers by heart: Angela's, his Mom's, Kozik's. If he ever needed anything, he'd just have to call one of them and figure it out.

"Oh," she said, checking her e-mail while Happy talked on the phone. She'd met Quinn, the president of the Nomad charter, a couple of times and honestly, he scared the crap out of her. The Nomads were not a charter to mess with. As Happy talked, she overheard a few keywords: Jax, transfer, nomad. Raising her eyebrows, she wondered how Tara was going to handle Jax going Nomad.

Happy gestured for her to move out of the way so he could get to the laptop. She moved aside and watched him go to the club's shared e-mail and open up a file. "Hook up the printer," he said, covering the cell phone speaker with his thumb.

"Just press print. It's wireless." He gave her a surprised look. Last time he'd used her computer, she had to take out her printer and hook it up. This whole, long annoying process. At his look, she shrugged. "Juice did it."

"Guess he's good for somethin'," Happy muttered, hitting print. "Aight. Got it. Thanks Quinn. Bye." He hung up the phone and turned to Angela. "How much you hear, kid?" he asked.

"Jax is tryin' to go Nomad?"

"Yeah," he said on a nod. He could've easily told her it wasn't any of her business, but the information was innocent enough. It wasn't like she wouldn't find out eventually.

Angela sighed, running a hand through her hair. "This have to do with CaraCara burning down?"

His eyebrows shot up. Now that was something he hadn't expected her to know about. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"Lyla."

Happy shook his head at her. "Don't worry about it, kid. Less you know, the better," he said, tucking the printed piece of paper inside his cut as he went to the door. "Goin' to pick up Chibs. He gets out of the hospital today."

Angela grinned, happy that the Scot was well enough to get out of the hospital. She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to Happy's cheek. "Awesome," she said, holding the door open as she watched him leave. "Have fun!"

Happy nodded, giving her a two-fingered wave as he headed down the steps and to his Dyna. She sighed and headed back inside going to her bedroom to change into a pair of jeans and a tank top. She slipped on her flip flops before grabbing her keys and heading out to the local sandwich shop to pick something up for a late lunch.

She ate half the sandwich before heading to the hospital to visit Juice. Walking through the halls, she nodded to the familiar nurses she saw while she looked for Tara. She couldn't find her friend anywhere. Assuming she was probably busy in surgery, Angela gave up the search. She stopped by the cafeteria to pick up a cup of coffee before starting her climb up the stairs.

The nurse she'd met when she was sneaking into the hospital, Chloe, intercepted her in the hospital hallway with a small smile. "Back again?" she asked.

"A quick break from the craziness of the funeral home," Angela explained on a shrug.

"You know, he really shouldn't be eating that," Chloe said, nodding towards the white bag from the deli that was in Angela's hand.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Angela stated, an innocent smile on her face. "This is most definitely for me."

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head. "Of course it is. Go ahead, I won't say anything. Hospital food sucks."

Angela grinned at her and nodded in agreement. "The coffee's good though," she stated, her hand on the door.

"Thank God!" the nurse called, opening the door to the room next to Juice's. "Just a heads up, I'll be goin' in to check on Juan Carlos next."

"Good to know." Angela laughed as she walked into Juice's room. "Hey you," she greeted, fighting the urge to laugh at the way he was completely enraptured by some Discovery Channel documentary.

He glanced away from the TV and looked at her. "Oh, hey baby," he replied giving her his megawatt grin. "What'd you bring me?"

"Nothin'," she answered, pulling over the little table before sitting on the bed next to him. She set her coffee and the white bag on the table, slipping a hand into it, pulling out the untouched half of a sandwich and setting it on top of a napkin. "This is for me," she stated, picking up a stray peppercini and popping it into her mouth.

Juice shook his head at her, one arm wrapping around her waist while the other reached out for the sandwich, his favorite kind. In one quick bite, half of it was gone. "This is fuckin' delicious," he said as finished it off in another bite. He licked at his fingers while Angela stared at him, the look on her face a mixture of pride and disgust as he practically inhaled the sandwich. "Best food I've had in awhile. Thanks, baby."

She laughed as he pressed a kiss to her lips. "You're welcome."

"How was the visit with your Mom?"

Angela groaned, hanging her head down as she thought of it. "You don't want to know. That woman drives me _crazy_! She's always complaining about something I'm doing wrong. I swear to God, there's nothing I can do to make her happy."

Juice gave her a sympathetic smile. "Sorry," he said for lack of anything better to say. "She bug you in English or in Spanish?"

"English. Growing up, it was looked down upon to speak Spanish at home so they didn't. Only reason I know it is 'cause I grew up around…"

"The Alvarez's," he finished for her.

"Right," she said on a breath. "Well, them and school. If you wanted to survive at my high school you had to speak Spanish. Otherwise you wouldn't have very many friends."

Juice had never heard her speak Spanish, but the fact that she could always intrigued him. "Say something in Spanish."

A blush rose to her cheeks as she shook her head. "No."

"C'mon, Angel, I'm stuck in a hospital bed. You have to do what I say."

"Says who?"

"Says me!" he exclaimed, smiling at the embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "C'mon, it's not like I'll understand you."

She laughed, shaking her head. "I'm really bad at it."

"C'mon!" he pushed, setting his hand on her thigh and giving it a squeeze.

"_Juan Carlos, dejame en paz eres como un grano en el culo,_" she purred in his ear, laughing as his eyes took on that glazed over look.

It was just the way she purred his full name that had turned him on. The gentle way her tongue had just rolled over the 'r' had sent shivers up his spine. "Shit girl," he murmured, taking her face into his hands and planting a hot kiss on her lips.

She smiled as she leant into the kiss; she'd told him to leave her along and pretty much called him a pain in the ass and he thought it was the hottest thing in the world. She remebered the nurse's warning and tried to pull away from him, but he slid a hand behind her neck, holding her closer. As Angela had expected, the door opened and the nurse, Chloe, popped her head in. "Oh. Nevermind. I'll come back later," she stammered, closing the door right away.

Angela pulled away with a sigh. "I knew that was going to happen. She said she'd be stopping by soon," she stated, laughing at the frustrated look on Juice's face. "How are you feeling anyways?"

"A lot better," he said on a nod. "Nurses say I may be able to bust out of here tomorrow."

"That's great, Juice!" she exclaimed sitting up so she could see him better.

"Yeah but, I'll need someone to take care of me…help me shower, give me massages," he hinted, his fingers trailing over her thigh. "Know any one that could do that?"

A naughty smile crossed over her face as she looked at him. "I think I'd be up for the job," she said on a shrug.

"Good." Juice murmured, dipping his head to catch her lips once more. This time she deepened the kiss, delving her tongue into his mouth and raking her fingernails through his hair as his hands slid under her shirt. Though it felt cool to rub her hand over his short hair, she had to admit, she missed the mowhawk. The sound of the door handle turning had her pulling away quick as lightening; she knew it was too soon for the nurse to be back and there was no way she was going to risk Happy seeing her and Juice in a compromising position yet again.

"Again?" he breathed. He couldn't believe his luck. Though he was used to being interrupted, it was even more frustrating when he was stuck in a hospital bed and couldn't go seek her out later. Sitting there, he was having the worst case of blue balls ever. His hand reached out for her, skimming the skin of her hip, trying his best to entice her back into bed when Bobby and Jax walked in.

"Hey, how's our favorite pin cushion?" Jax asked, going around to the foot of his bed.

His mood lifted substantially when he saw his brothers. It'd been awhile since anyone other than Angie, Gemma, and Tara had been in to visit him. "Missed you guys!" Juice exclaimed, his usual big grin on his face.

"Missed you too, Little Rican," Bobby said, grabbing him by the neck affectionately.

"Hey Angie," Jax greeted, a knowing smirk on his face, his eyes flitted down to where her shirt was still pushed up to show more skin than usual. Quickly, she pulled it back down, fighting the urge to glare at Jax as he chuckled.

"How's it goin' darlin'?" Bobby asked, giving her a wink. "I see you're taking care of our boy."

Angela felt a blush rise to her cheeks before she could stop it. Swallowing hard, she shrugged. "I do my best. He should be out soon though."

"Yeah, I just have a little blood left in my stool," Juice explained on a shrug.

Bobby nodded, smiling as he did so. "Good to know."

"Trust me man, you're better off in here," Jax put in.

Juice nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know, I heard about CaraCara. That shit sucks. What do we know?"

Bobby and Jax exchanged quick glances before Angela felt their eyes on her. Whatever they were there to talk to Juice about was club business; something they didn't want her hearing. Her mouth formed into a little 'o' as she stood up. "I just remembered I needed to get more coffee. I'll be right back," she said, readjusting her tank top and pushing a stray hair behind her ear. "You boys need anything?"

"Nah, we're good, Ang," Jax assured her with a trite smile. "Thanks."

She nodded once before heading quickly out the door. Instead of going to get coffee, she sat down in one of the hallway chairs a little ways away from the door. She was surprised when Jax walked out the door alone. "Proxying a vote," he said at her questioning glance.

"Oh," she said slowly bobbing her head.

"So you're Happy's cousin, huh?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder and nodded. "Yeah."

"The killer and the undertaker. Interesting mix. Almost like he planned that."

She laughed. "Don't be so sure he didn't."

"You ever worry about him? Bein' Nomad and all?" he asked curiously.

Angela shrugged again. "He's my cousin. I worry about him all the time, Nomad or not," she admitted with a small smile. "I actually _like_ when he's Nomad, though. Tacoma's so far and all…when he's Nomad he's around more but…you can't compare his life to yours, Jax. It's like apples and oranges."

"You heard?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He sighed, wondering where she'd heard it from. "You got an opinion on it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her as if daring her to say something.

Angela knew better than to tell him what she thought. He wasn't asking for her opinion, he was just wondering if she'd had one. "Does it matter?" she asked on a laugh. "It's a club thing. I don't want anything to do with it."

Jax was slightly appreciative that she didn't try to advise him one way or another. He'd already gotten enough grief about his decisions from everyone else in the club; it was nice to talk to someone who kept their mouth shut. He glanced back at Juice's door. "How's he been doing?" he asked.

She shrugged a shoulder in response. This whole conversation was so awkward. She wasn't used to talking to Jax for longer than two minutes. He was the VP of the club, he demanded a certain respect that other members didn't and she was worried about saying the wrong thing. "Good, I think. More bored than anything."

"Yeah? Looked like you were tryin' to entertain him."

Angela smirked. "I do my best."

Jax thought back to what Juice had said about the club members being family, about everyone else stepping back a row. Juice was the most recently patched member, one who had no experience in juggling the club and family outside the club. But he needed a woman's care, someone to talk to outside the club. The kid had gotten teary eyed the moment he heard about his decision to leave; he was an emotional wreck. He needed a woman to comfort him the way a brother couldn't. "Take care of him, Ang."

She looked up from the floor, glancing at Jax, surprised by his words. Why would she need to take care of him? He was a big boy, a club member; he could take care of himself. "Yeah, of course," she agreed softly.

Bobby stepped out of the room, nodding towards Angela. "Got it," he said to Jax. "Let's head to the table."

"See you around, Ang," Jax said, squeezing her shoulder before he and Bobby headed down the hall.

Angela waved her goodbye before going back into the room. She sat down on the edge of his bed, watching him curiously as he let out a lengthy sigh. "Everything okay, baby?" she asked, taking his hand in her own.

He nodded once, feeling stupid for getting all teary eyed just because Jax wanted to go Nomad. If she saw the tears in his eyes, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she stretched out next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He draped his arm over her hip, his fingers trailing absentmindedly back and forth over her colorful tattoo as he thought. It was a silent comfort to have her close, even if she didn't know it. With her in his arms, he felt like everything would work itself. That everything would be okay. Smiling slightly, he squeezed her side. "Yeah. Everything's okay."

* * *

><p><strong>This one was a long one too! 16 pages! Let me know what you think!<strong>

**Some of the Spanish words: **_mija (my daughter), Tia (aunt), mijo (my son), _and what she says to Juice is: _Juan Carlos, leave me alone, you're a pain in the ass_...which she means in the nicest way, of course. ;)

**Coming up next: Club lockdown and more...**

**~Love Ink**


	22. Bumps in the Road

**Thank you for all your reviews! :) I love hearing from you all! **

**Thought I'd post this early since I have my physics final tomorrow and then my birthday on Thursday! Woot! :)**

**This chapter is set in season 2, episode 11: "Service" and a quarter of episode 12: "The Culling" **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 22: Bumps in the Road_

_By Love Ink_

Angela bounced excitedly on her seat on the hospital bed as she waited for Juice to change out of his hospital gown. She smiled when she heard the electric hair clippers going; glad she had remembered to grab them for him so he could shave his hair back into his signature mowhawk. The door opened and in strode Bobby, a smile on his face and Juice's cut in his hands. "Mornin' darlin'," he said giving her a nod.

"Hey Bobby," she greeted, smiling at him.

He handed her Juice's cut, smiling back at her. "Why don't you go on and give this to him when he gets out."

She raised an eyebrow at the older man as she took the soft leather cut into her hands, her fingers smoothing over the front patches as she laid it down on her lap. "All right."

"You gonna come with us down to TM?"

Angela smirked, somehow she got the sense that his question was not an invitation but a way to lead her into an explanation about why she couldn't come. "Not if you don't want me to. I drove here so I don't need a ride or anything."

Bobby shrugged a shoulder. "It's not that we don't want you around or anythin', Ang. Clay called a meet."

She nodded in understanding. "Club comes first, right?"

"That it does," he agreed on a nod. "By that frown on your face, I can tell you had somethin' else planned."

"Nothing that can't wait 'til later," she said with a naughty grin.

Bobby chuckled, earning him a curious look from Juice when he walked out of the bathroom clad in a dark red shirt and his black jeans. "There's the little Rican," Bobby exclaimed, pulling Juice in for a light man hug. "Nice to see you outta bed."

"Nice to _be_ out of bed," Juice replied, that huge goofy grin on his face.

"You look good," Angela said as she headed his way. "Missin' something though."

She opened up his cut and helped him shrug into it. He turned around to her, still grinning like an idiot. "Thanks," he said, grabbing her hips in his hands and pulling her in close. He caught her lips in a quick kiss. "You comin' with us?"

"Nah, I can't," she lied with a quick shake of her head. "I've got work to do."

"See you later tonight?" he asked, her light brown eyes hopeful as they raked over her curvy figured.

The corner of her lips turned up in a sexy smirk. "I'll be waiting," she stated giving him a wink before heading out the door.

Bobby whistled in response. "You are one lucky man," he said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Juice chuckled as he nodded exaggeratedly in agreement. "Hell yeah, I am."

* * *

><p>Juice walked up steps to Angela's apartment, massaging his sore back as he went. His first day out of the hospital had been long and stressful. First finding out about what really happened to Gemma, then trying to come up with enough guns for retaliation, after that finding out about Chibs' shit, and on to top it off Piney bursting into the chapel, guns blazing; he felt all the stress from the day knotting up in his shoulders and back.<p>

The small apartment was relatively dark save for the little slit of light peeking out from underneath her door. Bending over with a groan, he untied his boots and toed them off before heading in that direction.

He pushed the door open, leaning against the doorjamb to take in the sight in front of him. Angela was lying across the bed on her stomach, her back to him, her elbows propped up on the edge of her pillow, a book splayed out in front of her. Her hair was pushed messily over to one side, leaving her neck and shoulder exposed on the side closest to him. His eyes raked over her body, drinking in her caramel skin that was barely covered by the lacy lingerie she was wearing, black lingerie with little dark blue rhinestones that he'd specially picked out and ordered for her.

Slowly, he stretched out next to her, a ringed hand smoothing over the soft dip of her back. She shivered under his touch as she turned her head to look at him. "Hey you," she practically purred, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. "How you feelin'?"

"Sore," he answered honestly, his fingers tracing patterns along her lower back just above the top of her lacy underwear. "Nothin' a little massage wouldn't fix."

She smiled at him and nodded. "I can do that, but you sir, are wearing entirely too much clothing for it. You are making me feel awfully naked."

Juice grinned at her, his fingers tracing over the lace on her hip. "That's because you are…almost."

"Do you want a massage or not? Because it's been awhile and I was all set for some Little Rican lovin'," she teased.

His eyebrows shot up his forehead. "_Little_?" he asked in mock offense as he took off his cut and hung it on the hook she had on the back of her door. "It obviously _has_ been awhile if you think its little…"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Goof."

"Massage first," he demanded, pulling his shirt over his head before pulling down his pants so he was just in his boxers. "_Big_ Rican lovin' later," he decided with a grunt as he lay down on his stomach.

Angela smiled, knowing it wouldn't take too long for one to turn into the other. Placing the book on the night table, she slid one leg over his back careful to avoid his injuries as she straddled him. Her eyes looked over the two pink, puckered scars that marred his once perfectly smooth back. "Does it hurt?" she asked softly, gently tracing a finger over one of them.

"If you pressed any harder than that, yeah," he answered honestly. He heard her sigh and turned his head just in time to catch her worried frown. "I'm okay, Angel."

"Okay." The frown hadn't come from her worry; it had come from the painful feeling that squeezed at her heart every time she glanced at his scars. It confused her, made her uncomfortable. It was the same feeling she got when she saw Happy get hurt or when she saw how sick his mom looked sometimes. Shaking her head slightly, she pushed back the feeling and squirted massage oil onto her palms. She'd picked some up when she realized how much Juice liked her massages.

The smell of jasmine and vanilla tickled his nose as her hands worked over the muscles in his back. He relaxed under her touch, sighing gratefully. "We're going on lockdown tomorrow. The whole club," he told her.

"Oh fun," she said, her hands sliding up to his neck.

"Including you."

He felt her tense up, her hands leaving his skin for a brief moment. He knew without looking that she was nervously tucking her hair behind her ear and took that as a bad sign. "Juice, I can't. I have work to do," she said after a moment.

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "So take it off."

She slid off his back, choosing to kneel by him instead, angered by his nonchalance. "I can't just _do _that," she said, a dark look in her eyes as he turned onto his back, propping himself up on his elbows. "I'm not just messing around here. This is my job; it's not something I do just to keep myself busy when you're not around."

He was surprised by her anger. He'd just assumed that she'd understand; she'd been so easy going with everything else. "It's only for a few days, I'm sure Skeeter wouldn't mind."

"A few _days_? Juice, if I don't work, I don't get _paid_," she pointed out, still trying to comprehend why he thought it'd be so easy for her. Didn't he understand her responsibilities? She had to help pay for her Mom and aunt's house, her aunt's medicine, her aunt's doctor's visits, and then of course, she needed money for groceries and gas. Taking a few days off could mean that one of those things slipped through the cracks and she'd go hungry long before she'd ever stop paying for her mom and aunt's thing. "I can't just take off like that."

"Tara's doing it."

By the way her eyes darkened, he could tell that wasn't a wise thing to say. She stood up from the bed, now fully pissed off at him. "What, you think just because the _doctor_ takes a few days off, I can too? She has paid leave, Juice!"

_That and rumor has it she's been suspended_, he added in his head, knowing better than to say it out loud. "Angel, it's not safe for you to be by yourself. We're taking all the families in for protection," he insisted, trying to make her see the light. "If we're gonna retaliate against these guys, we need to make sure our families are out of danger."

"Why would I be in danger?" she exclaimed, throwing her arms out to the side. "Whoever you guys are retaliating against probably don't even know who I am!"

Juice sat up straighter, sweeping a hand over his mowhawk as he tried to work out how to make it better. "You know what? You're right," he said on a sigh. He had another trick up his sleeve. "I'm sorry."

Angela narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. He'd flipped sides a little too quickly. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"You're not going to try and make me go?"

_Not tonight_, he thought as he shook his head. "Nope." If she was his Old Lady, he'd have the power to do it, but being that they were in some weird relationship limbo, he didn't possess that power nor did he demand the same respect. He could suggest she go into lockdown, but he couldn't force her into it, but he knew someone that could.

"Okay," she drawled out, letting him grab her hips and pull her in closer.

He leant his head forward, placing an open mouthed kiss on her stomach and working his way down towards the top of her panties. His scruff tickled her skin as he went making her laugh. He glanced up at her a mischievous look in his eyes. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto the bed and underneath him in one swift movement before crushing his lips down on hers. "Now where were we?" he asked, his lips moving across her neck.

"Little Rican loving?" she asked, gasping when he sunk his teeth into the soft skin just above her bra. Her hands played with the waistband of his boxers as she corrected her error, "Sorry, _big_ Rican loving."

* * *

><p>Angela was awakened by her alarm clock as she usual. What was unusual was that it was barely light outside. It looked as though the sun was just starting to rise up over the clouds. "The fuck?" she muttered, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. She glanced at the clock and groaned when she saw that it was almost five in the morning. Throwing out a hand to hit Juice who'd obviously messed with it the night before, she was met with nothing but an empty mattress. "Juice?" she called out, getting out of bed with a groan. She could smell coffee brewing and heard the deep sounds of two people talking.<p>

As she stood, she almost tripped over a backpack that was at her feet, filled with her clothes. "What the hell?" she muttered, toeing it out of the way before slipping on a pair of basketball shorts and the red shirt Juice had been wearing the night before.

Juice fought the urge to laugh as Angela walked into the living room, rubbing at her eyes like a tired little girl, her dark hair a complete mess despite the messy ponytail she'd pulled it in. "Hey Angel," he greeted, knowing better than to call her 'baby' with the present company.

Angela wasn't looking at him though; she was staring straight at her cousin who was sitting at the table across from Juice, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place. "Why am I up before the sun?" she asked Happy, approaching the table cautiously. She took the mug of coffee Juice was pushing at her, giving him a thankful smile as she took a long sip of the perfectly prepared drink.

"Lockdown," Happy replied simply. "Get your shit together."

She almost choked on her coffee. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I packed a lot of it, but he wouldn't let me touch your underwear," Juice explained around a bite of bagel.

Angela blinked at them both, trying to comprehend what was going on; her brain didn't work so well in the wee hours of the morning. Then it hit her. "I told you I wasn't going to go," she started slowly working things out in her head as she looked at Juice, "and you called _him_?"

"Well, you wouldn't listen to _me_," Juice explained on a shrug. "Figured you'd listen to him."

"Oh, you asshole," she murmured, her eyes narrowed at him, anger starting to bubble in her veins.

Happy smirked, slightly amused by the situation. He had been glad to get the call for help from his brother. If Juice hadn't called him and had showed up at the clubhouse without her; he'd have been in deep shit. "You got an hour to get dressed."

He watched as she clenched her jaw angrily before going back to her room, the door slamming behind her making Juice wince. He heard the shower start up and glanced at Happy. "How fucked am I?"

"She'll get over it," Happy said on an indifferent shrug. Angela wasn't stupid, she'd come around eventually. It wasn't as though Juice had done something to hurt her, to the contrary, he was trying to keep her safe, something Happy was thankful for

The shower stopped and Juice pushed away from the table, standing up from his seat. "I better…" he gestured towards the hallway before standing and heading in that direction. She was just pulling a shirt over her head when he walked in. It was a simple black tank with the Jack Daniels logo on it matched to a pair of faded black jeans. By the time he got done looking her over, she was halfway finished with braiding her hair. "So how mad are you at me?" he asked, trying to catch her attention.

She finished off the braid before shoot him a glare; her eyes pitch black in the dim light of the room. Pulling open her underwear drawer, she started violently shoving the skimpy pieces of lace that he loved so much into her bag. He grimaced at the implication of her glare and of the violent way she was treating her undergarments. He was sure she wanted to treat him similarly.

"He's doin' it to protect you," Happy's voice came from the doorway. She didn't acknowledge his presence, just kept shoving things into her bag. Cell phone charger, some make-up, a toothbrush. "You know why we're retaliating?"

Angela stopped what she was doing, breathing in a deep breath to calm herself down. She wasn't mad at Happy, she was mad at Juice for betraying her by going behind her back to rat to her cousin that she wasn't going into some stupid lockdown while they retaliated on some stupid car bomber. What was the guy gonna do? Bomb the funeral home? Fat chance. "Chibs," she stated through clenched teeth.

Happy glanced at Juice. "You didn't tell her?"

"I don't…I didn't…" Juice stammered, his nerves frayed by Happy's intense stare. The truth was he hadn't told her because he hadn't wanted to scare her. Now that Happy pointed it out, it seemed like it would've been a better idea if he started out with the reason they were going into lockdown. Maybe then, they wouldn't be having this conversation. "No. I didn't."

"Tell her then," Happy said, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew a part of the reason she didn't want to go was because she didn't see the danger. If she knew what happened to Gemma, it'd be quite clear why the lockdown was necessary.

Juice sighed. "You remember what happened to Gemma the night of Bobby's party?" he questioned, scratching nervously at the back of his neck.

She nodded in response. "Yeah, she got in a car accident. So?"

"Wasn't a car accident," he answered on a sigh. "She was…someone…"

Happy rolled his eyes, he wasn't about to wait all day for the idiot to spit it out. "Assholes abducted and raped her."

Angela's eyes widened, all anger forgotten as the information sunk in. "_What_?" she breathed, the brush in her hand falling to the floor.

"That's why we're puttin' all the women on lockdown," Juice explained, picking up her brush and handing it to her. "These guys already hurt one of our ladies. We're not gonna let it happen again."

She swallowed hard, running a hand through her hair as she nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, meeting Juice's eyes for the first time that morning.

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "I'm new to this whole relationship thing, Angel," he answered honestly. "I dunno what to tell you, what not to. Sometimes I think I say too much…others, obviously, not enough…it's not easy to balance it out."

Her eyes widened a little bit; he'd just called what they had a "relationship". Had he meant to do that? She glanced at Happy who gave her a quick smirk before disappearing back to the kitchen. "Fair enough," she said lamely, looking down at her bag. It was clear by the confused look on his face that he hadn't realized what he just said...that it wasn't as big a deal to him as it was to her which was a good thing, she decided.

"You're still mad," he pointed out; it was statement, not a question. He knew she was mad.

Angela let out a lengthy sigh as she nodded. "You totally played me, Juice," she explained, less annoyed with going into locked down and more pissed at Juice for betraying her trust. She slipped the backpack on. "Fed me all this bullshit and then just called Hap behind my back. You knew he was going to make me go. Why would you give me all this "you're right" crap and then do that?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "I just wanted to keep you safe," he repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Whatever," she muttered, walking by him and heading to the kitchen. "I'm ready," she told Happy who had returned to his seat at the kitchen table.

Happy nodded in approval standing up and heading to the door. "You're riding with him," he said looking to Juice.

Angela stopped and stared at her cousin in a mixture of shock and anger. Shock because she knew he knew what it looked like when you rode bitch to the clubhouse; it was a claim on the girl seated on the back of the bike. Anyone who saw her get off of Juice's bike would know who she was with and for Happy to be okay with that was the weirdest thing in the world. Anger because she was pissed at Juice for being such a manipulative asshole. "Are you serious?"

He didn't answer her, just headed down the stairs to his motorcycle.

Juice fought the urge to smile; he'd never liked Happy more than he did at that moment. "C'mon, Angel."

Reluctantly, she followed him out the door, turning to lock it behind her. Happy was already on his Dyna, helmet on, bike started up, just waiting for Juice and Angela to leave. She sighed and grabbed the helmet Juice handed her, putting it on her head and strapping it on. "Let's just get this over with," she muttered, swinging her leg over the bike behind Juice.

As they rode to the clubhouse, Juice noticed Angela wasn't holding on as tightly as she usually did. There was a distinct space between his back and her chest that had never been there before. He wondered how long it was going to take for her to forgive him. For him to regain her trust again.

Once in front of the clubhouse, Angela got off of his bike the second he stopped it. Adjusting her bag over her shoulder and heading straight for the clubhouse door. She felt a hand reach out to grab her wrist on the way over. She was so pissed and angry at everything that she lashed out, throwing a punch to whoever had grabbed her. It was easily caught by another hand. "Easy there, tiger!" Kozik said on a laugh as he let her go. "Thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Koz!" Angela threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Smiling when he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off of her feet in a big bear hug. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before setting her down on her feet. "How come you didn't tell me you were comin'?" she asked, smacking his shoulder gently.

"Thought I'd surprise you," he said wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leading her over to an empty picnic table. She took a seat on top of the table while he sat on the bench. He watched her eyes follow Juice as he jogged into the clubhouse, starting his duties for the day. "Heard about you and the idiot. What happened to waiting 'til my kid brother to get out of med school?"

She rolled her eyes. Kozik's younger brother, Mel, was her age and had been in his undergrad at the University of Washington at the same time she'd been at the mortuary school in Tacoma. They'd had a brief fling for a few weeks and had ended it just before he got accepted to medical school at UC San Diego. She and Mel were still close and talked every so often, but neither of them wanted to rekindle their romantic relationship; they were better off as friends. "With the way things are going with the idiot, we'll see how long it lasts," she muttered, looking down at her hands.

Kozik's eyebrows lifted in surprise. The way Happy had talked about them made it seem like Angela was very content with her new man. "Trouble in…"

"Please don't say paradise," she said, cutting him off. She ran a hand through her hair before explaining, "When I told him I didn't want to go on lockdown, he said fine and then called Hap behind my back."

"And Hap made you come here. Kid has balls, gotta give him that." At her glare, he grinned. "Relax, kid. If it wasn't him draggin' your ass down here, I woulda done it. Either way lands you here."

"Guess so," she muttered rolling her eyes.

"Cut him some slack, Ang. He's just takin' care of you. You wouldn't have minded if it was me."

Angela shrugged, knowing he was right. The difference was Kozik would never have gone to Happy to get her to go. It would've come from him. "_You_ wouldn't have gone behind my back."

Kozik nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but I've known ya longer. You listen to me. My guess is you didn't give that poor sucker a chance."

She frowned slightly, Kozik, ever the insightful little shit, was right again. "Shut up, Koz," she said, hitting his shoulder with her leg.

He chuckled standing up and offering her his hands. She put hers in them and allowed him to help her off the table. "I gotta go do some networking. You get in there and help out those Old Ladies and maybe think about making up with the idiot."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said as she walked into the clubhouse. She smiled when she saw Tara, Gemma, and Mary all sitting at the bar making sandwiches. "Need some help?"

Gemma nodded, giving Angela a small smile. "Glad to see you made it."

"Like I had a choice," she replied with a smirk as she sat down next to Mary. "Where's El and Kenny?"

"They're ridin' in with the porn star," Mary explained, shaking her head in disapproval. "Don't know what to make of her. Wish you coulda been the one to hook up with Op. The kids like you a whole lot."

Gemma chuckled at the look on Angela's face. "Ease up, Mary. The undertaker's already been claimed."

Angela wrinkled her nose at the statement, still so mad at Juice that even the suggestion they were together pissed her off. Tara raised an eyebrow at her. "Somethin' happen?"

"Nope," she lied, glancing over her shoulder and smiling when she saw Lyla walk in with the kids. Glad for the distraction, she pushed away from the bar. "Hey kids!"

Juice rushed passed them, heading towards the door so he could tell the brothers outside to close the gate. He didn't miss glare Angela shot him, though she seemed to be listening intently to something Kenny was telling her. Lyla noticed the glare too and raised an eyebrow at her in surprise; she'd never seen Angela mad at Juice before. They always seemed to be such an easy going pair. "What happened?"

"Don't ask," she muttered, straightening up and gently nudging Kenny to go play with the other kids so she and Lyla could talk. For some reason, she trusted Lyla more when it came to relationship stuff. She knew the blonde wouldn't judge her for not meeting "Old Lady" standards like Gemma or Tara might.

The two took a seat on the checkered couch. Lyla's foot bounced up and down nervously as she looked around the room. Her relationship with Opie was just starting to get serious, being invited to go into lockdown made her feel like she was getting in even deeper...something she wasn't totally sure she wanted. But she was sure she wanted Opie and the club came with him so she'd deal. In desperate need of a distraction from her thoughts, she lightly hit Angela's arm. "Distract me," she urged. "What happened with you and Juice?"

With a long sigh, Angela launched into the story, making sure to keep her voice relatively low to avoid eavesdroppers.

Juice shot a quick glance at Angela as he made his way across the room. She seemed to be deep in conversation with Lyla, her hands gesturing about as she talked. Again, he wondered if she'd ever forgive him for calling Happy in as reinforcement. He hadn't thought it was such a bad idea in the end, and he honestly wasn't all that sorry for it; it had gotten him what he wanted. She was safely sitting there in the clubhouse with tons of brothers willing to risk their lives to protect her.

He headed over to where Happy and Bobby were talking by the piano as Clay began to address the mass of people filling the clubhouse. Happy surprised him by clapping him on the shoulder, an approving look in his dark eyes. Though Angela hadn't agreed with his actions, it was clear Happy had, and Juice was okay with that; Angela wouldn't kill him if he messed up…Happy would.

"Under this roof you'll all be safe. You should make yourself at home. I love all of you," Clay finished, going to kiss Gemma as the crowd applauded around him.

A few minutes later, Lyla stood to go talk to Opie leaving Angela free to wander around. She headed over to the pool table, leaning against the nearby couch to watch a few Croweaters and some patched members from a different charter play.

Taking advantage of the fact that she was alone, Juice moved to stand next to her, a small smile tugging at his lips as he waited for her to notice. She glanced up at him, trying to glare but finding it hard when he was smiling at her like that. "What?" she asked finally.

He didn't say anything, just shrugged a shoulder as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He curled a hand along the back of the couch just centimeters away from her hip. If he stretched out his pinky, he'd be touching her. It was a test to see if she'd pull away. She didn't. He took that as a sign she'd cooled down a little.

Angela let out a long breath as she remembered what both Lyla and Kozik had told her. They'd both said that, though Juice had gone about it in the wrong way, he'd only done what he did to take care of her. She knew she was right in being angry at Juice for calling Happy behind her back, but she also knew she was overreacting. With a small smile, she leant over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Next time I'll listen to you," she said softly.

Juice's smile grew as he took a step closer to her, his arm sliding around her waist and pulling her to his side. "And I won't call your cousin," he replied before catching her lips in a kiss. She turned towards him, leaning into the kiss as his hands slid into the back pockets of her jeans, holding her closer.

A low whistle had him pulling back just as some of his brothers headed inside the chapel. He placed one more soft kiss on her lips, thankful they'd worked it out. Kozik ruffled her hair as he walked by. "Glad to see you two worked stuff out, he commented. She flipped him off just as the chapel door closed behind him.

Letting out a small sigh, Angela sat down on the couch, squishing in between Piper and Kenny who were engulfed in their DS games. "You guys playing each other?" she asked, peering at Kenny's game as he angled himself so she could see it.

"Yeah, Mario Kart."

"No way!" she exclaimed, watching the little Mario on the screen. "They have Mario Kart on those things now?"

Kenny nodded, crossing over the finish line a significant amount ahead of Piper. The blonde boy scowled and handed Angela his DS. "Want to play? Kenny's real good. No one can beat him," Piper said on a scowl.

Angela, ever the gaming nerd, grabbed the electronic enthusiastically. Within seconds, she and Kenny were locked in an epic tournament. And that was how Juice found her, her fingers punching away at the little piece of plastic as she and Kenny taunted each other.

He leant over the couch, putting his face directly next to hers, watching her little racer fly passed one of the colored "boost" boxes. "Missed a box," he teased, earning him a scowl.

"Shut up! I've never played this level before," she ground out, frustrated because she was so far behind. Finally, Kenny crossed over the finish line first. He pumped his fist in the air which made Angela laugh. She stood, handing the game to Piper before leaning over to muss Kenny's hair. "Good game, kid." He swatted her hand away with a scowl as she stepped around the couch to talk to Juice.

"I gotta go," he said, placing a hand at the back of her neck, his thumb stroking over her cheek. Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Be good, all right? I'll be back later."

She nodded, kissing him once more. "Come back safely, Juice."

"Of course," he said with a shrug as though the alternative wasn't even a possibility. One of his hands dipped into the back of her pants, skimming over the lacy fabric of her panties before snapping one of the straps playfully. "I have you and those sexy lacy panties to come back to, don't I?"

Angela rolled her eyes, pushing him away with a laugh. She was aware Happy's eyes on them and knew it was best to quit while they were ahead. "Get out of here, goof! Before you get yourself killed!"

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you think! :) <strong>

**Coming up next: more lockdown...and possibly the end of season 2 depending on whether I want to cut the chapter in half or not...hmmm... **

**~Love Ink**


	23. Fine by Me

**Sorry it took me awhile to update! I was busy with birthday fun including clubbing and going to see StarKid's Apocalyptour! woot! :) (I'm a nerd, don't judge...haha)**

**ANYWAYS...98 days til season 5! :D ****For those of you watching the re-runs on FX, I think the first episodes of season 2 start on Thursday! Yay! ;) **

**This chapter takes place in Season 2 episodes 12 "The Culling" and some of 13 "Na Tiobloidi". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 23: Fine by Me_

_By Love Ink_

After a long day, Juice walked into the clubhouse, trailing his brothers. They'd only just got back to find Chucky hanging out outside the gates, his hands burned from the fire at CaraCara. Juice's eyes swept the small room, looking over a few Croweaters chatting in the corner, some kids spread out over the floor coloring, and Angela sitting on the couch next to Abel's car seat, making faces at the baby boy while he cooed and laughed in response.

That warm feeling he was so unfamiliar with spread through his stomach at the sight of them. She was so comfortable around kids and they all loved her. Kenny was sitting on the ground by her legs, his head against her knee while he played his game. Ellie was spread out on the ground in front of her, working on a coloring book, her hair done up in an intricate braid that could only be Angela's handiwork.

Juice took a seat behind Angela, sliding one arm around her hip and setting his chin on her shoulder. She leant back against him, a small smile on her face. "Hey you," she greeted, one hand reaching to touch his cheek while she turned her head and met his lips with a sweet kiss.

"Hey baby. Having fun?" he asked, reaching out a hand to tickle Abel's tummy.

"Oh yeah, me and Abel have just been laughing it up. Huh, cutie?" she cooed at the infant. For a split second, the image of Angela cooing at another, darker baby flashed across Juice's mind; a baby with her dark eyes and pretty smile. He tensed slightly, afraid of what that image could possibly mean and where the hell it had come from. She glanced back at him, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What?"

Juice shook his head. "Nothin'," he said kissing her once more before pushing himself off the couch and heading towards where Tara was patching up Chucky's hand.

She shook her head at his retreating back. "Goof," she murmured to herself.

A few minutes later, Gemma sat down on the other side of Abel's car seat. "We got a few errands to run," Gemma stated, glancing down at Abel with a smile.

"Okay," Angela replied, not really sure why she needed to know.

"You think you can handle watching him while we're gone?" Normally, she wouldn't have trusted another woman other than Neeta or Tara with Abel, but she'd been watching the way Angela was playing with not just Abel but the rest of the kids. If she could handle watching all those kids at one time and give Abel attention, she was a fine caretaker in Gemma's book.

She smiled as she nodded, holding back a sarcastic response that went along the lines of 'how hard can it be.' She had a feeling Gemma would not appreciate it. "Of course," she said with a nod. "We'll have some fun, huh Abel?"

Abel gurgled in response. "Thanks, baby," Gemma said, patting her shoulder lightly before heading out the door with Tara.

Angela stared at the Queen's back as she walked out the door, a quizzical look on her face. Though she'd heard Gemma use the term many times before, it was the first time the endearment had ever been used on her. "Huh," she said, wondering what that could mean. She glanced at Abel who was watching her with his dark blue eyes. "What do you think it means, Abie Baby?"

He gurgled back at her and she laughed. "Oh really?" she asked, tickling his tummy with a small smile. "That's interesting."

She smiled at Juice as he carefully stepped around the kids on the floor and sat behind her on the couch again. "What's he sayin'?"

"Oh loads of interesting things," Angela lied with a smile.

Juice chuckled, tugging at the end of her braid to catch her attention. She turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "I gotta go, but I'll come back. Pick you up so we can sleep at my place."

"We can leave here?" she asked, a surprised look on her face.

He nodded. "The ones with homes close by can that way it's not so crowded in here. It's Gemma's rule; she likes to sleep in her own bed."

"Can't blame her," she said, her eyes following the boys as they headed out.

Jax made a gesture to Juice, wordlessly telling him it was time to go. Juice sighed, gently taking her face in one hand and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. "Have fun talking to the baby…baby," he said, chuckling at himself as he stood.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Be safe, goof."

Once Tara and Gemma came back, Gemma took Abel to one of the dorm rooms to give him a nap leaving Angela with nothing to do. She glanced at the abandoned pool table and then over to where Kozik was sitting talking to one of his brothers. Leaning over the red felt, she started to rack up the balls, making them clack against each other on purpose, knowing it would catch the blonde's attention.

Kozik excused himself from the conversation and ambled on over to her, just as she had expected. "Up for a game, Kozi?" she asked, rolling the rack over to the center of the table.

"You know it," he said on a nod as he grabbed a pool stick. "We bettin'?"

She nodded. "Fifty?"

"Sounds good. Your move first, sweetheart."

She lined up the shot, breaking the rack and sending in two solid balls. "Solid balls are mine."

"That so?" he asked, a twinkle in his pretty blue eyes. "Your boy toy got pretty solid balls?"

"Shut up, Koz," she said, sending him a glare. His words were meant to distract her, and it worked; she didn't get a single ball in. _Fucker, _she thought to herself.

He smirked triumphantly as he studied the table, considering his options. "How's your mom and aunt doin'?"

"All right. My mom asks about you all the time. She's waiting for us to get married and pop out little blonde grandchildren," she said, wrinkling her nose at the thought. Yeah, Kozik was a good looking man, but blonde and snarky wasn't her type. "Never mind that you're ten years older than me and sleep with anything that walks."

"Age ain't nothin' but a number, sweetheart," Kozik stated, lining up his shot and getting a ball in. "You're not my type though, sorry."

She rolled her eyes in response. "Tell my Ma that, please."

"And ruin all her fun? I don't think so," he teased.

She shook her head at him. "So what's with you and Tig?" she asked. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't have dared asked the question, but this was Kozik. She'd known him for almost ten years now, not much stayed secret between them. At his look, she smirked. "C'mon Kozi. I saw your little face off. There's gotta be somethin'."

He sighed and shrugged a shoulder. "Bitch problems."

"Say no more, I get it," she said holding up her hands.

"I gotta say, I miss havin' you hanging 'round Tacoma," Kozik stated honestly. He'd met the girl when she was around seventeen. He and Hap had just gotten out of jail and Hap's mom was making a celebratory dinner. He'd invited himself to come along. At seventeen, Angela had been one hell of a rebel. She'd had her hair dyed black with bright red streaks in it, a ton of dark eyeshadow, and lips that were lined a darker color than her lipstick. Huge hoops had dangled from her ears and she was perpetually scowling in an attempt to look tough. The only time she smiled was when Happy walked into the room.

"You been happy in Charming, kid?" he asked after a moment.

Angela laughed and nodded. "Yeah, actually."

"With Juice?"

She smiled despite trying her best not to. "Yeah," she answered.

"Good." Kozik grinned at her as he looked her over making her shift uncomfortably under his gaze. She'd changed a lot since he and Hap had stomped into her Oakland apartment and taken her to Tacoma, away from that Mayan and all of his bullshit.

Angela noticed him looking her over and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Just remembering when we pulled you outta Oakland," he said with a wide grin. "You remember that?"

She blushed, it hadn't been one of her proudest moments. "Vividly."

Kozik chuckled. "You thought you were so hood with all your finger wavin' Mayan "_chola"_ shit. Tellin' Hap he couldn't make you do anything. He slung you right over his shoulder and took ya right outta there," he said, reminiscing about the little rebel Angela had been in her teenage years. "You were kickin' and screamin' and cursing the club, sayin' we were good for nothing outlaws and that you hated the Sons."

"Is there a reason you're bringing this up?" she asked, lining up another shot.

He shrugged a shoulder. "You've come a long way since then, kid. You're not that obnoxious, _chola_ anymore with the badass scowl and that awful make-up," he teased.

"Please stop talking," Angela muttered, hating being reminded of the bad decisions she made in high school. Without Happy there to keep her in line, she'd gotten in way too deep with the wannabe Mayan clique at her school. The girls dressed like _cholas_, the boys were prepping to Prospect, and they all thought they were badass and bulletproof.

He laughed again, pulling her in for a side hug. "I'm proud of you, kiddo. You really straightened up. I didn't think it could happen," he said honestly. The transformation from the teenage, scowling _chola_ to the smiling woman standing in front of him had been a slow one, but Tacoma and college had done her good. They'd connected her with the right kinds of people and kept her busy. She'd really found herself there.

"Gee, thanks Kozik," she said rolling her eyes at him and pushing him away.

"Hap is too, you know," he said, glancing up at her as he lined up his shot. "He'll never say it, but he is."

"I'm what?" Happy asked as he walked into the clubhouse, the other SAMCRO members filtering in with him.

Kozik grinned at him. "Don't worry about it."

Happy raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. He watched his cousin miss an easy shot and smirked as Kozik grinned triumphantly. He knew Angie could make that shot in her sleep. There was only one reason she was playing dumb. "You got money on this?" he asked the blonde biker.

"Yeah," Koz said, watching her line up another shot. "Fifty. Thinkin' about raisin' it to a hundred. You down, sweetheart?"

Happy caught Angela's small smile, though she'd tried to hide it; the girl was hustling the blonde biker. "Sure," she stated, giving Juice a wink as he approached.

"She's losing?" Juice said, a little surprised as he watched Kozik point out a pocket and get another ball. He'd played Angela more than enough times to know she was better than what the score showed.

Happy shook his head. "Yeah. They're playin' for a bill."

"No shit," Juice said, raising his eyebrows as he watched her miss yet another easy shot.

Kozik's confidence grew as he lined up his shot. "Someone's a little rusty," he teased, though he ended up missing his shot.

"Guess so," she said, lining up for a particularly difficult shot. From Juice's angle, it looked like she wasn't aiming at anything, but once she actually hit the ball; it hit the edge of the table, ricocheted, and pocketed two of her balls leaving them tied with just two striped balls, two solid balls, and the eight ball on the table. "Or not."

Kozik reached over, wrapping his arm around her neck in a tight headlock. "You hustlin' me, kid?" he asked, holding her there while she struggled against him.

"No!" she exclaimed around a laugh. She watched as Jax walked by, stopping to say something quickly to Juice and Hap before walking away.

"Go time?" Kozik asked as dug his knuckles into her head, giving her a noogie. Happy and Juice both nodded. Kozik let Angela go, ruffling her hair before pushing her towards the door. "Why don't you head out there with Op's blonde?"

Angela nodded, heading in the direction Kozik had nodded. She was surprised when Juice caught her wrist in his hand, pulling her into his chest easily. "Go ahead. Be out there in a minute, baby," he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. It was a not so subtle signal to Kozik that she was his to order around and that he didn't appreciate the blonde stepping in and filling his role.

"Okay," she said on a nod, giving him one curious glance before jogging after Lyla.

Once outside, the guys headed towards their bikes. Angela gave Happy a quick kiss on the cheek and Kozik a big hug before turning to Juice. He gave her his megawatt grin, one gloved hand sliding into her back pocket while the other cupped the back of her neck. Dipping his head, he slanted his lips across hers, delving his tongue into her mouth as she grabbed onto the front of his cut, pulling him even closer to her. After a moment, he pulled away. "I gotta go," he murmured, kissing her once more, quicker this time.

She smiled, patting the front of his cut lovingly. "Be safe, Juice."

"Will do," he said, giving her ass a quick smack before jogging over to his bike. He turned to catch one last glimpse, chuckling when he saw her shaking her head at him, the hint of a smile on her face. He knew it annoyed her when he smacked her ass in public, but a small part of him also knew that she secretly liked it too, which was why he loved to do it. He could feel Happy's eyes glaring holes into his head but decided to ignore it and play it off like it was no big deal as he started his Dyna and followed the line of Harley's out the gate.

As the guys started heading out, Angela went to stand next to Lyla, bumping her hip against the blonde's to catch her attention. Lyla smiled, looping an arm through Angela's in a silent show of support as they watched the gate close behind their boys.

"C'mere, come here," Gemma said, wrapping an arm around Lyla and Tara, her hand settling protectively over Angela's shoulder. She pressed kisses to both Lyla and Tara's cheek and gave Angela's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Once the gates were closed and locked she sighed. "It'll be all right," she assured them. "Let's get everyone inside."

Angela nodded, stepping away from Lyla and going over to Kenny and Ellie. She put an arm around each of them and gently herded them inside. Gemma pulled her over to the corner where she already had Lyla and Tara. "You ladies have to be strong. Set examples for all the others. They see you worryin' and doubting your men, they're gonna do the same," she instructed, putting on a brave face.

"Okay," Tara and Lyla answered while Angela nodded, confused as to why she was included in all of this. Tara was an Old Lady and Lyla was well on her way to becoming one. She was not. Not even close.

Gemma nodded, waving the other girls off but grabbing Angela's arm before she could move. "You don't include yourself as one of them?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Angela shook her head. "I'm not an Old Lady."

"You see any Croweaters pushin' up on Juice?"

She thought about it for a minute. "No," she answered with a shake of her head.

"You know why that is?" Gemma asked. At Angela's blank look, she smiled. "That's because they know who he belongs to. You, Hap's cousin, and none of them want to cross Hap. Apparently, he's one of their favorite lays."

Angela wrinkled her nose at that idea. "Okay," she drawled, shifting uncomfortably. The idea that Juice was only with her because he was scared of pissing off Happy crossed her mind briefly, making her feel a little sick to her stomach.

Gemma smirked, patting her shoulder lightly. "Don't sell yourself short, Ang. Like you said, you're no sweetbutt."

With that she walked away leaving Angela thoroughly confused. What was she supposed to take from _that_? She looked at the Croweater behind the bar who gave her a smile. "Can I get you anythin', darlin'?" she asked.

"A beer, please," she said on a sigh.

The Croweater looked surprised by her politeness as she nodded and turned to get a bottle. She set it down in front of her and opened it up. "So you're Hap's cousin, huh?"

It was Angela's least favorite topic. The title of being Happy's cousin came with a bunch of expectations. Most people who knew Happy expected her to be a tough as nails bitch who wouldn't hesitate to kill someone if they got in her way. But she wasn't a killer. Though she loved guns and shooting, the idea of killing someone frankly sickened her. She'd seen Happy do it once before, and it was something she never wanted to see again. "Yeah," she answered, picking at the label on her beer.

"He always that intense?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

She took a long pull of her beer before sighing. "Yes," she lied, hoping it would end the conversation. "He's that intense all the time. He's a real scary guy."

"He's a monster in the bedroom," the Croweater said with a wide grin on her face. "One of the best of the guys. I hear Juice is all right too, but I never…"

Angela pinched the bridge of her nose, trying her best to keep her cool. "Stop. Talking. Please," she ground out, sliding off the barstool and grabbing her beer. The Croweater tried to apologize, but Angela held up a hand. "Just…stop."

She walked away from them, quickly being intercepted by Tara who was holding a fussing Abel in her arms. "Diaper change," the doctor said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"I'll give you some company," Angela said, following her. At Tara's curious look, she shrugged. "I'd much rather deal with his crap than hers," she explained, gesturing towards the bar.

Tara laughed, leading her towards the small back room. Once inside, she handed Abel over to Angela while she set up the changing pad. She lay him down for Tara before stepping out of the way and sitting down on the bed next to her. "You seem bothered by something, Ang," Tara stated, looking at what she was doing instead of at Angela.

"Somethin' Gemma said is trippin' me up a bit is all," she answered honestly as she let Abel wrap one of his little fists around her finger.

"I've been there," she said, giving Angela a sympathetic smile. "You still stuck on the Old Lady thing?"

Angela shrugged. "I'm just not…I'm not Juice's Old Lady. I don't have any illusions about that. I'm not even his girlfriend. I'm starting to wonder if he's just with me because he's afraid Hap will kill him if he leaves me."

"I don't think that's the case," Tara assured her. She paused a moment before asking, "Do you even want to be his Old Lady, Ang?"

She shrugged again. "I like being with him. The whole Old Lady thing…that's a huge step. I don't know if I'm ready for what that title brings with it," she answered honestly. "I didn't want to come here today. It seemed so ridiculous to be holed up here while they go play cowboys and Indians. I have a job, I have a life, and I can't just drop everything and come running when the club calls. I'm not a member. I didn't ask for that kind of life."

Tara smiled, watching as Angela grinned at Abel, wiggling her finger in his grasp and making the little boy smile. "You love the man. You learn to love the club," she said, repeating Gemma's advice.

Angela sighed. "Guess so."

"So you love Juice?" Tara said, a wide, almost teasing grin on her face.

The other girl blanched. "What? No…I didn't…I'm not…" she stumbled, looking for the right words. "I was just agreeing with what you said."

"Uh-huh _sure_," Tara teased, sticking the new diaper on Abel. "It's okay to love him, Angie."

Angela ran a hand through her hair, feeling incredibly frustrated. "I don't…I mean, I care a lot about him but…I don't…I can't…we're not…"

"You _can_ love him, you _do_ love him, and you _are_ very important to him," Tara said, understanding what she meant. "You are his girl, Angie. Everyone can see that. You just need to start believing it."

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><p>A few hours later, the boys came trailing in all bloodied, dirty, and looking haggard. Happy gave Angela's shoulder a quick squeeze as he walked by on his way to a blonde Croweater who'd been after him all day. Kozik did much the same, stopping to ruffle her hair before winking at a leggy brunette over by the pool table. The sweetbutt stopped what she was doing and headed straight to him, game forgotten.<p>

As Angela watched the rest of the brothers find their girl for the night, she felt a warm arm slide around her waist as the smell of leather and cologne filled her senses. Breathing in deeply, she leant back into the warm body behind her. "Ready to go?" Juice asked, his lips at her ear.

She nodded, turning around to face him. Her eyebrow furrowed in concern as she looked at his bloodied face. There was a cut by his eye and the corner of his bottom lip was bleeding. Hesitantly, she swiped her fingers over the dried blood on his cheek. He caught her hand easily. "At home," he said simply, taking her hand and tugging her towards the door.

This time when she got on the back of his Dyna, she slid as close as she possibly could to him, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. He smiled, leaning back into her embrace as they travelled the short distance to his house.

Once inside, he went to go sit down on one of the bean bags, but she pulled him over to the bathroom. "Where's your first aid kit?" she asked, opening up different cabinets and drawers as she searched. She found a variety of different hair clippers, a baggie of weed, and a huge box of condoms. She glanced at him with an eyebrow raised.

He shrugged a shoulder, giving her a wide grin. "Don't want to run out of those."

"Goof," she muttered, finally finding a bottle of alcohol and some cotton balls. It was no fancy first aid kit, but it would get the job done. "You have a huge box of condoms and no first aid kit."

"Condoms are first aid. Keep me from getting' sick…in a way."

She smiled as she shook her head at him, putting alcohol on the cotton ball and gently touching it to his cheek. He winced, but didn't cry out or complain like she thought he might. "Tough guy, huh?" she teased, gently blowing on the cut. He nodded, feeling a little turned on by the way she was taking care of him. His eyes followed her every movement, the careful way in which she was cleaning him up made those stupid butterflies flutter in his stomach. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

He grabbed her chin in a hand, pulling her face to his and pressing his lips to hers. She responded in kind, leaning into his kiss. Turning her around, her pressed her up against the counter before grabbing her thighs and lifting her onto it.

She hooked her feet around his lower back, giggling as he lifted her off the counter. She trailed kisses down his neck as her walked her towards the bed and gently laid her down on top of it. He took his time with her for once, taking in every inch of her body with his mouth, caressing her soft skin with his fingers, assured that they wouldn't be interrupted by the fact that all of his brothers were probably doing the exact same thing with their women. He'd never been so attentive to a girl, so selfless as he was with Angela. Usually, he only thought about one person when it came to sex; himself. Now, he was more focused on the girl beneath him.

He traced her face with a fingertip as they lay there after, her chest pressed against his, hands on his pecs, chin resting a top them. Her onyx eyes studied him, curious in their gaze as if she was trying to figure him out. "What?" he asked.

"Are you staying with me because you're afraid of my cousin?" Angela asked, her voice soft, almost insecure.

"What?" he repeated on a laugh.

She frowned. "Gemma said that the sweetbutts stay away from you because they're scared of Hap. I was wonderin' if that's the reason you stay with me."

"Wait a second, Happy's your cousin?" he repeated in mock surprise. When he saw the serious look on her face, he sighed. "Angel, Hap's got nothing to do with this. It's somethin' totally different."

She smiled at him, feeling incredibly stupid for even asking. "Yeah?"

He nodded. "Yeah. The sweetbutts stay away 'cause I told 'em to."

"You told them to?" she repeated, surprised by that admission.

"Yeah, your cousin would kill me if they didn't."

"Juice!" she exclaimed, an incredulous expression on her face.

He laughed, the sound of it vibrating through her chest and making her smile. "I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'," he assured her, smoothing one hand down her back while holding the side of her face with the other. "I told them to stay away 'cause I don't need 'em anymore. I have you."

She raised an eyebrow, unsure of what that meant. Did he mean he didn't need to go to them for sex anymore because he got it easily from her? "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, Ang," he said on a sigh. "It means…It means I have a great, smokin' hot girl who takes care of me, listens to me, plays freakin' video games with me, and understands the club stuff. I'm not about to fuck it up by doin' one of them."

"You are so romantic, Juice," she teased, a smile on her face. Surprisingly, she was happy with his answer. His mixed up explanation told her he was loyal to her, that he appreciated her company, but most of all, that she was his. All those things together told her she'd earned a special spot in his heart. No, she wasn't his Old Lady, but she wasn't just _any _lady either. She was his girl. "So I'm not Skeeter's assistant anymore?"

Juice chuckled, remembering that awful night when he'd introduced her as such. "No, you're my masseuse," he said, hitting her bare ass with a loud smack.

"Juice!" she exclaimed, giggling. "That little habit of yours is gonna get you in trouble some day."

He laughed with her, rubbing his hand over the red handprint it left behind. "My girl, my ass to slap."

Angela smiled at him. "Again with the romantic line," she said sarcastically, tilting her head to his cheek. "You spoil me."

He shrugged a shoulder. "I try." His hand tangled into her hair, gently turning her head so he could kiss her lips. He felt her sigh into his kiss and smiled. As he kissed her, he decided he could lay like that forever. That it'd be fine by him if she never left his side.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think...<strong>

**Up next: the end of Season 2 dun dun duuuun :)**

**~Love Ink**


	24. Calm Before the Storm

**I'm having a 'blah' kind of day, so I'd figured I'd post since all your reviews always make me happy! I don't have time to respond to them at the moment, but I swear when I get back from work I will! :D **

**This chapter takes place during and after Season 2, Episode 13 "Na Triobloidi". :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 24: Calm Before the Storm_

_By Love Ink_

Angela woke up to the sound of Juice's phone ringing. He, as usual, was still snoring away. It surprised her how used to the sound she was. She'd always been a light sleeper, but for some reason, his snores never bothered her. His snoring was comforting in a strange way and those nights when he'd been in St. Thomas, she'd found it hard to sleep without it.

She slid a leg over his torso, leaning over and trailing kisses down his neck, gently nipping at the skin there. He moaned, his hands trailing down the smooth skin of her back, though his eyes stayed closed. She laughed lightly, moving her kisses up to his ear. "_Vamonos Juan Carlos_," she purred in his ear, giggling when his hand slipped down to her ass, giving it a squeeze. "C'mon baby, wake up. Your phone is ringing."

"Stupid phone," he grumbled opening one eye and reaching for it. He held it up to his ear, only half listening as he tried to keep Angela from getting out of bed. She managed to slide off him, but he was quick, lunging over the bed to catch her by hooking one finger around the strap of her panties. She tried to pry his hand away, but he held strong. "Uh-huh…okay…yeah. Be right there," he said, hanging up the flip phone with a slap. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked her, tugging her closer.

Angela laughed, falling back down onto the empty side of the bed, her head landing against his side. He took her hand in his, lacing his long fingers through hers. "Don't you have to go, baby?" she asked, glancing up at him.

He sighed and nodded. "Shower?"

She gave him a sexy little grin. "Yes please."

After a long, hot shared shower, Juice watched Angela got dressed for the day in the clothes he'd shoved into her bag. She laughed as she pulled out a particularly skimpy tank top. "Seriously, Juice?"

"What? I grabbed what I could," he said with an innocent smile. "Hap was rushin' me!"

She rifled through the bag some more, pulling out a shiny silver bikini. "Are we going swimming anytime soon?"

He gave her a wolfish grin. Honestly, he didn't know anyone who owned a swimming pool in Charming, but he saw the silver fabric in her drawer and was dying to see it on her. "Oops."

"Goof." Angela shook her head at him before pulling out a decent black cami with lace detailing around the neckline and paired it with her jeans from the night before.

It was much too early to eat, so they left without getting food knowing that there'd be more than enough for them at the clubhouse. However, much to her surprise, they didn't drive to the clubhouse. Instead, they arrived at the Charming police station.

"Gotta wait to hear news from Unser," Juice explained pulling her towards where Chibs was sitting on a cop car. She nodded, relieved to see Lyla there as well, her arm around Opie. The blonde gave her a small wave and a smile before cuddling closer to the large man at her side.

"Mornin' Angie girl," Chibs said, clapping her on the shoulder.

Angela gave him a smile. "Hey Chibs."

Juice took a seat on the cop car next to the Scot before pulling Angela to stand between his legs, his chin on her shoulder. She leant back against him, her head against his, sliding on her aviators so she could get away with closing her eyes.

He felt her get heavier against him and fought the urge to smile when he realized she had dozed off. He couldn't blame her; she wasn't used to sleeping at the crack of dawn and getting up only a few hours later like he was. But she never once complained when he woke her up before he left or when he got to her place late. She just went with the flow of things.

Unser stepped out and Juice squeezed her side to wake her up. "C'mon baby," he whispered, gently pushing her to move before grabbing her hand and leading her up the stairs.

Angela only half listened to what Unser was talking about. She recognized just one name, and that was Stahl. Apparently, the agent was questioning someone about something and they were all waiting for that someone to be released. "Sorry," the Chief muttered before going back into the police station.

Juice turned to Angela, taking her face in a hand and gently pressing a kiss to her lips. "Go ahead with Lyla. I'll meet you at the clubhouse later," he whispered, his thumb tracing over her cheek.

"Yeah," she said on a sigh. "Be safe, Juice."

"Yeah, 'course," he said on a shrug. He smiled when her eyebrows drew together in concern, forming a small wrinkle in her forehead. "Don't worry so much, Ang. Everything will turn out okay."

The feeling that something bad was going to happen twisted her stomach into knots, but she nodded anyway. "Okay."

He kissed her once more before pushing her towards where Lyla was waiting by the Cadillac. Gemma and Tara had gone back in the Cutlass, but since Lyla had taken the kids to the clubhouse earlier, she had her own car. Angela slid into the front passenger's seat, tilting her head back as she sighed.

"Do you have a bad feeling about this too?" Lyla asked as she started up the car.

Angela nodded, pushing her sunglasses into her hair and rubbing at her tired eyes. "Yeah."

"You know what they're doing?"

"Nah," she said, shaking her head. "You?"

"No," Lyla said on a shrug. "I'm not sure I really want to know, anyway."

She nodded in agreement, though she had to admit, she was slowly working things out. Whoever they were going to up against had been the ones who hurt Gemma, and she was willing to bet it had something or other to do with those white guys that had shown up at Bobby's party. "The less we know, the better."

* * *

><p>Angela was bored out of her mind waiting at the clubhouse for the guys to get back. Lyla was busy talking to another Croweater about the porn industry, Gemma and Tara were running errands, and all the kids were sitting watching a movie. She felt like a little kid with no one to play with. Taking out her cellphone, she decided to call up Skeeter.<p>

"Dubrowski's funeral home, this is Skeeter," he answered sounding bored.

"Hey Skeet," she said on a sigh, lazily running her finger over the lip of her coffee mug. "How are things over there?"

"Pretty dead," Skeeter replied, chuckling at his own wit. "No pun intended."

She groaned, rolling her eyes at him. He tried to work bad death puns into every conversation they had. "That joke gets old, you know, Skeet," she teased.

"Does it?" he asked on a laugh. "Feels like the calm before the storm, y'know?"

She raked her hand through her hair nervously, her stomach churning at the idea. She already had a bad feeling about the day; she didn't need Skeeter to add onto it. "Don't _say_ that."

"Sorry, sweetheart. How are things on your end?"

"Boring," she answered honestly, drumming her fingers on the table. "I'm sorry for doin' this to you, Skeeter. I really didn't want to go."

"Two days ain't nothing, Ang. If it keeps you safe, it's all right with me. Like I said, not much is goin' on here anyways."

Angela sighed. She really hated to put him in that position. "Thanks, Skeet."

"Anytime, darlin'. I'll see you soon."

"I hope so," she said before hanging up. She glanced around the room. Kozik was busy on guard duty, so he couldn't entertain her either.

Thankfully, Ellie walked over, scrambling up onto the stool beside her. Angela held out her hands, palms up and Ellie placed her hands over them so they could play the reflex game. Angela tried to hit Ellie's hands before the girl pulled them away. "Do you think we'll be able to go home today?"

"I sure hope so," Angela said on a sigh. "How are things going with Lyla?"

Ellie smiled widely. "I like her. She's real nice."

"See? I told you so."

"She makes my Pop happy," the young girl said softly. "He hangs around with us more when she's at the house. We watched Horton together the other day."

She grinned in return, happy that Ellie liked Lyla. Opie needed someone like Lyla in his life and, truth be told, so did the kids. Angela could only do so much, but her role was more of an older sister than mother and the kids needed a mother. "That's great, El."

It was then that the boys walked in, looking ready to kick some ass. She scanned the crowd for Juice, feeling sick to her stomach when she didn't see him among them. "Hap?" she asked, catching his attention as he walked by.

He stopped, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. "He's fine. Get the kid outta here."

Angela nodded, sliding off the barstool and pushing Ellie over to where the other kids were. She went to stand by Lyla. A few minutes later, Opie strode in with Jax and Chibs and Lyla left her side to go hug him. Angela felt a pang in her chest when she saw Opie pull the little blonde in close to his chest, holding her there tightly as the other brothers greeted each other.

A few told Jax they were proud of him, though Angela had no idea what for. She was more concerned about Juice. She wished Juice would come back. Happy could swear to her up and down that he was okay, but she was finding it hard to believe without Juice being there in front of her.

"So where are we at?" Jax asked the group.

"Puerto Rican's watching Zobelle," Bobby stated looking directly at Angela.

She gave him a small smile, thankful for the assurance. Happy's definition of "fine" was vastly different from hers. To Happy, being "fine" meant you were breathing. You could be busted up and bleeding and still be fine as long as you were alive. To hear that Juice was helping the club out by watching someone put her at ease; injured people didn't get put on watch duty.

Angela was so wrapped up in her own thoughts; she missed the rest of the conversation. It wasn't until Lyla bumped hips with her that she snapped out of it. Watching with a small smile on her face as the brothers all raised their shot glasses to the 'Sons', taking one quick shot before disappearing into the chapel.

Lyla sighed as she leant her head against Angela's shoulder. "I feel sick," the blonde said, wrinkling her nose.

"Saw you runnin' to the bathroom," Angela said in a low voice. "Somethin' goin' on?"

"I'm late," Lyla admitted softly.

Angela's eyes widened as she looked at Lyla. She didn't have to ask if it was Opie's, she knew Lyla was loyal to him despite her job. "Shit."

Lyla nodded in agreement. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off as the men flooded out of the chapel, toting guns the likes of which Angela had only seen in movies. Happy nodded to his cousin, clapping her on the shoulder on his way out. He had his usual Glock's in hand, a bulletproof vest strapped to his chest reminding her that even though she liked to think Happy was a superhero, he wasn't actually bulletproof. She nodded back, sucking in a shaky breath as she tried to push away the awful feeling in her gut.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she headed towards the bar needing something—_anything—_to calm her nerves. The Croweater behind standing there gave her a grim smile. "Shot, sweetie?"

She nodded. "Tequila, please."

"I gotcha," she murmured pouring them both a shot of Patron. At Angela's eyebrow raise, she shrugged. "No one should drink alone."

"Thanks," Angela said, clinking her glass with the other woman's before downing the shot. Glancing at the front door, she said a silent prayer for the boys, hoping they'd all return home safely.

* * *

><p>Juice parked his Dyna in front of the clubhouse feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Half-Sack was dead and Abel…Cameron had taken Abel. The sound of Jax's screams as the Irishman sailed away with his son still rang in Juice's ears. He just couldn't believe it.<p>

He walked into the clubhouse behind his brothers, his eyes scanning the crowd looking for one face. She was sitting at the bar, staring at the front door, no doubt looking for him. Their eyes met and Angela slid off the bar stool, pushing her way through the crowd to get to him, her eyes never leaving his.

She wrapped her arms around his him, hugging him close to her as she buried her face in his chest. Juice hugged her back tightly, burying his face into her neck and inhaling her warm scent. "Let's go," she whispered into his ear, her voice cracking slightly. He pulled away and saw the tears shining in her eyes; she'd heard already.

Juice gently cupped the side of her face in a hand, leaning over to press a sweet kiss to her lips. "Yeah," he whispered, taking her hand and leading her out to his bike. Starting an e-search for Abel now would be useless. There was nothing to trace, no way to find out where he was if Cameron was still on the water.

He rode to what he now considered "their" mountain. They sat down at the very edge, his tears coming down before he could stop them. Angela wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head into her chest as he cried. He slid his arms around her, holding onto her tightly and taking comfort in her embrace.

Angela's heart broke even more as she held him. Turning her head, she pressed a kiss to the top of his mowhawk, her own tears falling down her face. She couldn't believe it. When Happy had told her about Kip, about Abel, she'd stared at him like he was a crazy person. It wasn't until she saw Juice walk in with that broken look on his face that she truly believed what her cousin had said was true. Kip's death hit her harder than she would've thought. He'd been such a sweet, genuine guy. All laughs and smiles in his Captain America t-shirt. And Abel…she didn't even want to think about the sweet baby boy she'd been playing with just the day before…

Juice sucked in a shaky breath, wiping at his tears as he lift his head and shifted positions so he could see her face. "Sorry," he muttered, feeling like a baby.

"Don't be," she whispered. The moonlight caught the wet trail of tears on her cheeks making them glisten. He reached out a hand to gently wipe them away before draping his arm over her shoulder. She sniffled, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I can't believe it."

"I know," he agreed on a nod. "If we had gotten there just a little earlier…"

"Don't," she cut him off, lifting her head to look up at him. "Don't do that to yourself, Juice. It won't bring them back."

Juice swallowed hard as he shook his head, trying to stop himself from thinking about the "what ifs" but failing miserably. "What if we don't find…"

She took his face in her hands, pressing a soft kiss to his lips to shut him up. "You're going to find him, Juice," she whispered, her eyes shimmering with tears. "No kid has had a better chance of being found than Abel. He's got a whole clubhouse filled with crazy Uncles ready to kill that asshole who took him. Its not going to be easy, but you'll find him. You're smart as hell, Juice. I know you'll find a way."

He sighed as her word sunk in, the weight on his shoulders easing slightly as he realized she was right. If anyone had a good chance at being found, it'd be Abel. The club would use any resource they had to get to him.

Once again, she'd been able to comfort him, to make him feel better in a shitty situation. He leant over and gave her one long, soulful kiss, trying to express his feelings for her in the simple action. She responded in kind, her lips molding against his to fit them perfectly as they always did. She sighed as he broke the kiss, his lips pressing soft kisses to her nose, cheek, and temple before he pulled her in tighter against him. "Thank you," he whispered, lips at her ear.

She turned her head, giving him a soft smile as she stroked his cheek. "Not needed," she replied.

Juice kissed her once more. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Angel."

Her smile grew a little as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. "How 'bout we don't find out anytime soon?"

* * *

><p><strong>It's a little sad, I know...but the whole season finale was just heartbreaking! :( <strong>

**Let me know what you think. As always, I love hearing from you! :) **

**Coming up next: Season 3! **

**~Love Ink**


	25. Mine

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You're all awesome! :)**

**This chapter takes place after the Season 2 finale, before Season 3, and during Season 3 episode 1 "SO". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 25: Mine_

_By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the sheet covered body lying on the table in the middle of the embalming room. She knew who was under the sheet, knew that as soon as she removed it, she'd have to face her fears and face them alone. Skeeter had offered to do the job for her, but she'd insisted that she had to be the one to do it. Kip had been her friend. They'd joked around on more than one occasion, talked about superheroes. His favorite superhero was Captain America which was why he decided to enlist in the army in the first place. Little tidbits of information like that made what she was about to do even harder.

Slowly, she moved back the sheet, uncovering his face. Her heart dropped in her chest; Half-Sack could've easily been sleeping. There were no wounds on his face like Donna had had, nothing to tell her that the man on the table was dead. Swallowing at the lump in her throat, she pulled the sheet all the way off, revealing the y-incision from the autopsy and the large stab wound in the middle of his abdomen. "Shit, Sack," she murmured, reaching out a gloved hand to touch the gash.

She heard the door open, expecting to see Juice but instead finding Happy. Her eyebrows rose; he'd never stopped in to see her before. "You all right?" he asked.

Angela nodded slowly. "You here to check on me?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Someone's gotta stay with Sack."

"The whole time?" she questioned. She knew that it was a ritual for many organizations to always have a member stay with a fallen brother. It was one she usually associated with policemen though, which was why she was shocked that the Sons also followed that rule.

"Yeah," he said on a nod, taking a seat on a stool in the corner of the room. The same seat Juice usually occupied when he watched her work.

"You can wait outside, you know? What I do is weird…."

Happy smirked at her and shook his head. "I'm good." He'd never seen his cousin work, though he'd seen the outcome enough times to know she was good at what she did and was curious to see what exactly it was she did.

He watched her take in a deep breath before pressing play on her music, just one headphone bud in her ear. He assumed she left the other one out so she could hear him if need be. Her music was loud and leaked out of her headphones. It was the same kind of music she always listened to growing up: classic rock. He couldn't count how many times she'd stolen his Led Zeppelin tape when she was younger and he'd catch her sitting on the floor, fixing the tape with a pencil because she'd broken it rewinding _"Stairway to Heaven"_ one too many times.

Juice had tried his hardest to be the one to sit in on the whole process, but Hap knew better than to let him. It was one thing to see a member's Old Lady get prepared; it was quite another to see a fallen brother like this. Happy was sure it'd be a lot harder on Juice than it'd ever be on him. Of course, he didn't tell him that. He and Tig had put him hard to work on finding Abel, telling him that taking a break to watch Half-Sack get prepared was a waste of time.

Happy tilted his head against the wall, closing his eyes and just listening to the music from Angela's headset as he rested. They'd had a long day the day before, and he was exhausted. He'd only been sleeping for a few minutes when her sniffling woke him up. He opened one eye to make sure she was okay.

Angela was clutching the side of the table, head down as she tried to hold back her tears. He waited to see if she'd keep it together without his help. A soft sob escaped her lips and he was up in seconds. " 'ey," he said, moving her away from the table. He pulled her into his chest, allowing her to cry for a brief moment before he pushed her away, placing a hand on both her shoulders and dipping his head so it was level with hers. " 'ey, you gotta keep it together kid."

"I know," Angela said on a breath, her eyes focused on his big black boots instead of his face. "It's just…he's so young, Hap. And now…"

"I know, kid, I know." This was another reason he didn't want Juice to be there during the embalming. Angela needed to breakdown, needed this release, and he knew she wouldn't do it in front of Juice and that even if she did, Juice-idiot that he was- wouldn't be able to handle it.

She met his stare, her dark eyes filled with worry as tears slid down her cheeks. "Hap, what if it'd been you?" she asked softly before looking back down at her feet. "You or…"

"Stop," he interrupted, shaking her gently to snap her out of it. "It wasn't me and it wasn't that idiot. It was the Prospect and he was tryin' to save Abel. Kid knew what he was doin'. He signed up for this shit, Ang. We all did."

Angela swallowed hard as she nodded, her eyes glancing at his chest, thinking about the words he had tattooed over his collar bone. "I live, I die, I kill, for my family," she whispered.

"That's what he did," he said, catching her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. "And I ain't plannin' on leavin' you anytime soon, kid. All right?"

"Okay," she agreed softly.

He let her chin go, wiping away her tears with the back of his hand since he knew she couldn't do it with her gloves on. "You done?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." He leant forward and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Finish him up."

* * *

><p>Juice walked into Angela's apartment of the funeral home, surprised to find Happy sitting on the couch with Angela's head resting against his thigh. Happy had his arms stretched out over the back of the couch, a beer dangling from one hand. His eyes were focused on the TV, though it was muted, while Angela talked to him. She had a half eaten bowl of popcorn on her stomach from which Happy was periodically taking a handful and shoving it into his mouth. She was throwing up individual kernels and catching them easily in her mouth.<p>

It was as though he'd stepped in on a private moment between two family members. A father and a daughter or a brother and a sister, Juice couldn't decide which. Yet it somehow still fit their personalities. They were by no extremes cuddling or being affectionate with each other like some family members could be, yet the way she was leaning her head against his thigh showed that they meant more to each other than they let on. Hap wouldn't let just any girl lean against him like that, nor would he ever deign to mute the TV to listen them and he knew Angela didn't talk to most people so freely as she did when she was talking to Hap. There was nothing guarded about her, all her walls were down, and she looked almost childlike as she stared up at Happy, awaiting his answer.

Juice closed the door behind him, catching both of their attention. Angela slowly sat up, handing the bowl off to Happy before standing. "Hey you," she greeted, standing awkwardly by the couch. She wanted to run up to him, hug him and kiss him, but she knew her cousin wouldn't be a big fan of that.

"Any news?" Happy asked, not moving an inch. In fact, the awkwardness between them amused him a little. It was nice to know they respected his presence.

Juice nodded. "Got a lead from LaRoy. He's lookin' into it."

Happy stood with a grunt. "Good," he said, wrapping Angela in a one armed hug and kissing her temple. "See ya, kid."

"Bye Hap," she murmured, kissing his cheek.

He nodded towards Juice. "Take care a her," he muttered to his brother.

Juice sighed as he nodded. "Always," he answered on a breath. Satisfied with his answer, Happy disappeared out the door leaving Juice standing there staring at Angela. Her dark eyes were sad as they looked him over, their emotion no doubt matching his own. "Tough day?" he asked.

She nodded, sitting down on the couch arm with a sigh. He lay down on the couch, waiting for her to stretch out beside him. She did just as he expected, laying her head against his chest just above his heart. His heartbeat was slowly and steady, the sound of it relaxed her. "I had to prepare Kip," she replied softly as his long fingers pulled out her hair tie and worked through her braided hair, unweaving it gently.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, dropping a kiss to her hair. "I wanted to be there but…"

"You had to look for Abel," she answered. "It's okay. I'm glad you weren't there. It was really hard."

Juice wondered why she held so much back from him. He'd cried like a baby in front of her, yet she'd only allowed herself to shed just a few tears. Even now that they were just lying there together, he could hear the tears she was holding back in the rawness of her voice. "I can only imagine," he murmured. "He still down there?"

She had a feeling he'd want to see him. "Yeah."

"Can I see?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Juice," she answered honestly.

His fingers trailed down her back, his warm touch making her shiver in the cold room. "Please, Angel?"

It surprised her how hard it was to say no to him. He could have asked her to jump off a bridge, and she'd strongly consider doing it. "Okay," she agreed, pushing herself off of him and extending her hand to him. His hands slipped into hers as he stood and together they headed down to the main floor of the funeral home.

Angela brought him first to the coffin room where a large black-wood coffin sat, decorated with the words "SAMCRO" and the Reaper on the lid. "I had it specially ordered," she said, watching as Juice ran his hand over the smooth wood. "Hap put the Reaper decal on."

"It beautiful," Juice whispered reverently. He lifted the lid to find the inside covered in black velvet and royal blue silk. She nodded in silent agreement, her eyes glancing towards her work room. He turned, his gaze following hers. He walked to it, his hand hovering above the doorknob as he hesitated.

"Juice," she said, laying her palm just over the face of the Reaper on the back of his cut. "You don't have to do this."

He nodded, turning the handle. "Yeah, I do." He needed to say goodbye to his friend in the privacy of the workroom, not at the wake with all his brothers watching.

Angela held her breath as she watched him walk in. She hung back by the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb and watching as he made a wide circle around the table in the center of the room. She'd covered Kip up with the sheet again and wondered if Juice would remove it.

"Can I?" he asked, gesturing to the sheet. Angela nodded once. Taking in a deep breath, he pulled back the sheet. He didn't know what he was expecting to find there. It was just Half-Sack looking as though he'd fallen asleep in his army uniform. He glanced at Angela, wondering if she'd noticed the reason for the Prospect's nickname since she had been the one to dress him. He assumed she had, not much got past her when she was embalming someone. He ran a hand over his face and looked at her. "Shit, Ang. Good job. He looks…alive."

"Don't go there, Juice," she reminded him, not moving an inch from her place by the door. She had already finished grieving, or so she thought. Watching Juice's eyes brimming with tears as he studied his friend made all those feelings come rushing back and she was fighting hard against letting them show.

He swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah," he breathed, rubbing at his chin as he thought about the man lying on the table. Angela's breath caught in her throat as she watched him reach out a hand to ruffle Kip's hair lovingly. "Bye Sack," he said, his voice rough with grief. "Love you, man."

Turning to Angela, he found her staring at the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her quiet sniffling tugged at his heart strings. He pulled the sheet over Half-Sack's face and made his way over to her, enveloping her into his arms. "It's okay," he whispered for lack of a better thing to say. "It's okay, baby."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, turning and trying to walk away from him. Ashamed of herself for having let someone else see her tears.

He grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him and wrapping his arms around her again. "Don't be, Angel. C'mon," he fumbled for words. He squeezed her tightly before pressing a kiss to her temple, regretting ever having asked her to see him. He realized now that the reason she hadn't wanted him to go down there was because she couldn't handle seeing Half-Sack again. She'd explained to him once that she grieved during an embalming and that she left whatever sadness she felt in that room. And he, idiot that he was, had asked her to go back in there, re-opening a wound that had just barely scabbed over. "It's all right. It's just me, Angel. I got you."

She leant into him and let herself cry. It was different than when she cried with Happy. Juice didn't try to stop her, didn't tell her to keep it together or ask if she was done. He just held her in silence, one hand gently raking through her hair. She tilted her head back to look up at him. He gave her a small smile, gently wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "You don't have to hold back, Ang. I don't give a shit if you cry," he stated, earning himself a slight smile from Angela.

"Old habits die hard," she said on a shaky sigh.

"Let me guess, Hap taught you not to cry?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Not exactly. He taught me that tears are a sign of weakness and to only cry alone or in front of people I really trust. People who know who I am and won't judge me for them."

Juice nodded, leaning forward to catch her lips in a sweet kiss. "Tears aren't going to change how I see you, Angel," he promised her, trailing a ringed finger down the side of her face. "I promise. You don't have to hide from me."

* * *

><p>Angela groaned as she heard her phone ring early the next morning. After what had happened at the funeral home, they both decided it'd be best to stay at his place instead of in the apartment just above where Sack lay dead. Gently untangling herself from Juice's arms, she managed to sit up and reach over him to grab it. "Angela Ruiz," she answered around a yawn. It was way too early to be awake, she decided.<p>

"Hey Ang," Skeeter's voice replied. "Need you to come over here and help me set up."

"Mmkay," she murmured.

Skeeter chuckled at the sleepiness in her tone. "Sleep a few more minutes, sweetheart. We got time. Just wanted to remind you."

Angela smiled at the suggestion, but Juice's phone had just begun to ring which meant there wasn't going to be much more sleeping going on. "Thanks, Skeet."

"Yeah. See you soon."

She hung up the phone and turned to see Juice was still sleeping despite his phone ringing like crazy. "Typical," she muttered to herself. She tried to shake him awake, though she knew it wasn't going to help. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his. "C'mon, Sleeping Beauty. Wake up."

His eyes opened slowly, and he gave her a sleepy smile. "You're the best alarm clock ever, Angel. You know that?"

Angela laughed, shaking her head at him. His phone stopped ringing for about a minute before blaring again. "Your phone is the worst," she said decidedly, glaring at the little silver phone on the dresser. "You need a better ringtone."

He chuckled and reached out a hand for it, putting it to his ear and half listening while his eyes following her as she got out of bed, naked save for her black boyshort panties with lace trim. The bag of clothes he'd packed for her was still lying on the floor. She rifled through it before picking out a cut-off Van Halen t-shirt. She wondered how he managed to find her most revealing outfits and pack them all.

Once dressed in the midriff baring top and her ripped jeans, she leant over the bed and pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss before sauntering towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge, smiling when she saw he had bought eggs and milk. It was an improvement from the cereal filled cabinets he'd had before. She was shocked to find bacon in the meat drawer, though the fact that he'd put it in the correct drawer wasn't surprising; Juice's OCD had him organizing everything. She found two pans and got to work on a simple breakfast.

Juice swung his legs out of bed, getting to his feet with a groan. His stomach gurgled as the smell of bacon hit his nose. He grinned as he padded his way to the kitchen barefoot in just his boxers. She was standing at the oven, humming to herself and shaking her ass as she cooked. "Smells good, baby," he said, brushing her hair off her shoulder before starting to trail kisses down her neck.

She leant back into him, tilting her neck to the side to allow him better access. "Mmm," she hummed, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of his lips on her skin. His arm curled around her waist, one hand splayed against the skin of her stomach, fingers skimming over her koi fish tattoo. His other hand reached out and grabbed a piece of bacon. He crunched it between his teeth right in her ear making her cringe. "Rude!" she exclaimed, elbowing him lightly so he'd get off of her.

He chuckled taking a step away from her and leaning against the counter next to her. He knew she wasn't overly fond of the sound of chewing, especially when it was in her ear. "Sorry," he said, taking another piece of bacon and watching her plate the breakfast.

Quickly, as if remembering something, he pushed himself away from the counter, going over to the other side and pulling a few different things out of the cabinets. She watched the muscles in his back move underneath his caramel skin as his arms moved around. He had two faint scars from the shanking that marred his otherwise flawless skin. Reaching out a hand, she gently trailed her fingers over them. "What are you doing, Juice?"

"I forgot I got this for you. It's got all these little things so you can make whatever kind you want. I stocked up on the hazelnut and vanilla ones 'cause I know you like those," he rambled, gesturing to a brand new coffee maker sitting on the counter and the little cup packages beside it. She was completely silent in response, her eyes wide, hand pressed to her heart. "You don't like it?

She blinked trying to formulate thoughts over the fast beating of her heart. She was truly touched by the sentiment of the gift. Coffee was what got her through the day, and since he was more into energy drinks than coffee, Juice didn't have a coffeemaker. She'd never complained about it, just left a little earlier to pick up a cup on her way to work when she spent the night at his place. But, apparently, he'd noticed and decided to buy her one to make her happy. "I love it, Juice. Thank you," she replied, giving him a big smile as she took his face in her hands and pressed one long, hot kiss to his lips.

He responded in kind, his tongue slipping into her mouth as he pressed her against the counter. She raked her fingernails over the smooth skin of his back, letting out a gasp as he leant down to grab her behind the knees and lift her onto the counter. "Breakfast is going to get cold," she breathed as his lips trailed down her neck, nipping and sucking as they went.

"Don't care," he murmured, his hands sliding down her sides and slipping under the waist of her jeans. Her phone blared, the funeral march filling the air. "Ignore it," he instructed, tugging at the button on her jeans.

"I can't. I'm already running late," she breathed, running a hand over his mowhawk. When he didn't stop, she gently pushed his shoulder away. "Juice, I have to go over and prep…"

He sighed, leaning his forehead against her collar bone; he'd been so wrapped up in Angela that he'd forgotten all about Half-Sack's wake that was going on later that night. "Shit."

She gently took his face in her hands, lifting it so she could meet his gaze. "It'll be okay," she assured him, pecking his lips lightly. "We'll get through it."

Juice nodded, stepping back and helping her down off the counter. "I know," he said on a sigh. He watched as she picked up her phone, slinging her purse over her shoulder as if to leave. "You don't have your car," he reminded her, interrupting her conversation.

"Oh no, Skeet," she said to the person on the phone. "Give me a few more minutes, please? I'm kind of stranded…No, I'm not being held against my will…You're really funny, Skeet," she said sarcastically rolling her eyes at her boss. "See you soon. Thanks."

As soon as she hung up, she sat down at the kitchen table across from Juice. He pushed a cup of coffee her way, happy when she smiled and wrapped her long fingers around the warm cup. "Skeeter think I'm holdin' you hostage?" he asked, around a mouthful of eggs.

Angela smirked and shrugged a shoulder. "He may have mentioned it."

Juice chuckled, shaking his head at her as he finished off his breakfast. "Wish I could sometimes," he admitted, standing to put his plate in the sink. On his way over her pressed a kiss to her temple. "We could have a lot more fun that way."

She rolled her eyes at him. "And then your brothers would call and you'd leave me here by myself," she pointed out, following him back to the bedroom. She grabbed his laptop and placed it on the bed, sitting down cross-legged in front of it. Once it was booted up, she turned it towards him. "Password."

He typed it in easily before heading towards his drawers and picking out a clean top and some jeans. "Maybe I'd ignore them," he said, continuing their previous conversation.

"You'd never," she replied confidently as she checked her e-mail. One of the things she loved about him was his loyalty. He was lapdog loyal and for him to ignore his brothers in a time of need would go against everything he was. She would never be okay with him doing that for her. "I wouldn't expect you to either."

"Maybe I'd handcuff you to the bed though…make sure you didn't go anywhere," he teased, pulling his shirt on over his head.

She scoffed. "I'd like to see you try."

He had her on her back in seconds. Grabbing her wrists and holding them above her head in one of his hands. "This is me trying," he teased, as he loomed above her, a wicked grin on his face as he used his free hand to tickle her sides. "See?" he asked as she wriggled underneath him, her laughter filling the room.

"Juice! I need to go to work!" Angela struggled against him half-heartedly, knowing there was no danger with Juice. She placed a foot flat against his chest gently pushing him away. If he was attacking her, she'd have put more force behind it like Happy had taught her to, but Juice got the message and released her.

"Just provin' a point." Juice chuckled and got back to getting dressed. He headed to the bathroom to shave his mohawk. Once he was done, he took a seat next to her on the bed where she was stretched out on her stomach surfing the internet. He placed a hand on either side of her body, leaning his chin onto her shoulder. "You ready?" he asked on a heavy sigh.

Angela closed the computer as she nodded. She thought about what a long day lay ahead of her and sighed as well. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

><p>Skeeter watched Angela move around the funeral home, setting up the flowers and sweeping out the main entrance hall. They were expecting more people there than ever before. There was a Son milling around outside the place, one they'd left in charge of staying with the fallen Prospect. Skeeter didn't recognize him and neither did Angela, but he was nice enough.<p>

"You knew him, didn't you?" Skeeter asked, catching Angela's attention as she moved around some furniture in order to make more space.

"The Prospect?" Angela asked, raising her eyebrows. At Skeeter's nod, she sighed. "Yeah. You did too, Skeet. He was with them that time they came in. The first time I met them."

He waved off her comment. "All the young ones look the same to me," he said on a shrug. "Second person you've known that's died, huh?"

Angela laughed humorlessly and nodded. "I'm starting to think I'm bad luck."

"Nah. Shit like that happens with them. We get a few a year."

"I thought you said it was rare one of their own died," she pointed out, leaning an arm against the broomstick.

"Thought it'd make you feel better."

Angela shook her head at him, going back to sweeping just as the door opened. Piney strode in, oxygen tank in hand. "Hey there, Angie," he greeted on a nod.

"Hi Piney," she replied with a small smile. "Can I help you with anything?"

Piney nodded to Skeeter. "Need to make arrangements for Sack's hole."

"Ang took care of the box for ya," Skeeter explained. "I got a good hole all set up too, out by John Teller with the rest of the vets."

"Let's get to it, then," Piney said, gesturing for Angela to step ahead of him, a silent invitation for her to be present during their meeting. Angela nodded and followed after them to Skeeter's office.

Skeeter stopped in the coffin room which was bare except for the ornate black coffin. It was the largest room in the house, so they'd moved all the showpieces out and set out an altar or two before it so people could pray. Piney stepped towards the casket, running a wrinkled hand over the top much the same way Juice had the day before. His fingers traced over the lettering on the side before taking a few steps back. "How'd you get somethin' like this on such short notice?" he asked Angela.

She shrugged a shoulder. "I know a guy," she answered vaguely.

"It's great, Angie. Really great. Thanks, sweetheart," he said, patting her cheek lovingly. "Musta cost an arm and a leg."

"Nah, guy was a vet too. Higher up than Sack. He managed to find a way to get it financed. Only thing you'll have to pay for is the lettering on the side which isn't that much considering," Angela explained on another shrug.

Piney nodded, wondering what else the girl had gotten them for free. He was willing to bet that she wasn't going to charge them for her services either. "Thanks again, Angie."

"I liked Kip," she answered by way of explanation.

"He was a good one. Now excuse us, sweetheart. Gotta talk business," he said, squeezing her shoulder before disappearing into Skeeter's office with Skeeter.

Angela smirked, she'd had a feeling that was a deal she wasn't going to be allowed to hear. She idly swept the hall, just to keep busy. She knew there was nothing left for her to do except sit and wait. The sound of a motorcycle pulling in made her pause, her eyes on the door waiting to see who would walk in and hoping it was the Son she wanted.

It was. "Hey baby," Juice greeted, stepping into the funeral home. "Working hard?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Hardly working," she replied, tilting her head back as he bent his to press his lips to hers. "Just trying to keep busy."

He chuckled, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Place looks good."

"Thanks."

Piney walked into the room and gave them a small smile. "Your girl there did a good job," he told Juice as he headed to the door.

Juice smiled proudly back at him, slipping his arm around Angela's shoulder. "I know."

The older man chuckled, shaking his head at him. It was beyond him how an idiot like Juice could get such a smart girl like Angela and how that girl put up with all of his shit. But she did and they seemed happy together. "Take care, sweetheart. I'll see you tonight," he said to Angela.

"Bye Piney," she replied, giving him a little wave. She hadn't missed the fact that Juice didn't correct Piney when he called her his girl. "Did you find anything new?"

He knew she was referring to Abel, and he wasn't about to discuss it in the middle of the funeral home with Skeeter nearby. "Tell you in a minute," Juice said on a sigh, leading her up the stairs to her apartment. Once they got up there, he was surprised that her living room was filled with coffins. "Jesus, Ang."

"I know, I know. We needed the big room for Sack, so we had to store all these up here for right now."

"There one in your room?"

"Yeah, I was gonna sleep in it," she deadpanned before giggling at the shocked look on his face. "I'm kidding. Of course, there isn't one in my room, goof."

"Real funny, Ang," Juice said, shaking his head at her as he pulled her into a headlock before forcefully towing her towards the bedroom while she squealed and playfully struggled against him. He let her go once they were inside the bedroom. She sat down on the bed and looked up at him expectantly.

Sighing, he lay down on the bed, putting his head in her lap. He closed his eyes as she traced one of the tattoos on his head with a fingertip, relaxing under her touch. "So?" she asked, her fingers sliding under his head and gently massaging the muscles of his neck.

"Mmm," he groaned, loving the feeling of her hands on him. "What?"

"Abel, Juice. Did you find anything new about Abel?" she asked, her fingers stopping for a brief moment so he'd listen to her.

He opened one eye. "Why are you stopping?" he asked.

"Because I asked you a question," Angela said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah, we got a lead," he answered, closing his eye as he waited for her to start up again. She rolled her eyes and dug her thumbs into his neck, just below the point of his mohawk earning herself a groan from Juice. "Didn't lead very far but…it's better than nothin'. I've been tryin' everything."

Angela leant forward and dropped a kiss to his forehead. "I know. I have faith in you, Juice. You'll find somethin'."

He loved that she believed in him and wasn't afraid to tell him as much. That she was completely honest with him no matter what. After a moment, he wrinkled his nose as if struck with a sudden thought. "Those coffins are all empty, right?"

Angela laughed. "Yeah, goofy."

"Can we stay at my place tonight?" he asked, opening his eyes and staring up at her. "I mean, I know we're gonna be here anyways for the wake but…the coffins creep me out."

She felt her heart do a flip at the adorable look on his face. She pressed an upside down kiss on his lips as she nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Might need to get more clothes though. Pretty sure the bikini's all that's left."

"Guess I'll just have to wear that out then."

He tensed, moving to sit up and angling himself towards her. "You're not goin' anywhere in that. That's for my eyes only."

Angela rolled her eyes at him. "It's a swimming suit, Juice. I've had it forever. Tons of people have seen me in it."

"Not anymore," he said, leaning forward and slanting his lips across hers. "Now you're mine."

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you think in a review! :) <strong>

**Disclaimer 2: I do not own Led Zeppelin or their music (though I do own a CD or two) ;) **

**Coming up next: Half-Sack's wake...**

**~Love Ink**


	26. Not Broken

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for reviewing, alerting, etc.! :) I love hearing from you all! **

**This chapter takes place during Season 3, episode 1: "SO". **

****Only 78 days til Season 5** YAY! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 26: Not Broken_

_By Love Ink_

Angela looked at the outside of the funeral home from the window of her bedroom. It was packed with bikers from across the West Coast intermingling with the Army vets, all of them there to pay their last respects to Half-Sack. She glanced at Juice who was just shrugging on his cut as she pulled on her black quarter-length sleeved suit jacket over her dark blue silk cami. She was more formal than most of the funeral goers in her slacks and suit jacket, but she had to be; this was her place of work. Pulling her long hair out of the back of her jacket, she sighed. "It's already crazy out there and Skeet hasn't even opened the doors yet," she commented.

"Yeah," he said distractedly as he looked her over. She looked so sexy in her black suit with her heeled boots. He took her hips in his hands, pulling her back into his chest. "Where did you get the suit?"

Angela laughed, leaning into him and tilting her neck to the side as he started trailing kisses down her soft skin. "Victoria's Secret."

"I love that store," he murmured into her neck, his hands sliding under her shirt. "You look like a sexy secret agent."

"Maybe I am," she teased, her breath hitching in her throat as he nipped at her throat. "Don't you dare mark me, Juice."

He chuckled about to say something in response when Skeeter's voice interrupted him. "Angie! Let's get this thing started!" the funeral home director called up the stairs, making Juice stop what he was doing with a sigh.

She frowned, turning around in Juice's arms and leaning into his chest. "Ready?

He nodded, pulling away slightly and catching her face in his hands. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her lips wrapping his arms tightly around her. She hugged him back, giving him a reassuring squeeze, both of them drawing strength from each other's embrace. He kissed her once more, pushing a stray hair behind her ear. "Yeah. Let's do this."

* * *

><p>Angela stood with Skeeter as people filed in through the main entrance. Her eyes swept the incoming crowd for familiar faces, greeting each one she encountered with a solemn nod. Normally at wakes, she and Skeeter kept out of the mourners' way, and she was trying her best to keep to that, but it was hard when she was seeing people she knew walk in and out. The only time she the rule was broken was when Kozik walked in and swept her up off her feet in a bone crushing hug. Other than that, she kept to her post beside her boss. A few minutes went by before Skeeter gently elbowed her arm. "Go 'head and mingle. You're off duty now," he said nodding to the crowd. "I can do the rest."<p>

Her shoulders relaxed slightly as she gave him a small smile. "Really?"

"You worked hard on this. You deserve to…enjoy it," he said, unsure of how to phrase the last part.

"Thanks, Skeet," she said, patting his arm before going to step into the crowd.

She spotted Lyla standing by the main door and headed her way. Once she was beside her, she bumped her hip against the blonde's, letting her know she was there. Lyla sighed, looping her arm through Angela's and leaning her head against her shoulder. "Could've been one of ours," Lyla said softly, her eyes on Opie's back. Most of the SAMCRO brothers and Happy were standing in front of the coffin, silently paying their respects.

"But it wasn't," Angela replied, remembering what Happy had told her earlier.

Lyla looked up at Angela, admiring her strength. She didn't know how the brunette played it off so coolly when she was practically shaking as the 'what if's' plagued her. She and Opie had just gotten together; she wasn't ready for him to be taken away yet. "Yeah," she agreed on a nod.

Juice and Opie approached them, each of the men wrapping their ladies in a quick hug. Opie pushed Lyla towards the door. "Why don't you girls get some air?" he asked, watching as Jax and Clay headed through the crowd.

"Okay," Lyla said on a nod.

Angela glanced at Juice, wondering if that's what he wanted as well. He nodded, squeezing her hip in reassurance. "Go ahead. I'll be out in a minute."

"All right," she said, pecking his cheek quickly before heading out the front door with Lyla.

They stood just a few feet from the door, silently watching the other mourners mingle. "You must be used to all this," Lyla said, gesturing to the crying people around them.

Angela shrugged a shoulder as she shifted from foot to foot. There was something…not right. Some sort of tension hung in the air as if someone was waiting to exhale. "It's always different," she answered, watching Hale survey the street. "You can't get used to death. It changes too much."

"That was deep, Ang," the blonde said, a teasing smirk on her face. "Sounds like you've said it before."

She had. Many, _many_ times. "Oh no, never," she replied sarcastically. "Asking an undertaker about death? That's un_heard _of."

Lyla smiled, shaking her head at her friend. "Almost like asking a porn star about sex, huh?"

Angela smirked as she nodded. "Ya know, I've been meaning to ask…"

"Oh shut up," Lyla scoffed, rolling her eyes and hitting Angela's arm lightly. She straightened up when she saw Opie heading towards them.

Angela took a step back allowing them some privacy as she waited for Juice who was coming her way along with the rest of his brothers. Her eyes were drawn to a silver van that was driving down the street way too fast. "Weird," she murmured, her eyes following its path.

Then the door slid open and shots rang out. As soon as he heard the first shot, Juice sprinted towards Angela, tackling her to the ground. Angela bit back a cry as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her arm when she landed on her wrist wrong, Juice's weight pressing down on top of her.

Juice carefully pushed himself off of her, extending a hand to help her off the ground. "You okay?" he asked looking her over. He was relieved to see that she was unscathed. There was something about her expression that had him thinking something was wrong though. "What?"

"It's nothing," she said, trying to hide her wrist from his sight. She wasn't sure if it was broken or just sprained and she wasn't about to test it out in front of Juice. That would make him feel awful. "I'm fine."

He gently grabbed her forearm, taking her small hand in his and inspecting her wrist. It was swollen to twice its size and starting to turn an awful shade of purple. "Shit, Ang," he murmured, testing it gently and feeling guilty as hell. He'd done this. He hadn't needed to tackle her to the ground like that. She probably would've gone down on her own, but in his panic, the only thing he could think of was making sure she was safe. He never would've thought he'd be the one to hurt her. "I'm sor..."

She winced, pulling away from his grasp. "Don't," she said, cutting him off. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Go help your brothers."

"No. It might be broken. You need to get it checked out, Angel," he insisted, standing firm. He glanced towards Happy who nodded at her, a questioning look on his face. She nodded back, holding up her wrist and shrugging. Happy nodded once more before glancing towards where Jax had broken away from the crowd and was heading towards the shooter. It was a silent communication that she was all right, one that Happy had taken without much thought. Juice was a little disappointed that Happy didn't seem to care about the injury, it certainly didn't help his cause.

"No," she said, pointing at Jax. "_You_ need to go help Jax 'cause he's about to beat the crap out of that guy," she said, pushing him towards where Jax was quickly approaching the shooter on the ground.

Juice ignored her and sought out Tara. "Doc, can you take a look at this? I think it's broken," he asked the doctor who was standing just a few feet away.

Tara tore her eyes away from Jax for a second to glance down at Angela's wrist. "Can you move it?" she asked, glancing up at Angela quickly before looking back at Jax.

Angela nodded, turning her wrist in a slow circle. The movement made her wince, but she could do it just fine. "Ice and Tylenol?"

"Yeah and then brace…" Tara trailed off as a gasp left her lips. Jax was brutally slamming the shooter's face into the sidewalk, over and over again.

"Oh shit," Angela cursed, her jaw dropping as she watched Bobby and Opie try and pull Jax off.

As soon as they managed to get Jax away, a policeman handcuffed him and pushed him towards a cop car. Angela could hear the sound of ambulances coming and quickly surveyed the scene around her. A boy lay dead on the grass, his mother crying as she held him. There were others still that were injured. Across the street, someone from the coroner's office had just laid a sheet over David Hale. The thought of having to prepare both bodies in the near future made her feel sick to her stomach.

The club members started huddling up around their mother charter, all brothers speculating who was responsible for the hit in hushed voices. Angela glanced over at Lyla who was standing by herself wringing her hands together, her brows furrowed together in concern. Pushing her own fear away, she headed over to the blonde. "Hey, I need to get something out of my apartment before the police start investigating," Angela stated, trying to distract her friend. "Want to come with?"

Lyla nodded shakily, looping her arm through Angela's and walking with her to the steps on the side of the building. Angela opened the door to reveal a living room that would've been totally normal, save that it was filled with caskets. "Woah."

"These aren't usually here, I swear," Angela said, gesturing towards them with her good hand. "I need stuff from my room. There's drinks and stuff in the fridge. Make yourself at home."

"You say that like it's a possibility," Lyla replied, stepping warily around the coffins on her way to the kitchen table. She sat down, bouncing her leg up and down nervously. She felt restless and scared. What if the shooters came back? What if something happened to Opie? She needed a distraction. Angela had done her best to help, but it wasn't working, not when she was literally surrounded by symbols of death. When she thought of Angela, a thought popped into her head. Standing, she headed to the fridge and pulled open the freezer. She grabbed out an ice tray and started pulling out ice cubes and putting them in a dish towel she'd found nearby before tying it up into a neat little bundle. She took the makeshift icepack and headed down the hallway. "Ang?" she called out.

"In here," her friend's voice replied from a room off to the right.

Lyla walked into the bedroom just in time to see Angela tuck a handgun into the waistband of the jeans she'd just changed into. "Woah," she repeated. "Do you know how to use that?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah," she said, bending down to grab Happy's safe from underneath her bed. It was small and contained things like his black address book, some cash, and other things she wasn't supposed to know about.

"Nice," said the blonde, handing the icepack to her friend. At Angela's curious look, Lyla shrugged. "Your wrist is the size of a balloon. I know the drill."

She slung her pack over her shoulder before taking the ice pack and putting it on her wrist. "Thanks, Ly."

"No problem," she replied with a smile. "Hey, you think you could teach me to shoot someday? With all this craziness I...I feel like its somethin' I should know."

"Sure," answered Angela, trying her best to balance the icepack on her wrist while she moved around the room. She stopped suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck pricking up as she heard someone trying to come in through the front door. She let the icepack drop to the floor as she drew out the gun, holding it out in front of her with her good hand. "Stay here, Ly."

She walked towards the front door, her heart hammering in her chest. What if the people who'd shot up the place just seconds before had come back? Before she got there, however, the door opened and Juice stepped in, Opie close behind him. "Easy. It's just us," Juice said, gesturing for Opie to walk in before closing and locking the door behind them.

Opie glanced around the coffin filled living room. "Strange choice of furniture," he mumbled to himself.

"They're not usually here," Juice assured him, his eyes following Angela's every movement as she tucked her gun back into her jeans. He saw her wince as the movement irked her wrist and felt a small pang of his own. It was strange how seeing her in pain caused him physical pain as well. He'd never experienced something like that with anyone before.

"Right," the bigger man said under his breath. "Lyla here?"

Angela nodded. "Ly! Op's here," she called down the hall.

Lyla practically ran out of the room and to Opie. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Opie smoothed a hand over her hair before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Ready?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. See you later, Ang."

"Ride safely," Angela said with a small wave. "See ya."

Once they were gone, Juice turned to Angela. "You all right?"

"_Yes. _I'm fine," she insisted, her tone a little frustrated.

The look on his face told her he didn't believe her. "Hap said something about a safe..."

"Got it," she said quickly. Since the funeral home was now a crime scene, the police would be allowed anywhere on the premises. She wasn't about to risk them getting into her cousin's safe since she was pretty sure a few things inside it were illegal.

"You sure you're all right?"

She smiled as she slipped her arms around his waist and leaned into his strong chest, her ear pressed to his heart. "Yes. I just want to get away from here. Please."

Juice sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and hugging her tightly. "Okay. Let's go home."

* * *

><p>As soon as they got to his place, Juice pulled her into the bathroom. She watched curiously as he pulled out a huge first aid kit from under his sink. It definitely hadn't been there just a few weeks earlier when she'd needed it to help patch him up. She wondered if he'd bought it around the same time he'd bought her coffeemaker. He opened up the kit and surveyed its contents before looking to her, a clueless look on his face.<p>

"What do I do to make it better?" Juice asked, holding her wrist in his hand.

"Kiss it?" she said with a smirk. At his glare, she realized just how guilty he felt about hurting her and how serious he was about fixing it. She sighed, looking over the new first aid kit. The thing seemed to be equipped for some kind of natural disaster. "This is new," she said gesturing to the kit before picking out a rolled up elastic bandage and handing it to him.

"Thought it'd be useful," he said on a shrug. He unrolled the bandage, setting the two metal binding clips on the counter.

"It's better than condoms and rubbing alcohol," she teased, trying to lighten the mood. He was treating her injury like it was life-threatening when it really wasn't all that bad.

He rolled his eyes, too worried about her wrist to give in to her playful banter. "Yeah," he agreed distractedly. He held out the elastic bandage. "Now what?"

"I can do this, Juice," she said, trying to take it away from him. "I've done it before."

He shook his head stubbornly, moving the bandage out of her reach. "No. You're my girl; I'm takin' care of you. What do I do?"

"Wrap it around my wrist. Tightly but not tight enough to cut off my circulation," she instructed with a small smile. "And I'm gonna need an icepack."

"Okay. I can do that," he said, taking her wrist into his hand. His eyebrows drew together in concentration as he began to wrap the bandage around her wrist, his touch careful as if she might break at any moment. She loved the crinkle in his brow he got when he was focused on something, as he was now, and the way he insisted on taking care of her. It was times like these, when the badass MC member faded away, that she realized how deep her feelings for him went and how scared she was of those feelings. He finished wrapping her wrist, putting on the metal bindings before pressing a kiss to the top of her hand. "All done."

Angela smiled, taking his face in her hands before capturing his lips with her own. "Thank you."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Least I could do. I'm the one that hurt you."

She rolled her eyes, hopping down off the counter. "I'd rather have a sprained wrist than a gun shot wound," she said, trying to make him feel better.

"I was just surprised Happy didn't kill me," Juice muttered honestly as he followed her back into the bedroom.

"Nah. This is nothing compared to what Kozik did to me," she said on a shrug. "Happy almost killed _him_."

Juice raised an eyebrow. Happy and Kozik were pretty close; Kozik must've done something particularly bad if Happy almost killed him. "What'd he do?" he asked, grabbing one of the instant icepacks from the first aid kit and skimming over the directions.

"We were hustling this game of pool one night at a bar," she started as she wriggled out of her jeans. "Which was strike one in Hap's book. Guy got pissed, pulled his gun. Strike two. Kozik tackled me to the ground and broke my arm."

"Strike three," Juice finished under his breath as he snapped the icepack to get it to work. He was distracted from the story by her panties. It was a particularly lacy pair with a silvery sheen to them that made her tan skin glow in the dim light of his bedroom. "Damn," he said under his breath, watching her pull off her top, her long dark hair falling down her back.

Angela nodded exaggeratedly. "Hap would've taken him out if he wasn't a Son."

"I'm not surprised." He tore his eyes from her, feeling awful for wanting to tackle her to the bed and have his way with her after everything they'd just been through. Sighing, he stripped down to his boxers, booted up the X-box, and lay down on the bed. She joined him soon after, dressed in one of his big t-shirts and a pair of her own little shorts. He raised his arm, allowing her to snuggle into the space between his arm and chest before he put his arm around her and started up his Call of Duty game.

She knew why he'd wanted to play the violent video game; it was his way of calming himself down. She had no problem watching him play, either. As long as she was in his arms, it was totally fine by her. "Have you ever been shot?" she asked, playing with the ice pack instead of putting it on her wrist.

"Shot at, yes. Actually shot? No," he answered without taking his eyes off the screen.

She glanced up at him, fighting the urge to giggle at the cute look on his face. His nose was crinkled, lip curled as he jammed the different buttons in just the right pattern. "Have you ever shot anyone?" She watched him clench his jaw briefly. It was almost as if she could see him debating whether or not to answer that question.

"I've shot _at_ people," he replied, his voice low as he paused the game. He took the icepack from her and put it back on her wrist knowing it wouldn't do her any good if it wasn't actually on her injury."Can't say for sure if I've hit anyone. I don't stop and check. Why? Have you?"

Angela shook her head. "No, never," she said softly. "I've had to pull it out before but…I don't think I could ever actually shoot someone. It scares the crap out of me."

"Shooting people or the fact that you wouldn't be able to if you had to?"

"Both," she answered honestly. "I see what death does to the ones left behind on a daily basis. I don't ever want to be the cause of that kind of pain."

He dipped his head forward to kiss her lips. "You don't have to worry about that, Angel. Someone pulls a gun out on you, I'll be the first to shoot them. I'm always gonna protect you…even if I break one of your bones in the process."

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think in a review! <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	27. Taking Care

**So...I got fancy and made some cover art...not the best thing in the world, but I did my best! ;) I used a picture of Missy Peregrym from Rookie Blue for Angie (not Kristen Stewart...though she does look like her). She's one of the many actresses I picture when writing for Angela. I hope ya'll like it. I of course do NOT own either of the original pictures (I thank Tumblr for those) but I did photoshop the crap out of them... ;) **

**This chapter takes place in Season 3, Episode 2 "Oiled". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 27: Taking Care_

_By Love Ink_

For the first time ever, Juice managed to wake up before Angela. The sun was in his eyes because he'd forgotten to close the blinds the night before and one ray just happened to be shining directly on his face. He glanced down at Angela, who had managed to move away from him some time during the night. Though her ankle was still hooked around his, her back was to him, meaning the annoying sunbeam that had woken him up hadn't bothered her in the slightest. He wondered if she moved around a lot in her sleep. If she did, it wasn't ever enough to wake him up. He glanced at her sleeping face curiously, knowing it was a rare event for him to be able to see it. His mind drifted to all those romantic movies where the couples watched each other sleep and wondered what the big deal was. Yeah, she looked peaceful and beautiful, but she always looked beautiful to him. In fact, he'd rather see her awake, her dark eyes sparkling as she laughed than lying there with them closed.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Sighing, he tossed back the sheets and got out of the bed, careful not to disturb Angela. He yawned loudly as he padded his way to the front door, grabbing his gun off the side table just in case. He glanced through the peephole not all that surprised to find Happy standing there. Setting down his gun, he unlocked the deadbolt and pulled open the door. "Sup, Hap?" he asked, standing back to let his brother in.

Happy looked him over, taking in his state of undress with a look of disapproval. Juice shrugged it off; he was in his own house, he could wear whatever he wanted. "How's she doin'?" Happy asked, clearly referring to his cousin.

"She sprained her wrist," Juice answered on a sigh. "Well, _I _sprained her wrist when I tackled her during the shooting."

Happy nodded. "That it?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"She's _still_ hurt, Hap," Juice pointed out, confused about Happy's nonchalance.

He shrugged in response. "She ain't made of steel. She's gonna get hurt. Long as you protect her from gettin' _killed_, it don't matter to me."

Juice glanced down at his feet and sighed. Happy was taking it a lot better than he'd ever imagine he would. But his words made sense, better for Angela to be injured than dead. "Guess so."

"She awake?"

"Nah, not yet. I thought I'd let her sleep a little. Long night last night."

Happy's eyes narrowed suspiciously at his brother. "She decent?"

Juice blinked at him, confused by the question. "What?" he asked, at Happy's dark look, he got the message. "Oh! Uh…I don't…no… I mean yeah, we didn't…I mean we have but…not last night so…she should be..."

Happy just rolled his eyes at Juice's stammering and headed down the hallway where he assumed the bedrooms were. He stopped in front of one that was open and peered in, feeling a little relieved when he saw her sleeping on the big bed fully clothed. He lifted up a booted foot and nudged her thigh. Angela groaned in response, her brow furrowing before she opened her eyes. "Hap?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes.

The corners of Happy's lips twitched with just the hint of a smile. To see her rubbing her eyes like that brought him back to when she was little, and he'd wake her up early to take her on a surprise trip somewhere far away. Back then she'd perk right up, shout his name, and throw her arms around him, not letting go until he had physically lifted her out of the bed and carried her to breakfast. "Hey kid," he greeted on a nod. "Just checkin' in."

Angela yawned as she nodded. He glanced at her wrist, holding out a hand for her to put it in. She complied, watching him carefully unbandaged her wrist to inspect the damage. She grimaced at the lovely shade of purple her wrist had turned. "Pretty, huh?"

He smirked and nodded. "It hurt?"

"Yeah," she said, wincing as he tested it. He nodded and dug into his pocket and pulled out a little baggy of white pills. She took it from him, inspecting the medicine. "Vicodin?"

"Ma's," he explained on a nod.

"You're the best, Hap," she said, beaming up at him. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," he said on an eye roll. He leant over and kissed her forehead before mussing her hair. "Take care of yourself, kid."

She nodded, watching his back as he headed out the door. She heard a hushed exchange between him and Juice before the front door closed. She dropped back down on the pillow and sighed, lifting her bad wrist to wrap it back up. "Hey you!" she called out to Juice whom she could hear padding his way down the hallway.

"Mornin', baby," he said walking in with a mug of steaming hot coffee in his hand. "I was gonna get you those," he said, nodding to the pills on the bed next to her.

"With your luck they'd be sedatives," she teased, reaching for the mug.

He pulled the mug out of her reach, scowling at her. "You ever gonna let that go?"

She giggled, sitting up and pulling her knees up to her chest. "No," she answered honestly, murmuring a thanks when he finally gave her the mug. "You in a diaper is an image I don't ever want to forget. I wish I had a picture."

"Yeah, real funny," he said throwing himself on the bed next to her, his hand rubbing over the place his brothers had stabled the sign. He picked up his phone and flipped it open, checking his text messages before dialing Chibs' number to check in.

Angela threw back two Vicodin, taking a long sip of the hazelnut coffee to get them down before setting the mug down and snuggling down into the bed on her side. She closed her eyes, drifting back off to sleep to the sound of Juice's low talking.

The feel of Juice's stubble tickling her neck as he kissed his way up her throat woke her up. She smiled, sighing contently as his hand slipped under her shirt, smoothing over the front of her stomach. "I gotta go, baby," he whispered in her ear.

She leant back into him, turning her face and lifting her head to catch his lips with her own in a soft kiss. "Mmkay," she murmured sleepily. "I gotta call Skeet."

"You're not workin' today, Angel," he ordered, his eyes on her bandaged wrist.

"I'm fine, Juice," she assured him, reaching out her good hand to touch his face. She must've slept longer than she thought because he'd already gotten dressed into gray pants, a white t-shirt, and his cut.

Juice shook his head. "Do I gotta handcuff you to the bed?"

"Not unless you're planning to stay," she replied with a smirk. He seemed to contemplate her offer until his phone rang and he scowled. She sighed, pushing him out of bed. "Go look for Abel. I'll see you later."

"No working, Angel," he reminded her, kissing her once more before standing up from the bed.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I know," she said, reaching out to smack his ass as he walked by. He turned to look at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. She just winked at him. "Now you know how it feels."

"Goof," he shot back at her, shaking his head as he walked out of the room. He stopped when he was at the door. "No working, Angel!" he called back to her, feeling it was necessary to remind her once more.

"Bye, Juice!" she shouted back, already out of bed and getting dressed to go to work.

* * *

><p>Angela called Lyla for a ride out to the funeral home since her car was still there leaving her stranded at Juice's house. She skipped out to the silver Prius that was blasting some Pop song, sliding into the passenger's seat. "Hey Ly!" she greeted, buckling herself in. "How's it goin'?"<p>

"All right," she answered on a frown. There was obviously something else on her mind. After a minute, she asked, "Hey, you know of any abortion clinics?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's…forward."

"I need to get it taken care of, Ang. And soon."

"Right," Angela said on a breath. "I don't know of any offhand, but I'm sure Tara does being a doctor and all."

Lyla frowned. "I was hopin' I wouldn't have to go to her. We're not really…friends."

"She's pretty cool, Ly," she assured her. "I'm sure she has to deal with this kind of stuff all the time."

"Yeah. I just don't want Op to know," the blonde said, immersed in her own thoughts.

Angela sighed. "I don't think she'd tell Op or Jax. Doctors can't do that shit."

"Yeah, but I'd be coming to her as a friend, not as a patient."

"True. It's up to you, Ly. I'll do some research if you want."

Lyla gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ang." She pulled up in front of the funeral home, watching as Angela unwrapped her bandage. "You're not going to tell your boss you're hurt?"

Angela shrugged, shoving the bandage into her purse. "Nah, I'm fine. I got drugs. 'sides, its just a sprain," she replied before quickly adding, "Don't tell Juice."

Lyla rolled her eyes at her friend. "My lips are sealed."

"Which ones?" she teased, laughing as Lyla flipped her off before driving away.

Careful to keep her wrist at her side, Angela slipped under the police tape to get inside the funeral home. The police paid her no mind; they'd been instructed not to interfere with business during their investigation. She headed straight for the office where she found Skeeter sitting at the desk looking over different paperwork. "Hey Angie," he greeted without looking up. "Wasn't expecting to see you today. Thought you might've gotten scared off."

She smiled as she dropped into one of the comfy chairs in front of the desk. "Couple of shots don't scare me."

"Good," he said glancing up at her with a small smile.

"We got Hale and the kid today?"

"Kid's not from Charming, so he was sent somewhere else. Hale's being autopsied as we speak and then I'll need you to go pick him up."

Angela nodded, raking a hand through her dark hair. "Open casket?"

"If it's possible," Skeeter said on a nod. "Least that's what his parents want. His brother is stopping by soon. We'll see what he wants. How's the wrist?"

"He didn't," she said, her eyes narrowing, anger slowly seeping into her blood. If Juice had stooped so low as to call her boss to tattle on her, he'd be in serious trouble.

Skeeter looked confused. "Your wrist is purple, Ang," he replied flatly. "I don't need someone to tell me there's somethin' wrong with it."

"Sorry." She glanced down at it self-consciously and frowned, her anger fading. "It's just a sprain. I got a brace upstairs."

"Can you work like that?"

"I've done it before," she replied on a shrug. "Just gotta wear a big glove on this hand."

Skeeter nodded. He knew he didn't have the skills to fix Deputy Chief Hale's injury well enough for him to have an open casket. As selfish as it was, if Angie was willing to do fix it injured, he'd let her. It was good PR for her and, also, for his funeral home. "All right, just be careful." His office phone rang and he reached for it, holding up a hand to tell her to stay seated. After a minute, he hung up the phone.

"Pick up time?" she asked as she watched him dig through his drawer for the keys to the van.

"Yep," he said, tossing them to her.

She caught them easily. "Gotta get my brace and then I'll head out."

* * *

><p>Angela was heading down the hallway when she heard the squeak of sneakers against the linoleum heading her way. She grimaced, knowing exactly who it was; one of the male nurses, Darren. Before she'd met Juice, she'd gone out on one date with him, and it was awful. Darren was self-centered, rude, and a total social idiot. She knew people got on Juice's case about his social skills, but he was nothing compared to Darren. Dude could not take a hint.<p>

"Angie, baby," he called after her, falling into step beside her. "How's it goin', sexy lady?"

She cringed at the greeting before reminding herself she was on duty and could not smack him like she wanted. She plastered a smile on her face before turning towards him. "Hi Darren," she said, not stopping her trek to the morgue.

"So when you gonna let me take you out again?"

Juice walked down the hall of the hospital after his brothers, stopping when he heard her low chuckle. He looked towards the sound of it, surprised to see a nurse pinning Angela to the wall, his hands braced on either side of her head. Her whole body was tensed, hands clenched into white knuckled fists as she stared up at the man. He could hear her clearly as she was making no effort to keep her voice low, and though she was smiling, her words were sharp. "You need to take a step back, Darren," she suggested in a tone that was anything but sweet.

"C'mon baby. Give me a chance. I can take you places you've never been before."

"I highly doubt that. Now get off," she said, her words carrying a warning. She kept eye contact the whole time, knowing that to look away would make him think she was afraid of him and she definitely wasn't. "Now."

"Or what?"

Juice jumped in then, pushing the guy back before grabbing him up by the collar and pushing him up against the wall. "Or this," he growled at him. "You touch her again and I'm gonna sink my fists into the pretty little face of yours. You hear me?"

"Ye...ye...yes!" Darren stammered out, his voice shaking with fear.

Angela swallowed hard, her blood running hot in her veins as she watched Juice "take care" of Darren. It was an overreaction, to be sure; Darren was harmless, and she could've easily handled it, but seeing Juice in full-fledged protector mood made her want to jump his bones right there in the hospital hallway.

Juice let the nurse go, tugging at the bottom of his cut as he watched Darren scuttle away. He waited a moment before turning to Angela. "You all right?"

She nodded, grabbing the front of his cut and pulling him in for a hot, passionate kiss that he felt all the way to his toes. "I'm fine," she whispered, a little breathless. "Thanks for that."

"Anytime," he said, giving her a wolfish smile as he grabbed her hips. He knew what the look in her eyes meant; he was going to get very lucky when he got home. "What are you doin' here anyway?"

Angela pointed to the black brace on her wrist. "Just picking up a brace," she lied easily, glad her little gurney was a few feet away and blended in with the hospital ones around it. "Stylish, huh?"

He studied it, playing absentmindedly with the Velcro straps. "Very."

Chibs whistled from down the hall. "Juicy-boy! Let's go!"

Angela smiled, pressing her lips to his once more but pushing him away before he could deepen it. "Go," she insisted with a sexy grin. "I'll see you later."

"Careful with that wrist, Angel," he said pecking her cheek and smacking her ass.

"Juice!" she exclaimed, fighting off a grin. He smiled at her over his shoulder as he jogged down the hall to join up with his brothers who had located the room of the shooter from the night before.

His nerves were still buzzing from the adrenaline rush that had come with the anger he'd felt when he saw that nurse's hands on her. He wasn't angry at her for what had happened. It'd been clear that the action hadn't been wanted and that, given a few more minutes, she would've taken action against him herself. Juice figured the only thing that saved the nurse from a kick to the balls was the fact that she often worked at the hospital and didn't want to tarnish her reputation.

But reputation was not something he had to worry about. In fact, he'd thought she might get mad at him for making a scene at her place of work as most girls would or for handling something she could've easily handled herself. He'd never expected to see that dark, lustful, almost possessive look in her eyes that made him want to do all sorts of dirty things to her. He loved that about her. He knew she was no damsel in distress, but the fact that she was turned on when he stepped in to take care of her made him feel good; like he was finally doing something right.

* * *

><p>After a long day at the funeral home, Angela got into the Mazda, ready to go home and ice her incredibly sore wrist. She winced as she slipped her brace back on. She'd taken it off to be able to prepare Hale correctly, and now, she was regretting that decision. The brace would've prevented her from moving it too much which would've made it harder to prep Hale, but she could've done it. She'd just been too lazy to strap it back on once the pain had flared up again. She hissed in pain as she tightened the Velcro straps of the brace before starting up the car and heading to Juice's place.<p>

He wasn't home yet, and she hadn't expected him to be. She kicked over the rock with his hideaway key and let herself in. Sighing, she slipped a frozen pizza into the oven before making herself an icepack. Heading back to the bedroom, she changed into a pair of his workout shorts and one of his beaters. The little bag full of pills caught her eye and she sighed, happy to have a stronger source of relief than Tylenol. Popping two vicodin, she took a seat on one of the beanbags and undid the brace once again to put the icepack on her wrist. She flicked on the television and smiled to herself when she found that _The Goonies _was on.

Just a few minutes later, Juice walked in, a grin on his face. "Hey baby," he greeted, going over to press a kiss to her forehead. "Somethin' smells good."

"I got a pizza in the oven," she explained, watching as he made his way over there. The oven dinged and she smiled. "You're right on time," she said, going to stand up.

"Sit. I'll get it," he instructed. "How was work?" he called from the kitchen.

Angela sighed. "I didn't go to work. Sprained wrist, remember?"

Juice chuckled, handing her a plate with one slice of pizza before sitting down next to her, his plate holding four slices. So that they fit better on the large beanbag, he grabbed her legs and moved them so they were draped over his lap. "We both know that's bullshit. Hale needed to be prepped, right?"

"Yeah," she admitted, feeling guilty as she looked down at her plate. "Injuries like Hale's are complicated. I get paid extra if I can make them look open-casket ready. I can't just pass that up."

"Figured that's what you were doin' at the hospital," he said on a sigh. He'd wanted to be mad at her for disobeying him, wanted to yell and scream at her like Clay would to Gemma, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could tell by her tone that she honestly needed the money. Though she hadn't told him why she was so desperate for it, he was pretty sure it had something to do with her family, and he couldn't fault her for wanting to do the job to help her family out. He would've done the same thing. "I just don't get what you need all the money for."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "My aunt's meds are expensive. Hap and I do our best to try and cover them and the house and hospice and everything but…it's a lot. The minute we get ahead, my aunt has another doctor's appointment or a new test they need to run and then we're behind again."

Juice sighed, he knew how that went. It made him think of another time she'd gotten angry at him when he wanted her to do something and she'd had to miss work. "That's why you flipped about lockdown, huh?"

She nodded. "Pretty much," she murmured around a bite of pizza. "No work, no money, no meds. My aunt's not well as it is. If we can't pay for her meds…"

"I get it," he said softly, polishing of his last piece of pizza and setting the paper plate on the ground next to him. "And what about this guy? The one that was all over you at the hospital?"

"When I first moved to Charming, we went on one incredibly bad date," she answered honestly. "He called and I didn't call back. I thought he'd get the hint. He didn't."

Juice smirked. "I think he got it today," he said, running a callused palm up and down the smooth skin of her legs. "Let me know if he bothers you again."

She smiled at him, knowing it would never happen again. The look on Darren's face was enough to tell her that. "I can handle it myself."

"Oh, I know," he said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just thought I'd save your rep and step in for ya. Wouldn't want you getting banned from the hospital or anythin', then where would you get your coffee?"

She laughed, moving her head to the crook of his neck. He wrapped an arm around her back, turning his head to press a kiss to her forehead. "I know a place with a pretty awesome coffee maker, actually."

He grinned at her, playing with a lock of her hair idly as his eyes flitted to the TV screen. _The Goonies_. It was one of his favorites and the fact that out of the hundred channels he had, she'd found _The Goonies_ and decided to leave it there told him he'd picked the right girl to keep around. "Hey Angel?" he asked after a moment.

"Mmm?" she mumbled distractedly, more focused on the movie now that the kids were navigating through the underground caves.

"What if you brought all your stuff here?"

Angela raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"You already have a lot of it here, and I have empty drawers and shit. Why don't you just bring _all_ your stuff here that way we don't have to keep worryin' about having clothes and stuff at each other's places. You know?"

"Makes sense." Her heart started hammering in her chest as her eyes widened. He was asking her to move in with him. "You sure, Juice? This is your bat cave."

He shrugged a shoulder. "The Bat Cave always looked so lonely in Batman movies. Yeah, he had Alfred and stuff but…sometimes Batman needs a Batlady."

"Bat_girl_," she corrected on a laugh.

"Nah, Batgirl wasn't Batman's girl; she was Robin's. You're my Bat_lady_. And a Bat_lady_ should live in the Bat Cave with Batman."

"There was a Batwoman," Angela brought up randomly. "She was Batman's girlfriend or somethin'."

"She's a lesbian now."

"Huh. I have _got _to start reading those comics again," she replied pensively.

And just like that, he'd asked her to move in. It surprised him how painless it had been. She hadn't freaked out or gotten overly excited, just taken it like it was nothing new. He'd been afraid she'd flip out on him or comment on what a big step it was, but she hadn't and he was grateful for that. "You think we can steal those leather couches from your place?"

"What? You don't like the bean bags anymore?" she teased, grinning up at him.

"Nah. That couch is comfy as hell and better for cuddling."

"Aww does the little Rican like to cuddle?" she teased, poking his stomach.

His pounced on her quickly, trapping her between his arms as he loomed up over her. He dipped his head, trailing kisses over her collar bones before moving lower, his teeth scraping over her skin. He grinned as she gasped. _"Big_ Rican," he corrected, kissing his way up her neck before capturing her lips in a kiss. "And he likes to do more than just cuddle."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer 2: I do NOT own the Goonies (except on DVD) or Batman, Batwoman, Batgirl, Robin, etc. All of these things are awesome though! :D <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think in a review. :) Its a bit fluffy, but sometimes its needed. **

**Coming up next: The Caregiver... **

**~Love Ink**


	28. Big Steps

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted, etc...Ya'll rock! :) **

**This chapter is on the longer side and takes place during season 3 episode 3: "Caregiver". I took some chances with the storyline, hope you like how it pans out. ) **

**65 days until season 5! AAAAAND Before The Anarchy, a special behind the scenes show is supposed to be airing sometime next week either on FX or on the FX website! YAY! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 28: _

_By Love Ink_

Angela sat on her bed at the funeral home, looking at the empty suitcase in front of her. She'd gotten through her work for the day and had decided to start packing for lack of a better thing to do. There wasn't much to pack since the place had come already furnished. She just had her clothes and some knickknacks. The more things she tucked away into boxes and suitcases, the more real it felt.

It was strange to think she wouldn't have this little hideway to go back to. That if things with Juice took a wrong turn, there was no place she could really runaway to. This was real. She sighed before chuckling to herself. Why was she being such a baby about it? She really cared about Juice, and he apparently cared about her. He wouldn't have asked her to move in if he didn't.

She glanced at her phone, thinking about how Lyla had already moved in with Opie and they'd been dating for a way shorter amount of time. She grimaced when she remembered she was supposed to ask Tara about the abortion clinics for her. Scrolling through her contacts, she found the doctor's number and pressed call.

* * *

><p>Tara glanced from the dead caregiver's body on the ground to Gemma, her eyes wide in disbelief; they'd just killed a woman. What was her life coming to? Slowly, she fished her buzzing phone out of her pocket, a little surprised to see the name on the called i.d. "It's Angie," she said looking to Gemma.<p>

"Well, answer it. Get her over here," Gemma instructed quickly, her voice shaking a bit. "She deals with dead people. She'll know what to do, right?"

"I don't know…I-I guess," Tara said pressing the phone to her ear. "Angie?"

"Hey T! What's up?" Angela greeted, pushing a stray hair behind her ear. She heard Tara sigh and raised an eyebrow. "Everything all right?"

"We…we kind of need your help…"

* * *

><p>After going through several hoops to find a safe connection, Angela finally got the address for where Tara and Gemma were. She drove as fast as she could to the location. The doctor hadn't told exactly what was going on, but it sounded like an emergency and she wasn't about to take any risks. Pulling up to the front of a nice house, she quickly got out of the car and sprinted towards the door. She knocked on it rapidly, surprised by the short amount of time it took for Gemma to answer the door. "Get in here, undertaker," she said gesturing her in with a fast wave of her hand.<p>

She stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she walked in and saw what was on the floor. Lying there was a woman with a knife sticking out of her chest. "Oh shit," Angela said, her eyes wide as she looked from the figure on the floor to Tara who was holding an ice pack to her head. Tara seemed to share her shock while Gemma looked a little more relaxed. "Is this why called me?"

Gemma nodded. "You need to take care of it."

"Take _care_ of it? Gemma, what do you want me to do?" Angela asked, a little surprised by the answer. She couldn't "take care" of something like this. Not at someone's _house_. She wasn't trained for that kind of thing. Sure, she could turn on the cremation oven at the funeral home, but she was pretty sure there wasn't an oven big enough for the woman that lay at her feet.

"I don't know. Don't you help out the guys all the time?"

"Yeah, but that's with the huge oven! What am I supposed to do here? Have a funeral pyre?"

Gemma shook her head as if she had already considered it. "Too much smoke."

"Are you crazy?" Angela blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Watch it, Undertaker," she shot back, her tone holding a warning.

Just then Tig walked in, stopping short when he saw Angela. "Oh hey Angie. What are you doin' here, doll?" he asked before his eyes fell on the dead woman on the ground. "Aw shit. This why you're here?"

"Apparently," she answered on a nod.

"Hasn't done us much good," Gemma muttered under her breath.

Angela scowled. "I can't do anything without an oven!"

"Be creative," the older woman contested.

"All right, all right, we'll figure something out," Tig said, stooping down and pulling the knife out of the woman's chest. "Ang, mind getting bleach from the basement?"

Angela nodded, anything to get out from under the Queen's scrutiny. She was an undertaker, not a miracle worker. "On it."

She headed in the direction he gestured to opening the door and walking down the stairs. It was an old dingy place with some tools and a lot of boxes. Her eyes fell on the wheel chair sitting in the middle of the room. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself. Apparently, someone had been tied up there, and she was willing to bet she knew who it was. This was further proof that Gemma was not a woman to mess with.

Opening a few cabinets, she came up empty. There was definitely no bleach in the creepy basement. Running a hand through her hair, she headed back up the steps wondering how on Earth she was going to explain this to Happy or Juice. She figured they'd probably get a kick out of it since she wasn't in any real danger and hadn't been the one to kill the woman. "I didn't find any…oh," she said noting the bleach bottle on the counter next to Tig. "Nevermind."

Tig looked mildly amused at her reaction. "You got the Cleaner's number, doll?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Happy had gotten her a job assisting Bachman on her summers off from college. Though most used him for crime scene clean up, he also did freelance autopsies on the side. It wasn't the best job ever, but it gave her good experience and excellent connections. Then, it hit her. They needed him to clean up there. "Oh. _Oh_! Okay, yeah, I got it. Here."

"Thanks, Ang," he said taking down the number.

"All right, go keep my dad busy," Gemma told Tig. "We'll take care of her."

Angela and Tara exchanged a quick glance. "We will?" Tara asked, eyebrows raised.

"Hey, you're the one who decided her fingers needed to breathe. You don't want Jax to find out about this, you got to handle it," Gemma shot back. Tara stood up and sprinted to the sink just in time to throw up there. Angela grimaced, catching Gemma's eyes quickly. "Why don't you get started moving the body, Ang?" she asked, holding back Tara's hair. "Take her to the basement."

"Right. Got it," Angela said, quickly excusing herself. She knew it was more to get her out of the way than for her to actually move the woman. She would never be able to single-handedly carry her down the stairs, especially not with a sprained wrist.

Bending over the dead Latina, she looped her arms underneath hers and started dragging her towards the stairs, thankful that the stab wound was in her chest; it meant no bloody trail to clean up after. A few minutes later, Gemma and Tara joined her and the three of them managed to get her down the steps and onto a spare bed just as Tara's phone rang.

"Talk to him," Gemma instructed before gesturing to Angela to follow her up the stairs. Once up there, Angela threw herself onto one of the kitchen chairs, sighing heavily. "You gonna ask?"

"No. I'm pretty sure I don't want know," Angela said on a heavy sigh.

Gemma smirked. "Smart girl. How are things with you and Juice?"

She glanced at Gemma, wondering how the woman could talk about trivial things like relationships when she'd just killed someone. "Uh…good, I guess. Um…he asked me to move in with him so there's that…"

"What'd you say?"

"Yes."

She pressed her lips together, giving Angela that scrutinizing look that always put her on edge. "That's a big step."

_No shit_, Angela thought but held her tongue. "I know."

"You ready for that?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Who knows?"

"You should," Gemma shot back. "You're not just messin' around anymore."

Angela shifted awkwardly and sighed. "I know that."

"Do you? Do you even know what you want, undertaker?"

She stared down at her feet, trying to get her thoughts together. That was a good question. What did she want? Her heart gave her the answer in a second. Sucking in a deep breath, she nodded. "Juice. I want Juice," she stated simply. "Whatever that entails…he's what I want."

Gemma seemed satisfied with that answer. She patted Angela's shoulder lightly. "Good," she said quickly. "You hear a Harley?"

Angela listened, grateful for the distraction, and nodded. "That's Bachman."

She followed Gemma and Tig to the door, smiling at her old boss. Bachman nodded to her as he got off his motorcycle. "Angela. Good to see you. Here to assist?"

"Why not?" Angela asked with a slow grin. She'd helped him "clean" several cases before and had to admit that it was pretty interesting. He did most of the work while she handed him tools, got the bleach solutions ready, DJ-ed, etc.

"Good," Bachman said on a curt nod. He glanced at Tig expectantly.

Tig nodded. "Right this way."

* * *

><p>Angela watched Bachman work from her seat on the stairs as she flipped through her iPod looking for the right playlist for him. "Rock or pop, Bach?" she asked, finding her two playlists. She had made a few for him the couple times she'd assisted him.<p>

"Pop. Somethin'…happy."

She found "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield and put it on. It was the only words they exchanged during the whole process. She pulled on the Tyvek bunny suit he'd handed her and two pairs of gloves. She cleaned around him with a bleach solution as he worked; taking each tool he used and letting it soak in the bleach.

He was slow, methodical about it, humming to the cheery pop song as he worked. He finished and pulled the biohazard breathing mask from his face and nodded to her. The body that had once been lying on the bed was gone, nothing left behind but a small dent in the bed where it once had laid. "Cool," Angela murmured, always impressed with his work. The only response she got from him was a brief nod. He was always proud of his own work. She followed him upstairs to where the rest of them were waiting, leaning against the hallway entrance.

"All done," he announced to Tig, Gemma, and Tara who were waiting in the living room.

Angela grimaced when Tara asked where the caregiver was, knowing Bachman's blunt answer was sure to freak her out. And it did. The shocked look on Tara's face when Bachman said, "Where's who?" was evidence of that.

He took his pay and a set of brass folded hands before nodding to Angela and making his exit. Gemma shook her head. "Guy weirds me out."

"He's harmless...unless you're dead," Angela assured her with a small smile. She checked the time and sighed. "I better get going."

"All right. Drive safe, doll," Tig said, squeezing her shoulder.

Angela nodded, giving Tara and Gemma quick hugs goodbye before heading towards her Mazda. She sat down in the driver's seat with a heavy sigh as the events of the day washed over her. Sucking in a deep breath, she started the car and plugged in her iPod, cranking it all the way up as she pulled onto the road.

She was almost home when her phone rang. Turning down the music, she pressed it to her ear. "Angela Ruiz."

"Hey Angie," Lyla's soft voice greeted. "How's it goin'?"

"Good, good. How are you?"

"Fine," she answered before sighing. "Hey, Ang. You hear about that porn thing the boys were doing today?"

"Nope. Why? What happened?"

Lyla filled her in on the private party with the Chinese, trying to tell her as much detail as possible to make sure she understood the next part. "I'm not…I'm not one to meddle in other peoples' relationships but…you're one of my close friends, Ang, and I…I don't like to see you taken advantage of."

"What happened, Ly?" Angela repeated, her heart beating fast in her chest as all kinds of situations entered her mind.

"Juice was…getting real friendly with some of the Asian girls, Ang. I heard one bragging about…well, about blowin' him."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Shit," she cursed. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know if it was true or if it wasn't or if you're okay with the kind of thing but…I just wanted you to know. No offense, Ang, but girls like that…they'll lie about doin' Clay or Jax, maybe Tig but Juice?...I don't know."

_Right_, Angela thought with a grimace. As much as _she _cared about Juice, it wasn't worth it for girls like the porn stars to lie about doing him. He didn't exactly hold a position of power. "Thanks, Ly," she said on a breath, though she didn't know how thankful she was for that information. She wished Lyla had kept it to herself. What she didn't know couldn't hurt her. "I'll talk to you later."

"You should…you should really talk to him about it. Just in case. You never know."

"Okay."

"All right. Bye, Ang."

"Bye, Ly."

She hung up the phone and tossed it onto the passenger's seat, her foot pressing down a little harder on the gas. She rolled down all the windows and pumped up the stereo again, trying to drown out her thoughts with the loud music. It wasn't helping though. All she could think about was another woman's hands on Juice, another's woman's mouth on his…

"Shit!" she shouted, slamming her hand against the wheel. Why would he ask her to move in with him and then go and do something like that? Why would he call her his girl and then let another woman touch him? Was she doing something wrong? She knew they were allowed to do what they wanted on runs, something she hated, but she would never consider some porn party to be a run. They were gone for days on runs, not hours. Could she stay with a man who disrespected her like that?

She drove to the funeral home instead of to his place. She couldn't see him, not yet. Not until she sorted through all the shit in her head.

* * *

><p>Juice walked into his house, surprised that Angela wasn't home yet. Her car hadn't been in the drive. He was excited to tell her about the news they'd found on Abel and a little sad that he'd have to leave her to go to Vancouver. He was even more worried about the long stretch of jail time that loomed over his head. He hadn't figured out a way to break that to her yet, but he knew he'd have to eventually. "Angel?" he called through the house, wondering if she'd come home some other way.<p>

Sighing, he took a seat on the bean bag chair and tried to be patient; she'd come home eventually. His leg shook nervously as he tapped his fingers on his knee. Feeling restless, he headed back out to his Dyna, deciding to surprise her at work.

When he finally pulled up to Dubrowski's, he found all the lights in the main house off. The lights from her apartment were the only ones casting a glow on the mostly empty parking lot. He spotted her Mazda parked next to the big van. Why was she at her apartment? Shouldn't she be on her way to his house? _Their_ house, he corrected with a smirk.

He kicked over the ceramic skull and fished out the spare key before trudging up the stairs. Opening the door, he spotted her sitting on the couch, N64 controller in hand playing _Golden Eye: 007_, a game she only played when she was pissed off. She didn't look up when he came in, just stayed focused on her game. "Angel? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she ground out, clicking away furiously at the controller buttons.

Juice wasn't the best at reading people, but he was starting to get the hang of reading Angela. The video game had tipped him off that she was pissed, her short answers revealed that she was mad at him. "Bullshit," he said, stepping in front of her and blocking the television. "What is it?"

Angela tried to see around him, but he stepped in her way every time. Finally, she gave up and pushed pause. "Did you let another girl blow you?" she blurted out, finally meeting his eyes.

He blinked at the question, surprised by it. Sure, he let one of those Asian porn stars sit on his lap, but he hadn't gone farther than that. "What?"

"Look, I get that you guys think you can do whatever you want on a run and that's…awful, but all right, I guess I can give you that…but…Here, Juice? Really?"

His eyes widened as he tried to work through what she was talking about. "Woah, woah, woah. What the hell are you talkin' about, Angel?"

"Lyla said one of the girls told her they gave you a blowjob."

Juice shook his head rapidly from side to side as he squatted so his face was even with hers. "That ain't true, Angel. I didn't do shit," he said honestly, his hands on her knees. "I barely even touched another girl while we were there. I swear. Ask anyone."

At her skeptical look, he took a seat on the couch next to her and continued. "Angel, I would never…I'd never do that to you."

Her eyes met his and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the honesty in his gaze. She knew it was wrong of her to give in to him so quickly; it would've been easy for him to lie to her, but the truth was written all over his face. Whatever the girl had said was a lie. She could see it in his eyes. "Really?"

He nodded, brushing a hair from her face. "Yeah. I'm not gonna mess this up for some chick that doesn't mean anythin' to me, Angel. I really care about you."

"Oh thank God," she breathed, leaning forward and pressing a hard kiss to his lips.

She fought the urge to giggle as he lay back, pulling her on top of him as he deepened the kiss. His hands dug into her hair, getting caught when they got to her braid. He pulled away, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Fuckin' braid," he murmured, tugging the long plait over her shoulder and pulling out the tie at the bottom. He raked his fingers through the waves, parts of it were still damp from their morning shower. "Did I tell you we found out more about Abel?"

Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him from where her chin was resting on his chest. "No! What'd you find?"

"He's in Vancouver," he answered, a ringed finger trailing over her cheek.

"That's awesome, Juice," she exclaimed, sitting up slightly to better see his face. "When are you leaving then?"

He loved that she assumed he'd be going. That he hadn't had to break it to her or to explain why he had to leave, she just knew and accepted it. He was willing to bet if he told her he wasn't planning on going that she'd push for him to go. "Soon. Maybe tomorrow," he replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good. I visited Gemma today," Angela brought up on a sigh.

"You didn't tell her about Abel did you?" Juice asked, worried for a brief moment.

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "No, it didn't come up. Why? Does she not know?" she asked. At his hesitation, her eyes widened. "You didn't tell _Gemma_ that her _grandchild_ was kidnapped?"

"She's in the wind right now. We didn't want to risk her comin' back 'cause of Abel. It's not like she could do anything about it anyway, right?"

Angela shook her head at him. "That's a shitty thing to do. She's gonna be pissed when she finds out."

"I know. I'm glad I'm not the one tellin' her," he commented on a chuckle. "What'd she want with you?"

"She needed my expertise," she explained vaguely.

"I don't wanna know," he said with a shake of his head. He knew he'd probably find out eventually from one of the guys. Sighing, he glanced around the apartment, noting a few boxes and a two suit cases sitting by the door. "You look like you're all packed up."

She smiled slightly as she nodded. "Almost."

"Want me to help you put it in your car? We can move all that stuff over tonight."

"Sure. Just one problem…"

Juice raised an eyebrow in question, one hand smoothing down her back before settling lightly on her ass. "What's that?"

"How are we gonna move this couch over there?"

His eyes lit up with excitement. "We get the couch?"

"Mm-hmm. Skeet said to consider it a house warming present. He wasn't overly fond of it anyway," she replied with a nod, pushing herself off him. "C'mon, take me home, Juan Carlos."

He loved the way she rolled the r's in his name; it never failed to turn him on. "_Mi casa es su casa_," he joked, putting his hands into her outstretched ones and letting her try to pull him up.

He enveloped her in a tight hug, feeling the rumble of her laughter vibrate through her body. She tilted her head back, her dark eyes sparkling as they looked up at him. "Damn straight."

Juice's heart did that awkward flipping thing it did when she smiled at him like that. He pressed his lips to hers in another hot kiss before grabbing her hand and leading her to his Dyna. "What's that mean anyways?"

"My house is your house," she answered, sliding on the bike and waiting for him to get on.

He leant over and kissed her. "Well in that case, _mi casa _is definitely _ su casa _now."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in a review. :)<strong>

**Next chapter will be up soon too. Work started picking up so I have less time to write, but I'll do my best to keep the updates consistent. **

**Question: What do you guys think of Ashley Tisdale guest starring on SOA? I'm excited to see what they do with her! I've always loved her. ;) **

**~ Love Ink**


	29. Responsibilities

**Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who took the time to review/favorite/alert, etc. I love hearing from you guys! :D I promise to respond to all of your lovely reviews soon; I just wanted to get this chapter up faster! ;) **

**For those of you who are big Happy fans, I highly recommend reading "Stylized Violence" by : xsparklesthemagicalunicornx. She's an amazing writer and the one responsible for getting me into this awesome fandom! Check it out! I promise you'll like it! :) **

**This chapter is kind of jumpy and takes place before, during, and after Season 3 Episode 4 "Home".**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but Angela

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 29: Responsibilities_

_By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the bills and at her ledger feeling incredibly frustrated. Things weren't adding up. Between her and Hap, they had the house and hospice covered but Elena's meds were starting to become too much. She glanced up at Hap who was looking at the numbers over her shoulder. He'd called her up early in the morning to bring her the new bills from their Moms' place that he'd visited the night before. "Shit, Hap," she breathed as she ran a hand through her hair. "We can do the hospice and the house but…the fuckin' meds."

"I know," he rasped in response. He could hear Juice snoring away in the background as he looked over the numbers one more time. It'd come as a surprise to him when she'd told him she was staying at Juice's place. He knew the idiot never had girls over there. From the boxes in the living room, it seemed Angela was moving in. It was a step Happy had always assumed Juice would be too scared to take. Obviously, he'd been wrong. Things between his little cousin and the intelligence officer were more serious than people were giving them credit for.

"I mean, the pathologist at St. Thomas is lookin' for an autopsy tech. I can take the job. It's a shit load of work for not much pay, but…better than nothin'," she suggested.

Happy set his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Don't. I'll figure something out. She's _my_ mom."

"You know I hate when you say that," Angela said on a scowl. "As far as I concerned, she's my Mom too. I'm gonna help her as much as I can."

He nodded, ruffling her hair slightly. "Don't take the job just yet. Gonna see if the club can help out first."

" 'kay," she said, pulling her hair over her shoulder and braiding it absentmindedly.

"He ask you to move in with him?" he asked, nodding to the suitcases and boxes in the corner.

Angela smirked at him. "Nah, I just moved all my stuff over here one day and figured I'd surprise him."

Happy ignored her sarcasm as he usually did. "Big step."

"So I've heard," she said, playing with the end of her braid. "Do you think I made a good choice?"

"Dunno. I like you better here than alone over at the other place," he answered honestly, taking the seat across from her at the kitchen table. "He tell you we're going to Vancouver today?"

She sighed as she nodded. "Yeah, to find Abel. I didn't know you were goin' too."

"Thinkin' of patchin' over, actually," he answered, shrugging his shoulder.

Her eyes lit up as a bright smile crossed her face. "Really, Hap? You'd move here?"

He nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'm tired of runnin' around and it's the closest charter to Ma. Figured it was a good decision."

"_Yeah_ it is!" she exclaimed, fighting the urge to drop what she was doing and hug him. Happy wasn't the kind of guy whose arms you jumped into. She could get away with it when she was little, but she knew he wouldn't be too happy about her doing it now.

"Guys got to vote me in first," he said coolly.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "As if they won't."

"It ain't me I'm worried about," Happy said, watching his cousin sign off on a few bills and pack them neatly away into envelopes.

"Who else would you be worried about?" she asked offhandedly, pressing a stamp onto one of the envelopes.

"Koz."

Her eyes met his, a shocked look on her face. "No. Way. _Koz _is trying to patch over to SAMCRO?"

Happy nodded, knowing the information was sure to please his cousin; sometimes he thought she loved Kozik more than him. Koz was like the fun older brother while Happy was harder on her, more like a father would be. "Yeah. Don't tell him I told ya."

She just grinned at him, already planning on calling Kozik to see if she could lead him to tell her. "Why wouldn't he be able to patch over? Didn't he start out here?"

"Gotta be unanimous," he replied vaguely.

"Oh and he's got that thing with Tig."

Happy smirked, girl didn't miss a thing. "Yeah."

"Damn," she murmured under her breath. "That sucks."

He nodded slowly. His eyes glanced over her shoulder to where Juice who had just appeared in the hallway dressed only in his boxers and rubbing tiredly at his eyes. Angela followed his gaze and grinned when she saw Juice. "Hey you," she greeted.

Juice gave her a sleepy smile back, padding his way over to her. "Hey Angel, Hap," he replied, leaning over to press a quick kiss to her lips. They'd been together for a few months now, and he was beginning to get comfortable being affectionate with her in front of her cousin, testing Happy to see what he could and couldn't do. So far, he figured out brief kisses were acceptable, groping her, smacking her ass…not so much. "What's goin' on?"

"Don't worry about it," Hap said, pushing away from the table. "Talk to you later, kid."

Angela nodded. "Let me know."

He understood what she was talking about and nodded. "I will," he said, dropping a kiss to her head before making his way to the door. "Church in an hour," he told Juice over his shoulder.

"Got it," Juice said on a nod watching him go. He waited until the door closed before glancing at what was in Angela's hands. "Bills?"

"My aunt's," she answered softly, tucking them into a green plastic organizer before straightening out the envelopes.

"Everything okay?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah. I'll figure it out."

He slid his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly from behind. "You're a smart girl. I'm sure you will," he said turning his face to kiss her cheek.

She leant back into him, her hands resting on his arms. "All packed for Vancouver?"

"Don't need to pack much. Wish I could pack you," he said, his lips moving across her ear and sending shivers down her spine.

"Mmm, I wouldn't mind that," she murmured, fingers tracing designs on his arm. "How long will you be gone for?"

Juice let her go as he shrugged. "Dunno. Not too long, I hope."

"A run in Vancouver," she stated, feeling her stomach churn at the thought of what that mean. The idea that the MC boys were free to do what they wanted on a run still plagued her.

He studied her face, catching a brief glimpse of the worry and insecurity she was feeling in her expression. "Ang, I'm not gonna…I'm not gonna have a fling with some Canadian chick. We're not gonna be gone _that_ long. I can keep it in my pants for a coupla days."

Angela gave him that sexy smirk of hers that he loved so much. Slowly, she stood, taking a few steps towards him before draping her arms over his shoulders. "How 'bout I give you a good memory to hold you over 'til you come home?"

Juice grinned at her, lifting her off her feet so she could wrap her legs around his waist. "Yes, _please_."

* * *

><p>Angela sat at the table in Opie's house, watching Lyla as she cleaned up what was left of the dirty dishes from dinner. She was a lot better at playing house than Angela would ever guess. The kids were all sitting with at the table with her, each with their different homework pulled out in front of them. Lyla had called her over to help them with the more difficult stuff with the promise of dinner. Angela had quickly agreed; she was not one to pass up a home-cooked meal. "Then what do you do, Ken?" she asked, pointing at the long division math problem.<p>

"Put the leftover in the remainder?" he questioned, looking up at her with hopeful brown eyes.

She grinned at him. "There ya go, kid!"

"What about putting a decimal? Grandpa said that instead of a remainder you do the decimal," Kenny questioned curiously.

Angela nodded. "I can teach you that if you want to get ahead of the game, but it's not what your teacher wants."

"Nah, I'll wait 'til she teaches it," he said on a shrug.

She chuckled, ruffling his hair lightly. "Lazy ass."

He just grinned at her and went onto the next problem. Swearing was never an issue in their family; it was too commonplace for them to give it much weight. The only one who had ever had a problem with it was Donna, and she'd been gone for months now. "I don't like math," he said by way of explanation.

"Me neither," Piper mumbled, his cheek resting on his hand.

Angela smiled and pushed away from the table, going to help Lyla in the kitchen. She noticed Lyla was cleaning more than usual, as though she was doing her best to keep herself busy. "You nervous about the run?"

Lyla sighed as she nodded. "A bit. Aren't you?"

"Nah," she said on a shrug. "It's just Canada. How dangerous can it be, eh?"

That earned a smile from her blonde friend. "Seems everything they do is dangerous."

"They're big guys. They can handle it. Especially yours. He's a fuckin' giant, if you haven't noticed," she pointed out with a wry smile.

"Oh, I've noticed," Lyla shot back, her tone filled with innuendo.

Angela laughed, shaking her head slightly. "Gross."

"Don't be jealous."

"Oh, I'm not. My little Rican's not so little if you know what I mean," she commented with a wink, earning her a shocked glance from Lyla.

"Ew, Angie! Really? I did _not _need to know that."

Angela giggled. "C'mon, Ly. You're a porn star; you should be used to this stuff."

"Shut up! Its different when it's my _friend's_ boyfriend!"

"Don't be jealous," she teased, echoing the blonde's previous words.

Lyla scowled at her. "As if. Why would I be jealous of your _little_ Rican when I've got a giant?"

Ellie walked in just then, looking curiously between both of them. "What are you guys _talking_ about?"

"Nothing," Lyla said quickly, shaking her head at Angela and trying her best not to laugh.

Ellie's hazel eyes cut over to Angela knowing the other woman might give her more information. "Don't worry about it, El," Angela replied, giving her a smile. Her phone went off, and her smile widened when she saw the number there. "Speaking of little Rican."

Lyla rolled her eyes, shooing Angela out of the kitchen. "Go away, nasty girl."

Angela ruffled Ellie's hair as she headed out the front door, taking a seat on the steps and answering the phone. "Hey you," she greeted on a content sigh.

"Angel? Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What's up?" she asked. She listened carefully as Juice explained the situation to her. Gemma had left her dad's care home and was heading home which was a problem considering there was a hefty price on her head for some crime Angela had yet to learn about. Juice was hoping she could intercept her somehow at the garage and keep her from doing something stupid when she found out about Abel. "You mean you guys haven't told her yet?"

"No. Just head to Jax's house...or the garage...anywhere you think she might go. Everything should be fine, but you never know," he said quickly. "We're comin' back to make sure she's all right. I'll see you soon."

She nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. "All right. See you soon."

After telling Lyla what was going on, she got in the Mazda and sped towards Jax's house, knowing that was the first place Gemma would go if she wanted to find Abel. She saw Tara's car leaving just as she was pulling in and followed it, careful to keep far enough behind so Gemma wouldn't see her.

She got to TM just in time to see Gemma answer the phone. Parking the Mazda, she stepped out of the car, nodding a greeting to Gemma. The Queen nodded back, her eyes going wide as she listened to the phone call.

Angela could hear the motorcycles in the background as the phone dropped out of Gemma's hand onto the hard pavement and the Queen of SAMCRO collapsed, holding her heart. "Shit," she gasped, rushing towards her.

The guys got off their bikes and ran towards them. She moved aside to let Tara through, her eyes locking on Jax's. "What the hell happened?" the VP asked her.

"I don't know. I got here and she was on the phone. Then she just collapsed," Angela explained quickly.

"Call an ambulance, Ang," Tara shouted out to her.

Angela glanced at Jax, waiting for his approval. At his quick nod, she dialed 911 and moved a little ways away to properly talk to the emergency response person on the other line. Once she hung up the call, she turned to find Juice there. "How long?" he asked, his eyes wide with worry.

"A few minutes," she replied, raking a hand through her messy hair. "I don't know what happened. I just got here and she was already on the phone and then she dropped it and…"

Juice carefully brushed a stray hair out of her face. "It's all right. She's going to be fine," he assured her; though he wasn't all that sure it was true. He stole a quick kiss before taking her hand and pulling her towards where everyone else was waiting for the ambulance.

The ambulance came quickly and carted off Gemma, Clay, and Tara leaving behind the rest of the crew. Jax was the first to head to his bike and follow the siren blaring ambulance. Juice turned to Angela. "You comin' to the hospital or you want to just go home?"

Angela squeezed his hand, not ready to let go of him just yet. "I'm comin' with you."

* * *

><p>Happy watched his cousin and Juice from where he was sitting in the hospital waiting room across from them. Her head was pillowed on his shoulder, eyes focused on the magazine Juice was flipping through. She murmured something to him and he smirked, turning to press a kiss to her forehead as a small smile played at the corners of her lips.<p>

He'd never admit that he liked seeming them together. Little moments like the one he just witnessed were evidence of how much they cared about each other. It was nice to know that if something happened to him, Juice would take care of her, love her. He knew they hadn't said those three little words to each other yet- mostly because he knew whoever said it first would likely freak the other one out—but he could tell they both felt them. It was clear as day in the way they treated each other.

Angela's eyes were just drooping closed when Tara walked in. Juice set a hand on her thigh, gently shaking her awake. She came to with a start, sighing as she rubbed her eyes and looked at the doctor. "Gemma's all right. Bad heart arrhythmia," Tara explained looking at Clay and Jax.

Clay nodded. "We'll go in. The rest of you go home. Get some sleep."

The older man disappeared down the hall, Jax following lazily behind him, talking in hushed voices with Tara. Juice stood up with a groan, holding out his hands to pull Angela up. Together, they followed the rest of the guys out of the small waiting room and to the parking lot where their bikes were.

"Come back in the morning. Early," Tig instructed as he got on his Dyna.

Juice put on his helmet, watching as Angela slid on the back of his bike. "Roger that."

Once at the house, Juice threw himself onto the bed. Angela crawled onto the bed next to him, dipping her head down to catch his lips in a quick kiss. He gave her a small smile as he pulled her down onto his chest. His hands slid down her back before coming to rest on her behind, smiling when he realized she was wearing those sweatpants with his name on them. His fingers traced over the lettering, his eyes slowly drooping closed as he felt her breathing start to even out.

They hadn't been laying there long when there was a knock on the door. Juice groaned as he went to stand up, but Angela stopped him. "I got it," she said, getting off the bed. She leant over her bag and rifled through it until she found her Glock. "Can never be too careful right?"

Juice smirked at her, feeling slightly turned on by the casual way in which she held the gun. "That's my girl."

"Goof," she murmured, rolling her eyes as she tucked it into the waist band of her sweats. Slowly, she stood on her toes to check through the peep hole. It was Happy. Curiously, she pulled open the door. "Hey Hap. What's up?"

"Got the meds for Ma," he said handing her a big white box. "Free."

Angela grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling happily. "Hap, that's awesome!"

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Gonna take 'em over tonight. I think you should come. Can't ride too well with that," he lied. "Don't want shit to get broken."

Her grin faded as she sighed. "Seriously Hap?" she questioned, knowing full well that Happy could carry that box on his Dyna with no problem.

"Yeah. Tell the idiot, get in your car, and let's go before it gets too late."

She thought about saying no and then decided against it. Happy was not someone you could get away with saying 'no' to. She had a feeling whether she agreed or not, she was going. Sighing, she took a step inside allowing him to enter before heading back to the bedroom.

Juice was just pulling off his shirt when she walked in. Her eyes raked over his muscular back, every thought in her head erasing as she watched his muscles move under his silky caramel skin. He turned an eyebrow raised in question. When he caught that lustful look in her eyes, he grinned and crossed his arms over his chest, highlighting the muscles in his arms. "Umm…hi," she said trying to form words as he walked towards her, his pants hanging low on his hips.

"Hi," he replied, his face just inches from hers. He brushed a hair behind her ear, his fingers curling around the back of her neck. "Can I help you?"

She swallowed hard as he dragged his thumb across her lower lip. Leaning forward, he caught her lips in a hot kiss. She pressed her palms flat against his chest, feeling his heart beating under her hands.

"Ang!" Happy barked from the living room. "Let's go!"

Juice pulled away as if he'd been stung. His eyes widened, though he kept his hands where they were; one wrapped around her waist, one on the back of her neck. "Hap's here?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you," she said, still a little breathless from their kiss. She sighed, looking up into his eyes and feeling that familiar warmth blossom in her belly. "He wants me to go with him to our moms' place. Deliver the meds."

He frowned in response, not wanting her to leave him, especially after a kiss like that. "You have to go?"

"Trust me, I'd rather not."

Juice chuckled. "Want me to come with?"

She was a little surprised by his offer. After hearing her bitch about her mother, she thought that'd be the last place he'd want to go. "Do you _want_ to come with?"

"No," he said on another chuckle, "but if it'll help you out…"

Angela gave him a small smile before pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. "Thanks but no thanks. I'll be all right."

He looked a little relieved as he nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, 'course," she replied, pushing him away gently. "Wish me luck."

He took his chin into his hand and laid another kiss on her lips. "You don't need it, Angel."

* * *

><p>Angela sat at the table with her Mom and Aunt, her eyes focused on the cup of tea in front of her. She ran a finger along the rim; successfully tuning out everything her Mom was saying about her job, about her love life and lack of children. In her head, she was plotting revenge against her cousin, though she'd never actually act out any of her plans it was nice to think about them while going through her mother's torture.<p>

Happy cleared his throat, catching her attention and pulling her from her acidic thoughts. "Got some news," he stated.

"Good news, _mijo_?" Elena asked, her dark eyes hopeful as she studied her son's face.

He shook his head. "No," he rasped, his hand playing idly with a domino. "Few weeks ago, we got caught up. Assault. Got sent inside for a day before bail was posted."

Angela lifted her head, her eyes meeting Happy's curiously. Why was he telling them this? It was something Elena didn't need to worry about. "Okay. _Y que_?" Elena questioned. (_And what?_)

"Bail was thrown out. Means we have to go back inside," Happy explained, his eyes watching Angela.

She choked on a sip of her tea, setting the cup down with a loud thud. "What?" she exclaimed, her heart beating fast in her chest. "_All_ of you?"

"Yeah," he answered. "All of us."

Graciela studied her daughter through narrowed eyes, wondering what had caused such a reaction. "Some of your friends too, _Angelita_?"

Angela nodded absentmindedly, her stomach churning as she pushed away from the table. "I need some air."

She paced the front porch nervously, raking her hands through her hair as she tried her best to keep from freaking out. Juice was going back to jail. The image of him lying on that dirty hospital bed with blood-stained bandages on his back flashed through her mind on repeat. What if that happened again? What if this time, the man with the shiv had better aim? She'd lose him forever. "Fuck," she whispered, sinking down onto the front step.

She wasn't sitting there long when she heard the familiar sound of a lighter followed by the smell of cigarette smoke. Lifting her head, she found Happy sitting next to her. "He didn't tell you?" he asked as he blew out some smoke.

Angela shook her head. "No," she said softly. Truth be told, she wasn't angry at Juice for not telling her. She'd been more concerned about Abel than anything and other than the lost baby; they really didn't talk about the club stuff much. "Shit, Hap. He was almost _killed_ last time."

"Ain't gonna happen again, kid."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Got more time to figure shit out this time. Get protection," he said, flicking the ash off his cigarette. "I'll take care of 'im too."

She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Fat load of good that did last time."

Happy smiled, despite the jab. "He was doin' somethin' for the club, tryin' to get us protection. Walked back into gen-pop and before he could get over to us, fuckin' asshole shivved him. None of us saw it comin', Ang. Couldn't help him if I tried."

She sniffed, trying to swallow back her tears. She felt stupid for crying about something she couldn't change, but she was scared as hell for both her cousin and Juice. "Okay," she breathed, her voice shaking.

He slid a hand across her back, wrapping his long fingers around her shoulders and pulling her in closer. He knew what came next and knew it was necessary. Her silent tears soaked through his shirt as he held tightly to her shoulder. "Cry now," he said in her ear. "Be strong later. He needs you."

* * *

><p>Angela opened the door to the house and walked in, surprised to hear sounds of gunfire and explosions coming from the bedroom. It was almost three in the morning. She leant against the doorjamb of the room, smiling to herself at the sight before her. Juice was completely immersed in his video game, his long fingers pressing on all the right buttons. After a minute, he threw the remote down and pumped a fist in the air. "Take that motherfucker!" he shouted into his little headset.<p>

She giggled at him, catching his attention. "Oh hey Angel," he greeted with a small smile.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked, her voice rougher than usual.

Juice narrowed his eyes at her skeptically, wondering why she sounded like that. He took in the lack of eyeliner under her eyes though she'd left with some on. "Couldn't sleep without ya," he answered, pulling off his headset and patting the bed next to him. "What happened?"

She sighed, taking off her sweatshirt and crawling into bed next to him so she was lying on her stomach, her torso propped up on her elbows so she could see his face. "Hap told my aunt that you guys might be going back inside," she said softly.

His eyes widened slightly. "Ang, I meant to tell you, I swear. Just so much has been going on and…"

"It's okay," she interrupted with an understanding smile. "I get it. I'm just…worried."

He let out a sigh of relief, feeling incredibly lucky that she wasn't angry that he hadn't told her. Reaching out a hand, he stroked her cheek. "Don't be. I'm gonna be fine, Ang."

Angela nodded, swallowing back tears again as Happy's words played through her head. _Be strong later. He needs you_. "I know," she whispered, leaning her head into his touch. "You're gonna find Abel first, right?"

Juice smiled lightly at her concern for Jax's kid. "Yeah. Might make our sentence longer but…"

"You can't go in without him being home."

"Right," he said on a nod.

She sighed again, turning onto her side and cuddling closer to him so her head was resting on his shoulder. His strong arm wrapped around her back, fingers trailing over her hip. "You'll let me know before you go in, right? I'm not gonna get a shady call from my cousin in the middle of the night this time?"

He turned his face to press a kiss to her forehead. "Yeah, I promise," he answered, his eyes meeting hers as she tilted her head back to look at him. "And you'll stay here?"

"Where am I gonna go?" she asked, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Dunno. There's this prison clause and Kozik'll probably be around…"

She rolled her eyes at him, laughing lightly. "Please don't tell me you're jealous of _Kozik_. Prison clause or not, I don't want anything to do with that old man."

"Yeah, you'd probably break his hip or somethin'," Juice said on a chuckle.

She laughed, louder this time. "Probably," she agreed.

He leant forward, catching her lips with his own in a hot, sensual kiss. She kissed him back eagerly, her tongue delving into his mouth as he gently moved to press her back onto the bed. Her hands stroked over his chest as his slid under her shirt. "Ain't gonna break my hip," he murmured against her lips.

Her hands gently skimmed over his well defined hip muscles before playing with the waist band of his boxers. "I certainly hope not."

* * *

><p><strong>As always, your reviews are very much appreciated and give me the incentive to write faster! (<em>hint, hint) <em>;) **

**Thanks for reading!**

**(60 days til Season 5! YES!)**

**~Love Ink**


	30. Idiot

**Thank you to all who reviewed and followed! Ya'll are awesome! **

**Just thought I'd do a quick update before I leave for vacation. ;) ****This one takes place in S3 episode 5 "Turning and Turning"**

**47 more days til S5! YAY!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 30: Idiot_

_By Love Ink_

Angela walked through the hospital rolling her cart with one hand and holding a cup of coffee in the other. She stopped in front of Gemma's room and nodded a greeting to the officer in front of it, flashing her hospital badge quickly. If the officer had stopped to really look at the badge, he'd have known she wasn't a doctor and wasn't family; therefore, she wasn't technically allowed in the room. Lucky for her, he hadn't bothered to check, so she slipped in easily. "Hey Gemma," she greeted, closing the door behind her.

"Well if it isn't little Miss Undertaker," Gemma drawled, lowering the volume on her television. "Abusin' that hospital badge again?"

Angela gave her a sneaky grin. "Best part about 'working' here."

Gemma chuckled. "How you doin', sweetheart?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she answered, pulling a magazine out of the waistband of her slacks. "Cosmo?"

Gemma raised an eyebrow at the magazine. It wasn't her usual reading material, but she was bored as hell stuck in the hospital bed so it'd have to do. It was better than some cheesy card or ugly teddy bear. "Sure. Thanks."

Angela took a seat in the chair next to her bed. "How are you?" she asked before taking a long sip of coffee.

"I'm all right. I'll live to see another day," she answered, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"That's good to hear."

Gemma nodded slowly, her eyes raking over the undertaker who was dressed in her work clothes and a pair of big black work boots. "Did you know?" she asked, her voice a little rough. At Angela's questioning look, the Queen elaborated. "Did you know about Abel when you came to help?"

"Yeah," Angela answered, nervously playing with the end of her braid. "I didn't know that _you_ didn't know though. If that makes any sense."

"Would you have told me?"

The younger woman sucked in a deep breath and shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not. Especially if Juice or Hap told me not to," she answered truthfully.

Gemma pressed her lips together and nodded, a little surprised by her honest answer. She'd given Angela a perfect opportunity to suck up to her and she hadn't taken it. "Thanks for the honesty."

She shrugged a shoulder. "Why lie? Not like you'd believe me anyway."

"You're catchin' on quick, Undertaker."

Angela smirked. "I try."

There was a quick knock on the door before the officer poked his head in. "Someone needs you, Doctor."

The Queen and the undertaker exchanged amused glances before Angela pushed herself out of the chair with a grunt. She tossed her now empty coffee cup into the trash before nodding to Gemma."See you later, Gemma."

Gemma gave her a dismissive nod back opening up the magazine and flipping to an article about embarrassing stories. "Idiots," she mumbled under her breath.

Angela stepped outside the room to find Chibs there waiting for her. She raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Chibbies?"

"Follow me," he said, taking her arm and heading down the hallway.

Angela jogged to keep up with his fast pace. "What's going on, Chibs?" she asked again, feeling her heartbeat kick up a notch. Something was wrong; she could feel it.

He didn't answer her, just gestured for her to follow. He didn't know how much Juice wanted her to know and he didn't want to freak her out by just saying he got hurt, so he kept quiet. She'd find out soon enough. "In there," he said, pushing her towards a door.

She stopped short, staring at the closed door before looking at Chibs skeptically. "This isn't the part where you kill me, right?"

Chibs smirked at her and shook his head. "Nah, not today, love. Just get in there already."

"All right, all right." She gave him one last curious glance before opening the door to find Juice sitting on the doctor's table, blood oozing out of multiple cuts on his face. "Holy shit, Juice," she breathed, rushing towards him. She reached out a hand to touch a particularly bad cut on his cheek. "What the hell happened?"

Juice flinched away from her touch, taking her hand in his own and holding it between them. "Fuckin' Chicken man duped me, helped another MC steal my cut," he said, putting his head against her collarbone as he sighed tiredly. He felt like the dumbest man alive for getting in that van, for not sensing the danger until it was too late. What kind of idiot let's someone take away his cut? "I'm an idiot."

Angela turned her face to press a kiss to his temple. She had no idea who the Chicken Man was, but she knew she hated him for what he did to Juice. "You're not an idiot, Juice. You were tricked," she whispered, tugging off one of his leather gloves to look at his knuckles. They weren't split, but they were a bright red and swollen, evidence that he'd hit someone. "At least you didn't go down without a fight, right?"

A small smile turned up the corners of his lips at her optimism. He was willing to bet someone's puppy could get run over and Angela would find something positive to say about it; something to make the owner feel better. "That is true," he said, looking up at her.

She put her lips to his in a quick kiss just as a nurse walked in. Angela smiled as when she saw it was Chloe, the nurse that had taken care of Juice after he'd been shivved. She and Angela had become friends over the past couple of weeks; sharing coffees and hospital gossip over their breaks. Some times it was nice to have a girl friend to talk to that had nothing to do with the club. "Surprised to see you two back here," the petite woman said with a small smile. "What happened?"

"Nothin'," Juice answered on a shrug.

Chloe cast a doubtful look at Angela who shrugged in response. "I didn't do it," the undertaker said, holding her hands up as she moved to stand next to Juice so the nurse could get a better look. Juice slipped a hand around his girl's waist, pulling her into his side. He wasn't ready to let her go just yet, her presence made him feel a hell of a lot better about the whole situation.

"_Sure_," Chloe teased, opening up a cabinet and pulling down the appropriate medical supplies. She set them out on the table next to Juice's leg before asking Angela to step out of the room with her.

"I honestly didn't have anything to do with it," Angela said, wondering if that's what Chloe wanted to talk to her about. "I couldn't do that to him if I tried."

The young nurse rolled her green eyes. "I _know_ that. I just…if I treat him, I gotta write it up. If you do it, no paperwork needs to be involved. He doesn't need any stitches so everything you need should be in the kit."

"The one by his eye and on his cheek, those need the little strippy bandage thingies, right?"

Chloe nodded, fighting the urge to smile at the lingo. "Yeah. Do you know how to apply those?"

"Yep," she replied on a nod. She gave the girl an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Chlo. I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it," Chloe said with a small smile. "Coffee later?"

"Sounds good. See you then," Angela said before stepping back into the room and shutting the door behind her. She gave Juice a small smile as she walked over to his side, her eyes raking over the medical supplies as she decided on where to start.

Juice sighed gratefully. He was more than happy to have Angela take care of him instead of the nurse. Something about the careful way she tended to him never failed to turn him on."Cleaning me up again, Angel?"

She nodded as she gently started swabbing the cut by his eye. "Mm-hmm," she hummed, her dark eyes focused on his injuries. "Less paperwork for Chlo that way."

"Good," he said, his heartbeat speeding up a bit as her soft fingers gently trailed over his skin. "Hey Ang?"

"Hmm?"

She applied the little butterfly bandages to each cut quickly before turning to the sink to wet a paper towel. He waited until she started scrubbing at the dried blood on his face before asking his question, "What if I don't get my cut back?"

Her eyes met his, brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't know how that works, Juice. You get a new one, I guess? I mean, do you go to a store or something…"

He chuckled at the idea of his cut with the patches he'd worked so hard to earn being available at some department store. "Nah, that's not what I meant," he said looking back down at his boots.

Her brain worked over his words, trying to decipher them. It took her a minute before it clicked. "Wait…you think I'm gonna _leave_ you because you lost your cut?" she asked, stunned.

He shrugged a shoulder, looking up at her with a frown on his face. "Wouldn't be the first time something like that's happened…"

She laughed then, a loud laugh at how ridiculous that idea was as she finished cleaning him up and shot the paper towel into the trash can. She turned back to him, reaching out a hand to play with the zipper pull of his hoodie. "Juice, I don't give a shit about your cut," she said, a sexy smirk on her face. "In fact, I prefer you without anything on. The cut's just one more thing I have to take off of you."

With that he slid off the table, the movement pulling his the zipper of his hoodie down as his feet hit the floor. He took her hips in his hands, pulling them against his own just as his lips crashed down on hers. She responded in kind, her hands slipping on his shirt to rake over his muscular torso as he slid his tongue into her mouth.

She moaned softly as his kisses trailed down her neck, one of his hands tangling into her hair. He turned her around, pushing her down onto the table before climbing on top of her. "Here?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she looked up at him.

"Here," he growled, his hands on the button of her dark slacks. He needed this. His ego had been so bruised by the men who took his cut; he needed her to make him feel good about himself again. He needed to feel like a man, and he couldn't think of any better way than having a quickie in a semi-public place.

She gave him a wicked smile as she tugged open his belt buckle. "Whatever you say, baby."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Juice was lying in just his boxers on their bed, his laptop open in front of him as he started hacking his way into the DMV. He was so absorbed in the codes that he didn't hear her come in, didn't know she was there until she was dotting soft kisses over the skin of his shoulders. "Hey baby," he said, distractedly.<p>

"Hi," Angela greeted, peering over his shoulder at the computer screen. Whatever he was doing, it looked like a foreign language. "Whatcha up to?"

"Hackin' my way into the DMV," he explained, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

She grinned proudly, gently smoothing a hand down his back. She frowned at the dark bruises that were forming on his lower back from the ambush; bruises she'd had to avoid when she'd been giving him a massage earlier. "Awesome," she murmured in response, kissing his shoulder, just over the tattoo of an upside down cross. "Something for Abel?"

"Dunno. Jax didn't say. He just gave me the plate number and told me to find an addess." He was finding it incredibly hard to focus on the task while her fingers were tracing shapes across his back. Turning his head, he looked her over. She was wearing his big black hoodie, the hood pulled up over her head, the brim of it hanging into her eyes. "You look like a Sith lord," he said, smiling to himself as she laughed.

"Come to the darkside," she whispered, her lips moving across the skin of his ear and sending shivers down his back.

"Gotta finish this first," he said before catching her lips in a quick kiss. "Then maybe I'll show you my lightsaber."

She laughed again, rolling her eyes at him. Only Juice would make a sexual innuendo using a Star Wars reference. She placed a kiss on the side of his head, over one of his tattoos while running her palm over his mowhawk. "Sounds like a plan, Jedi Master."

Juice chuckled, taking a minute to watch her back as she left. He noted how bare her legs were; her ass just barely covered by the hem of his sweatshirt. "Angel, you wearin' anything under that?" he called out to her.

"Nope!" she shouted back, her lips popping around the 'p'. He glanced back at the computer, slowly starting to get up. "Finish your work, Juice!" she yelled at smirked and lay back down on the bed; she knew him too well.

Once he was inside the DMV database, it didn't take him too long to find the address Jax was looking for. He was surprised to see it was Agent Stahl's place. "Interesting," he muttered to himself as he went over to his bedside table and grabbed a burner from the drawer to call Jax.

The phone call was quick; Juice told him the address and hung up as he headed towards the kitchen. He placed the burner on the kitchen counter and leant against it, watching Angela stir a bowl of batter as she hummed to herself. There was a streak of flour across her forehead and some on the hair by her ears. Her eyes met his and a light blush colored her cheeks. Reaching out a hand, he brushed the flour off her cheek. "Whatcha makin'?"

"Cupcakes," she answered gesturing to the cupcake pan.

"Red Velvet?" he questioned as he stuck his finger in the batter to take a sample.

She glared at him for that. "Yep. Hap's favorite."

"No shit? Wouldn't 'a ever picture him as a cupcake man," he mused to himself. He tried to picture the Tacoma killer biting into a pretty red cupcake piled high with frosting and sprinkles and chuckled to himself; sprinkles and Happy just didn't mix.

Angela laughed and nodded. "He doesn't do frosting. Just the cake part," she explained, pouring the batter into the individual cupcake circles.

"That makes sense. Guessin' you heard about tomorrow's vote then?" he asked, referring to the fact that they were voting on whether Happy could patch into SAMCRO or the next morning.

"Yeah," she said with a big smile. It faded slightly as a thought came into her head. "You'll vote him in right?"

"Only if I get a cupcake," he said, dragging his finger over the side of the mixing bowl she'd handed him.

She stuck her finger in and did the same, a smirk turning up the corner of her lips. "I think I could work something out."

He smiled at her, leaning over to steal a quick kiss. "Found new stuff about Abel…" he stated, his eyes following her as she put the cupcakes into the oven. "He's in Belfast."

Her eyebrows shot up as she turned to face him. "Ireland?"

"Yeah."

"Woah," she breathed, surprised by the distance the baby had traveled in just a few weeks. "When do you leave then?"

Juice smirked. "Why do you always assume I'm going? You tryin' to get rid of me?"

She laughed, rolling her eyes at him as she shook her head. "You're a loyal guy, Juice. It's one of the things I like most about you. If you weren't going, I'd wonder what the hell was wrong with you."

He nodded in understanding, his hands reaching out to grab her hips and pull her into his chest. She reached up and draped her arms over his shoulders, head tilting to the side as she studied his face. "We'll be leavin' in a few days," he answered, trailing his fingers across her cheek before tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Want to come?"

"You say that like it's a possibility," Angela teased with a smirk.

Juice sighed knowing she was right. There was no way in hell he could justify Angela tagging along to the club. He was pretty sure telling them he wanted her there so he could have sex with her in a different country and see if it was different would not go over well; especially with Happy.

She set her palms on his bare chest, looking up at him through her long lashes. He smiled, dipping his head so his lips were just inches from hers, teasing her. His fingers pulled down the zipper of her hoodie, slowly revealing one of the bras he'd bought for her. It had all of his favorite elements, lace, leopard print, and his favorite colors. His eyes met hers and in one swift movement, he swooped her off her feet, draping her over his shoulder.

"Juice!" she squealed, flailing her arms and legs as he carried her towards the bedroom. "The cupcakes are gonna burn! Stop! Put me down!"

"They'll be fine," he promised as he flipped her onto the bed. He pulled down the rest of the zipper and took her in. "Delicious."

She wrinkled her nose at the comment. "Ew. What are you going to do? Eat me?" she asked, disgust in her voice. At his eyebrow raise, she blushed in embarrassment; she had not meant that in a sexual way.

Juice laughed, surprised that after all they'd done, she still blushed when she said something dirty. "Yeah, cupcake," he quipped, holding himself over her with an arm placed on either side of his head. He dipped his head, playfully nipping at her neck.

"Go ahead, Bacon," she teased, laughing when he pulled away a confused look on his face.

"Bacon?" he asked, lifting himself a bit so he could see her face. "Out of all the food in the world you call me _bacon_?"

"You called me cupcake!" she exclaimed on a laugh.

"Yeah, but cupcakes are sweet and delicious," he explained, opening his mouth to add something, only to be cut off.

"If you say just like you, I'll kick your butt, goofy," she threatened, a finger in his face.

He chuckled, catching her lips in a soft kiss. "Wouldn't dream of it, Angel."

* * *

><p>It was late in the morning when Angela came home from her run. She'd just popped open a bottle of water when the doorbell rang. Raising an eyebrow, she capped her water bottle and headed to the front door. After checking who it was, she opened the door and was immediately swept off her feet in a bone-crushing hug. "Hey there, kiddo!" Kozik exclaimed as he set her down on her feet again.<p>

"Hey Kozi," she said, glancing at his badly bruised face curiously as he brushed by her heading towards the kitchen.

"Heard you made cupcakes," he said commented over his shoulder, ignoring her scrutiny.

Happy followed him in, ruffling her hair lovingly on his way by. "Best not eat 'em all, fool," he called after Kozik.

She rolled her eyes at them. "They voted you in?" she asked Hap, following after them. She felt like she was a little kid again, chasing after Happy and his friends, begging to be included despite the fact that it was her house and her cupcakes they were stealing.

"Yeah," he answered curtly, around a bite of cupcake.

"Congrats, Hap!" she exclaimed, grinning at him before turning to Kozik. "What about you, Koz?"

"Nah," the blonde murmured, hanging his head as he dug around in the fridge. He pulled out a small tub of cream cheese icing and started using his finger to put it on the cupcake. "Got shit I gotta sort out first. Clay said I can stick around though."

Angela scowled at him, handing him a butter knife so he would stop contaminating the whole icing tub with his dirty fingers. "Quite a shiner you got there," she commented, grabbing an icepack from the fridge and handing it to him.

"Asshole," Kozik muttered to himself as he put the icepack on his eye. "Hey, you got a bandage, kid? He fuckin' bit me."

"Tig _bit_ you?" she asked, her eyes widening at the thought.

She glanced at Happy who wasn't at all fazed by it. "His go-to move," he said by way of explanation.

"He could get sick from that," she commented, her mind going over the different blood borne pathogens she learned about in mortuary school.

Kozik snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hey kid. Bandaid, remember?"

"Yeah, I'll get you one. Where's Juice?" she called over her shoulder as she headed towards the bedroom. The big first aid kit was in the in suite bathroom.

Kozik followed after her. "Stayed behind doin' something or other," the blonde explained, leaning against the doorjamb. He took in the messy bed with a raised eyebrow. "Thought Juice was OCD about messy shit."

Angela shrugged a shoulder, pushing Kozik out of the room and towards the guest bathroom. "Didn't have time to fix it this morning before he left."

"At least _some_body's gettin' some," Kozik mused as he pushed back the sleeve of his long sleeved shirt to reveal the bite mark.

"Shut up, Koz," she muttered, scowling at him. She swiped the wound with a little alcohol, fighting off a grin at his hiss of pain. _"_You're such a baby."

"Speaking of baby, how's my baby brother?" he asked, knowing Angela talked to his kid brother a hell of a lot more than he did.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Mel's fine. Ready to be done with all this intern crap and be a doctor. Said he's thinkin' of coming to visit soon."

"Juice okay with that?" Kozik asked. She looked down at her feet and shrugged again which made the blonde shake his head. "He don't know about Melly does he?"

"Nothin' to know, Koz," she told him easily. "Mel's my friend, my brother. You _know_ things didn't work between us."

Kozik rolled his eyes. He'd always hoped his kid brother would get together with Angela. They were a good match. Angela helped loosen the stick Mel had up his ass so the kid actually had some fun once in awhile. "Yeah but only 'cause the timing was off."

"Timing's never gonna be on, Koz. Drop it," she said, giving him a stern glare before leaving the bathroom.

He chased after her, grinning like an idiot. He loved seeing her happy. It was a hell of a lot better than depressed, _chola_ Angela. "Timing's never gonna be on 'cause you fell for that idiot," he stated rather than asked. He didn't wait for her response, just shook his head at her. "So much for never falling for a biker again, huh Hap?"

Happy smirked and nodded. "She's got a type."

"It's your fault," she accused, glancing at Happy.

"So?" he asked on a shrug.

Kozik smirked. "And you're okay with her and the idiot?" he asked Happy.

Happy shrugged indifferently. "Better than Tig."

"That's for damn sure," the blonde answered, nodding enthusiastically.

* * *

><p>Juice was surprised to see Happy and Kozik's bikes parked outside of his house when he pulled into the drive. Raising an eyebrow, he swung off his bike and headed inside through the unlocked door. Figures Angela wouldn't lock it with her two bodyguards in there. The first thing he saw when he entered was Angela dressed in her running clothes; black spandex short-shorts and a tight dark blue wife-beater, her black sports bra peeking out from the neckline. A thin sheen of sweat still clung to her skin giving it that shiny sort of look. Her dark hair was pulled out of her face in a long ponytail that swished back and forth as she talked. Juice swallowed hard; sweaty or not, she looked damn sexy. He'd never seen her in her work out clothes before since he was usually at work or busy with the club when she went running.<p>

He would've thrown her over his shoulder and taken her straight to the bathroom for a shared shower if Happy and Kozik hadn't been standing there glaring daggers at him. "Hey guys," he said nodding to them before pecking Angela's cheek. "Hey Angel."

"Hey you," she greeted, turning her head to kiss his cheek.

"Have a nice run?" he asked, moving to the kitchen and grabbing a cupcake of his own. Kozik pushed the container of icing towards him from which he took a big glob and put it on.

Angela nodded. "Yep!"

"You let her run around town lookin' like that?" Koz asked looking to Happy instead of Juice.

Happy shrugged a shoulder in silent answer; he didn't care where his cousin ran. She was fast enough and smart enough to avoid any trouble. Juice, however, scowled at the fact that Kozik had asked Happy instead of him. Yeah, Happy was Angela's cousin, but she was _his_ girl. If anyone had say in what she wore out; it should be him.

She rolled her eyes in response. "First of all, I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself. Second of all, I run through the cemetery, Koz. There aren't a lot of people there to bug me."

"You just get creepier every day, kid," the blonde biker commented with a shake of his head. "Pretty soon, you'll be in Happy's territory."

"He's not creepy, he's scary. If anyone's a creep it's _you_, cradle robber," Angela said in her cousin's defense. Happy smirked, nodding in agreement.

Juice chuckled at that one, earning himself a glare from Kozik. "Hey, it ain't my fault that all the young ones are attracted to me," Kozik protested, raising his hands in the air.

"Whatever, creeper," she muttered, shaking her head at him. "I'm goin' to take a shower. I'll see you guys later." She approached Juice. "Bye, you."

Juice gave her a quick frosting-laced kiss. "Bye, baby," he said, fighting the urge to smack her ass as she started down the hall. Instead, he watched the smooth swing of her hips as she walked away, all sorts of dirty thoughts running through his head as he licked his lips hungrily.

A sharp smack to the side of his head made him realized he wasn't being discreet in his thoughts. Turning, he was met with Happy's dark glare. "Stop that," he growled protectively. Juice gave him an apologetic shrug, the wide smile on his face telling Happy he was anything but sorry. Happy just shook his head and muttered, "Idiot."

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you think in a review!<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	31. Time

**Wow thank you so much for all of your amazing reviews! To those who weren't signed in/signed in as Guests, thank you! Especially to those of you who said I made your day. That really makes me feel great because reading your reviews never ceases to make my day, so I'm glad to brighten yours with my story! **

**Anyways, enough of my babbling...this chapter takes place towards the end of Season 3, Episode 6 "_The Push" _and during Season 3 Episode 7 "_Widening Gyre"_. **

**43 days left until Season 5! YAY! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 31__: Time_

_By Love Ink_

Angela was at St. Thomas to for a late pick up. The body was set to be cremated and Skeeter wanted it to be picked up as soon as possible. Since everyone else was busy with other things, she offered to go get it for him so he could set up with oven. She rolled the body towards the back exit, taking her time since she really didn't have anything else to do. She'd just barely gotten out of the elevator doors when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks. "_Angelita_?"

It was a voice she would've been able to recognize anywhere. It brought back memories of scraped knees and delicious family dinners. It'd been too long since she'd last seen the owner of that voice; too long for her to decide whether seeing him again was a good thing or a bad thing. She turned around and smiled when she saw the mustached Mexican man standing at the other end of the hall. "Marcus," she greeted, nodding to him. She pushed the gurney to the side and met him halfway down the hall.

Marcus Alvarez gave her a curt nod, the corners of his mouth turning up with just the slightest hint of a smile as he pulled her into a quick hug. "Look at you, _mija_," he said, holding her out at arms length. "All grown up. I'd heard you were in Charming. Working?"

She nodded, looking back at the gurney. "Mm-hmm."

"Good for you," he said, pride in his voice. This was the little girl he'd watched grow up. The little girl he'd bailed out of jail when she and his son had been caught with alcohol as minors not once but twice. He was proud of her, though seeing her pained him; it reminded him of his son, the one he'd let go for the good of his club.

"I heard about Esai, Marcus. I'm sorry," she said, though she knew Esai's blood was on his father's hands despite the fact that Happy had killed him. "How's Dia holding up?" she asked, thinking back to his Old Lady. Diana Alvarez was one tough woman; a lot like Gemma in a lot of ways. Diana had taught Angela to cook, to sew, and most importantly, how to deal with men.

Marcus shrugged a shoulder. "Thanks. She's all right, _mija_. Just had a new baby. Little girl, Maria."

"Congratulations!" Angela exclaimed with a bright smile. "I bet she's beautiful!"

"She is," he said, bobbing his head. "Listen, we're having a party down in the _barrio_ on Sunday. You should stop by, _mija_. The crew would love to see you."

Angela sighed, twisting her ring around her finger nervously as she thought. She'd love to see her old friends again, but she knew the price that would come with going to a Mayan rally. "Maybe," she answered vaguely.

Marcus' dark eyes narrowed as they studied her. "Esai told me you were involved with the Sons now."

She looked down at her feet and shrugged. "Not with the club just...a member."

He understood what she meant; she wasn't involved with the club, but she was involved with a member. It was similar to what her relationship had been with the Mayans when she was dating Esai. He clapped her on the shoulder, squeezing it gently. "The Mayans and Sons are good now, _mija. _Think about it," he said, kissing her temple. "Good to see you, _Angelita_."

"You too, Marcus," she said. Her eyes followed his back as he headed back down the hall and slipped into the chapel.

Jax walked down the hall soon after, pausing when he saw her standing there. "You see a Mexican guy with a cut come down here?"

Angela blinked at him before nodding slowly. "Mustache? Slicked back hair?"

"That's the one," he said giving her a smile.

"Went in the Chapel," she replied gesturing in the direction Marcus had disappeared.

Jax clapped a hand on her shoulder as he headed past her towards the chapel. "Thanks, Ang."

"Yeah," she said, turning to head back to her gurney. Slowly, she pushed it out the door, her mind going over Marcus' invitations; weighing the pros and cons. She knew she shouldn't go, that it wasn't wise to start mixing the two different clubs into her personal life. Truces between rival MCs were fragile and easily broken; she'd hate to get caught on the wrong side. But she wasn't an Old Lady. She wasn't tied to the Sons nor was she tied to the Mayans. The fact that attending the rally made her feel like a traitor was sickening. She didn't want to be shackled by the Sons because of her relationship with Juice. Being Happy's cousin had never stopped her from anything. If she wanted to go and see her old friends, she was going to go.

* * *

><p>Later that night, she stood with Happy at the foot of a gravestone in Oakland. The next day marked the anniversary of her father's death, but they'd kept to the tradition of going the night before since their mothers usually went the day of. Happy had started it. He hadn't wanted his young cousin growing up seeing the two dominate females in her life crying over a gravestone.<p>

Angela stared at the headstone before looking back up at Happy. "Is it weird that I miss him? I mean, I only have like a handful of memories but…I _miss_ him. It hurts to think that he could be here right now and he's not."

Happy shrugged a shoulder. He wished she had known her father. Her dad had been as close to a father figure as Happy had ever had. He'd taught him everything he knew, and Happy had passed on that knowledge to Angela. "He's your old man. That hurt don't go away no matter how long you knew him," he said softly, draping an arm around her shoulders. "He woulda been proud a you, kid."

"You think?"

"Yeah. You survived growin' up with your crazy Ma."

Angela laughed, shaking her head at him. "Yeah, well, I had you and your mom to help me."

Happy smirked as he nodded, squeezing her shoulder. "Did my best."

A minute passed by, both cousins deep in their own thoughts. She looked up at Happy, admiring his stoic strength. "Thanks, Hap. For everything," she said, her voice just barely above a whisper.

He shifted, uncomfortable with the mushy turn the conversation had taken. "Don't worry about it, kid."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him, choosing instead to stand on her toes and press a quick kiss to his scruffy cheek. "So I ran into Alvarez in St. Thomas today," she stated, effectively changing the subject. "He told me the Sons and Mayans are friendly again.

Happy nodded. "For now. You two talk?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder, trying her best to play it off as no big deal. "Yeah," she replied honestly. She sighed at his disapproving look. "Hap, he was a big part of my life for awhile."

He could count the things he regretted in his life on one hand. One of them was going inside for that long stretch of prison time at the exact moment Angela needed him the most, allowing her to fall in with the Alvarez's and establish some type of familial relationship with them. "I know, kid," he muttered, dropping his arm from around her shoulders and fishing in his pocket for a cigarette as he headed back to the parking lot. He had a feeling there was something else she was working her way up to, and it felt disrespectful to discuss such mundane things in front of her father's headstone. "So?"

"There's a race and rally in the old _barrio_ tomorrow. I know you and Juice are busy, Ly and Tara work, I love the Winston kids, but…I need some grown up fun," she explained, raking a hand through her hair. "I want to go."

Happy wasn't sure if she was asking for permission or for his opinion. Either way, he knew she was going to go. He was glad she'd decided to bounce the idea off of him first though. It was a consideration she had never made in the past. "Go," he said simply. He knew she was in no danger there. He'd seen the way some of the Mayan men protected her; they wouldn't let anything happen to her. He didn't see any harm in her going. "We're good with the Mayans. Just stay away from the Calaveras."

She gave him a confused look. She'd never once heard of any MC called the Calaveras. "Why?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"Don't worry about it," he said, dismissing her question with a wave of his hand. "Bring protection."

"Will do. Lots of condoms," she joked, smirking triumphantly when he cracked a smile.

He ruffled her hair with one of his large hands. "You know what I meant, dumbass," he said handing her his extra helmet. Another part of the tradition was to ride there together on his Harley. Though not an MC member, her father had loved motorcycles. "Don't think the idiot would be all right with that."

"He's got nothin' to worry about. I'm very satis..."

"Stop!" Happy exclaimed, a look of disgust on his face. "You want him to live?"

Angela laughed as she put on the helmet. "Knife all right? I'd rather not cart around the Glock."

"Yeah. Still got that folding knife I got ya?"

She grinned at him. He'd gotten her the black-bladed folding knife when she turned thirteen before he went inside for a long stretch. It was a beautiful knife with angel wings etched into the black handle; Happy always got her the coolest shit. " 'course I do. It's in my glove compartment."

Happy shook his head at her, frowning in disapproval. He thought she should always have that knife on her. It was the easiest, most inconspicuous weapon for her to use to protect herself; he didn't believe in pepper spray. "Doesn't do you much good there," he said, getting on his Dyna.

"I know, I know," she replied, sliding on the bike behind him. "I'm not Buffy. I can't just carry weaponry around with me."

He pulled a face. "It ain't a stake. Thing fits in your pocket."

"It's still a annoying to have that thing pokin' me everyday."

"Get used to it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered, rolling her eyes at him.

He started up his Harley and whipped out of the parking lot. Riding on the back of Happy's Dyna was a lot different than riding on the back of Juice's. Instead of wrapping her arms around his waist and cuddling into him, Angela just held onto his sides or onto the seat, whichever was more comfortable. It was left her freer to watch the world whip by in a blur around her.

It was a long ride to her place from Oakland, but it was nice and relaxing. Once in the drive, Happy turned off the bike, waiting for her to get off but making no move to do so himself. He was aware of Juice's bike in the driveway and knew the idiot would be waiting for his girl. Since they were probably leaving for Belfast the next day, he wasn't about to interrupt them. "See you later," he said, watching her take off her helmet.

She leant over and kissed his cheek. "Bye, Hap. Love you."

"You too, kid," he said, the roar of his bike almost drowning out his words.

Angela waited until his taillights disappeared before heading inside. Juice was sitting on the couch that they'd managed to move over from the funeral home, his laptop in his lap, feet kicked up onto the coffee table they'd also nicked from Skeeter. He turned his head to look at her when she walked in, holding out an arm to her. "Hey baby," he greeted.

"Hey you," she said, sitting on the couch next to him and leaning her head against his shoulder. Her hand smoothed over the soft leather of his cut and she grinned up at him as she sat up, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "You got it back! I knew you would!"

He gave her that goofy grin of his, his hand slipping under her shirt at the small of her back and brushing across the warm skin there. "Beat the crap out of the guy who stole it from me too," he stated proudly, showing off his bruised knuckles.

"Watch out. We got a badass over here," she teased, giggling when he tickled her sides. She lent forward, giving him a smacking kiss on the lips before settling back onto the couch next to him. She glanced at his lap top screen curiously. "Watcha lookin' at?"

"The weather in Belfast," he explained, gesturing to one of three windows that were open. The other two were for parts for his Dyna and some techie website. "We're probably leavin' some time tomorrow afternoon. Don't have the specifics yet."

"Okay," she said, her eyes falling on the screen of his laptop. "Hap goin' with you?"

Juice nodded. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about leaving her behind. "You need anythin', you go to Piney, all right?"

Angela glanced up at him, a small smile tugging at her lips at his concern. "Don't worry about me, Juice. I'll be fine," she assured him.

"I know you will be. Just in case though. I wouldn't want anythin' to happen to you."

She smiled at him, moving to press a sensual kiss to his lips as she sat up straighter so she was taller than him. Without breaking the kiss, he set his laptop on the coffee table at his feet and set a hand on her lower back, pushing her closer to him. She slid a leg over his, straddling his lap as she tugged on the sides of his cut. The top button opened with a satisfying _pop_, making her smile. She broke the kiss, pulling away from him when he went in for another one and teasing him by pressing a soft kiss to his neck, just below his earlobe instead.

He swallowed hard, his fingers raking though her hair, tugging on it lightly to gain access to her lips. "Tease," he breathed, before claiming her mouth with his.

"You love it," she accused on a giggle as she lay back on the couch.

Juice loomed above her, holding himself up with an arm on either side of her body. Her eyes were dark with lust as she looked up at him, fingertips tracing over his belt buckle. Her words tripped him up, made his mind travel down paths he'd never expected it to go. Did he love her? He couldn't. He didn't even know what love was. But he knew he liked being with her, that it would physically hurt him to lose her, that he cared for her more than he cared for almost anything else in his life.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. What was he waiting for? "Juice?" she asked, her voice unsure.

"Sorry, baby," he said, leaning down and kissing her gently. "Spaced out for a sec."

She laughed, her fingers trailing over his cheek. "Come back to me," she whispered before pulling his head down for another kiss. "I want some big Rican lovin' before you leave."

He chuckled, lowering himself onto her and sliding a hand under her shirt. "I can do that."

* * *

><p>The next afternoon…<p>

Angela pulled up to the park in Oakland, smiling as soon as she stepped out of the car and heard the loud Tejano music. The smell of grilled meat filled her nose, making her stomach rumble. She surveyed the scene before her, taking in the two different types of cuts: Mayans and Calaveras. The Calaveras had their own table and weren't mixing much with the Mayans though some of the younger members were mingling. She rubbed her thumb nervously over the grip of the knife she had tucked into her pocket, remembering Happy's warning to stay away from the other MC.

A loud whistle made her turn around. She smiled when she saw who the whistle belonged to. "Raffi," she greeted, nodding to him. He'd been Esai's best friend while they were growing up. He'd been one of their partners in crime and had sat right alongside them in the cell when they got caught underage drinking.

"Get over here, stupid," he said, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing her cheek. " '_mana_, it's been too long." (_'mana_ is short for _hermana _which means sister.)

She nodded in agreement, looking him over. "Look at you, Raf! All grown up with your cut 'n' everything!"

"Livin' the dream," Rafael said on a nod. He slung an arm around her shoulder. "_Vamos_. Family's been waitin' on ya." (_Let's go_)

"I told Marcus I wasn't sure I was comin', though."

"_Angelita_, we're your family. We knew you'd be comin'. You got no reason not to anymore," he explained as they walked towards where the Mayan charter from Oakland's spread was. "Dia, look who I found."

Diana Alvarez turned around from where she was standing at a stroller. "_Angelita_, _mi amor_!" she exclaimed, pulling Angela into a warm embrace. "_Como estas_?" (_Little Angel, my love. How are you?)_

She spent most of the day catching up with her old crew. Most of the punks she grew up with were fully patched Mayans and Old Ladies. If she'd stuck around, she had no doubt that she'd be living the same life. For the most part, a lot of them knew about her ties to the Sons and to her surprise, a lot of the men knew about her relationship with Juice. No one seemed to bothered by it though which made it easy to slip right back into the friendships as if she'd never left.

Angela was cooing to the precious baby girl in her arms when Diana interrupted. "_Mijita_, looks like your boys are coming."

Angela's heart dropped down to her stomach when she saw the Sons pull up. "Oh shit," she murmured. She had told Juice she was going to hang out with some friends, but she'd left out the part about them being Mayan.

"_Veni_," Diana said, moving her behind the stroller. "Blend in." (_Come)_

Despite her efforts to blend in, Happy spotted her right away, his eyes locking on hers briefly. He gave her an up-nod, a silent question as to her well-being. She nodded once in response. Her eyes darted nervously to Juice who was walking a bit behind with Tig and Bobby. She watched as Alvarez and the rest of the Mayans approached, making sure to keep her head down.

While Clay and the Grim Bastards took a "piss" with Alvarez and some of the Calaveras, Juice, and Happy waited on one side of the bathroom while the other brothers waited on the other, keeping watch. Juice's eyes raked over the rally, taking in all the sights. He stopped on the Mayans' picnic table, smiling when he saw a cute chubby baby looking at him from over the shoulder of a dark haired beauty.

Juice couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was wearing a simple black wife beater with a pair of short shorts that showed off long tan legs. Her dark hair tumbled down her back in a mess of waves. She turned slightly, pressing a kiss to the baby's head. His breath caught in his throat when he realized he knew every inch of that body, every inch of her face. "Angel?" he breathed, glancing at Happy. The Tacoma Killer shrugged a shoulder indifferently, neither confirming nor denying it.

He headed towards her, his legs working faster than his brain. His gaze caught hers, her eyes widening slightly. She handed over the baby and went to meet him halfway not wanting whatever conversation they were about to have to be heard by those around her. When she was close enough, he took her by the arm, leading her over to an isolated corner. "What the hell are you doing here?" Juice demanded.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Visiting some friends."

Juice stared at her, dumbfounded. "Are you serious? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" he seethed, anger in his eyes.

She sucked in a breath, trying to remain calm in the face of Juice's anger. "Hap said the Sons and the Mayans are good now."

"That deal is like a minute old, Ang!"

Her eyes darted towards where Happy was standing, arms crossed over his chest, glaring daggers at them. Though Juice's hold on her arm wasn't painful, Happy couldn't see that, and she was sure it would only lead to trouble. "Can we talk about this later?" she asked, moving her arm so he'd let her go.

Juice ran a hand over his hair, reigning in his anger. It wouldn't do either of them any good to have a fight in the middle of a Mayan rally. "Go home, Angela," he ordered, pointing towards the parking lot.

"I will," she said, though she didn't plan to leave immediately.

He knew better than to leave it there. She was stubborn when she thought she was right. "Now, Ang."

She shook her head. He didn't own her. She wasn't his Old Lady or some croweater he could order around. If she wanted to stay, she was going to stay. "I'll see you at home, Juice," she said calmly turning to leave.

Juice grabbed her arm once again, pulling her in close. "See those guys over there? The Calaveras?" he hissed into her ear. To anyone else, it would look like they were having a sweet moment, but the feeling of his hand gripping her arm and the anger in his voice made it anything but. At her nod, he continued, "They are responsible for shooting up the funeral home. _Your_ funeral home. Go the fuck home. _Now_."

Angela swallowed hard as she pulled away from him. Happy hadn't told her that. One hand instinctively went to the knife she had stashed in her pocket, her thumb rubbing over the top of it as she took a deep breath. "Yeah, okay," she agreed. She kissed his cheek quickly before heading back towards the Mayans.

"Everythin' all right?" Happy asked as Juice stalked back towards him.

Juice nodded in response, his teeth gritted together as he fought against an angry slew of words he wanted to shout at the Tacoma Killer. How could tell Angela it was okay to go? Didn't he see the danger there? He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His eyes stayed on Angela though, watching her as she hugged everyone goodbye. Her eyes caught his once more before she headed to her Mazda, a look of irritation in them that bugged Juice a little.

Happy saw the tightness in his little cousin's shoulders as she walked away, her head down. From the back of her head, he couldn't tell whether she was stressed or pissed. Either way didn't bode well for Juice. "What's up?" he asked Juice as his mowhawked brother stood by his side.

"You told her she could come here?"

"Yeah."

"With the Calaveras here and everything?"

He shrugged a shoulder, indifferent once again. "You don't got to worry about her. Kid knows how to defend herself."

Juice hated his indifference. It made him wonder how much Happy really cared about Angela if he'd give her permission to go to a rival club's rally that included the club that had only days before shot up her work place. "She's not bullet proof," he muttered.

Happy nodded in agreement. "She needs this kind of shit," he stated, watching his cousin drive away. "Needs to get out."

"Yeah but with the Mayans?"

He nodded again. "You cage her in and she'll fight against you. Wrong, right, she don't give a damn. Kid doesn't follow rules she don't understand."

Juice could see where that made sense. "How do you deal with that then?"

"Explain shit to her. She ain't dumb, Juice. She gets it pretty quick."

Juice nodded. He'd seen Happy use this strategy on Angela before when she was angry about going into lockdown. "She pissed at me?"

"Can't tell."

He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Great."

* * *

><p>Juice was surprised when he got back to the house and Angela wasn't there. It was a Saturday, she didn't have work, she didn't have any other obligations. Where could she be? He sat down on the couch, pulling out his cell phone, expecting to see some sort of explanation from her in a text or a message, but there was nothing. Sighing, he leant forward, elbows on his knees, head in his hands, waiting. His mind went through the possible places she could be, each time circling back to the rally. Maybe she'd gone back once they'd left, despite the inherent danger he'd warned her of. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got.<p>

Angela walked into the house to find him pacing the floor. She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side as her eyes followed him. "What's going on?" she asked, biting back a light laugh at his pacing.

"Where you been?" he asked, stopping his pacing and staring her down.

She was a little put off by his aggressive tone. It was clear he hadn't gotten over the whole Mayan incident. "St. Thomas. Tara wanted to talk," she replied honestly. The doctor had called her while she was on her way home from Oakland to ask her to do something incredibly illegal, something she probably shouldn't have agreed to doing.

"Really?"

She looked slightly taken aback at his question. "I wouldn't lie to you."

Juice shook his head at her. "You sure about that? 'Cause you did today."

Angela clamped her jaw shut, afraid that it would drop open if she didn't. She didn't lie to him. She'd never once lied to him. Sure, she may have not told him some things but lying was something she didn't do lightly. "I told you I was going out with friends," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What part of that was a lie?"

"You forgot to mention they were Mayans, Ang."

She scoffed at him, rolling her eyes. "I grew up with those guys, Juice. Before the patches and the fighting and the drugs, they were my friends. I went to school with most of the younger ones. The older ones, I had sleepovers with their daughters and tutored their sons. I don't see them as Mayans because I knew them before the cut on their back ever mattered."

"It matters now though!" he put in, his voice a little louder than he wanted it. "Who you're associated with…all that shit matters now, Ang!"

"Why?"

"Because you're with me. Because I'm a Son. They are my _family_. You gotta respect that!"

"The Mayans and Sons are good now," she stated, trying her best to remain calm. Yelling at him wasn't going to solve anything. "I made sure of that before I went."

"Just because we're on good terms, doesn't mean you gotta go runnin' to hang out with 'em! Our deals never last. If somethin' had gone wrong between us or with the CL, you'da been stuck in the crossfire with no one to protect you!"

"I can take care of myself!" she shouted before she could stop herself.

Juice scowled at her. "Oh yeah? Can you? You can't even shoot someone!"

His words were a figurative slap to the face. "Fuck you, Juice!" she shouted, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She'd told him in confidence that she didn't think she could ever shoot someone. She never thought he'd throw that back in her face. "I didn't sign up for this shit! I don't have a cut on my back; I don't have to bow down to your club's stupid rules like you do!"

"Then you should find another guy!" he blurted out without thinking.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. They stood there staring at each other in silence, both too shocked to say anything more. He watched her suck in a deep breath, raising her chin up as she did so. She was trying to be strong, trying to build a wall against the wave of pain his words had brought on. "Maybe I will," she shot back, her voice low and angry. She pushed past him, hitting her shoulder with his as she headed towards their room.

Juice didn't chase after her just stood there, eyes focused on the spot she'd just been in. The sound of the closet door slamming shut pulled him from his thoughts and he rushed back in the direction she'd gone. She'd just thrown her suitcase on the bed and was busy pulling open the zipper when he walked in. "Angel…"

The shrill ring of his phone cut him off. She stopped what she was doing, her eyes lifting from the leather duffel to meet his. Part of her hoped he wouldn't answer it, hoped he'd continue what he was going to say, and hoped to God he was about to tell her he didn't mean what he'd just said. She didn't want to find another guy. Didn't want to even try because she knew none of them would make her feel the way Juice did.

His eyes never left hers as he dug into his pocket for his phone. He pulled it out, flipping it open and putting it to his ear. "Yeah?"

She stared down at the suitcase in an effort not to listen to his conversation. The bag was empty, as she expected it to be. For some reason, though, it made her stop short in her packing mission. She couldn't do it, couldn't leave Juice just like that. It wasn't that easy.

Angela took a seat on the bed next to it, raking her hand through her hair. This whole thing was so ridiculous. It was a stupid little fight that they could easily work through. Both of them were making mountains out of molehills. They just needed some time to sort it out…

"I gotta go." His voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Gotta find Abel."

_No_, she thought, her heart sinking in her chest. He couldn't leave like this; not in the middle of this fight. "Shit," she whispered. Though she wanted them to bring Abel home, she cursed the timing of it all. Normally she could deal with the club interrupting them, but this time, this time it could lead to something awful.

"Yeah," he agreed, his voice rough as he looked at her. "You gonna be here when I get back?"

Her dark eyes met his, a mixture of hope and sadness etched into them. "Do you want me to be?"

He narrowed his eyes at her as he thought of the question. The decision was up to her. He couldn't handle her hanging out with Mayans like it was nothing, and it was obvious that it was something she didn't want to give up. "Up to you. You know what I want, Angel. I'm not askin' for much."

Angela hung her head down, feeling tears gathering in her eyes. He wanted her to give up her past. Her old family. Could she do that? She knew she could, she'd done it before when the Mayans and Sons were on bad terms. But seeing them that day…it felt good. It made her feel happy. On the other hand, Juice made her happy in a way that no one else ever had. The fact that he'd asked her to give up something that made her happy put her ill at ease; she wasn't some mindless croweater that would just follow whatever he said because she wanted to be with him. Healthy relationships didn't work that way.

Before she could respond, he walked over to her, gently curling his fingers under her chin to tilt it up so he could see her eyes. "We'll be back soon."

"Okay," she said on a nod. "Good luck finding Abel. Be safe."

"Yeah. You too," he murmured, his thumb trailing over her cheek. He pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her lips, pulling away when his phone went off again. He sighed before grabbing his pack off the floor and heading out the door.

She pressed her fingers to her lips that were still tingling from his kiss. Could that have been the last kiss she'd ever get from him? Was this thing with Juice over for good? That decision rested on her shoulders and the weight of it made her feel like she couldn't breathe.

* * *

><p>Angela leant against the brick wall of the funeral home. Tipping her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes, sucking in a long breath as she tried to keep herself together. She couldn't make a decision like this without him there to talk through it with her. The situation wasn't just black and white; she was more than willing to compromise on it. They just needed time. Time they didn't have. Time they never had because SAMCRO always seemed to interrupt them somehow.<p>

She raked a hand through her hair, her eyes looking skyward as if she could find some kind of answer there. The sound of a car pulling into the parking lot made her look down again. "Hey T," she said, walking around the Cutlass and slipping into the passenger's seat.

"Hi Ang," Tara replied with a small smile. She studied her face for a brief moment as she waited to get on the main street. There was something wrong; the girl was unusually serious. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Angela replied quickly, pushing a stray hair behind her ear and trying for a smile. "Totally fine."

Tara gave her a skeptical look before nodding. "You get Gemma's bag?"

She held up the black leather bag filled with Gemma's things that she'd gotten from her house. "Right here. You get the med's together?"

"Got 'em stashed in the room," Tara replied before sighing. She couldn't believe what they were going to attempt to do. Gemma had been surprised when Tara had brought up asking for Angela's help in the escape plan. The Queen of SAMCRO had been skeptical at first, but they needed a back up plan in case the guys couldn't provide an escape car and Tara couldn't leave without looking majorly guilty. Adding a third person made the risk less. No one would ever suspect the undertaker to be a part of the plan. "I'm gonna park the Cutlass in the back. Gemma will text you for a pick up and meet you out by the service exit."

Angela nodded, rubbing her palms across her jeans. She still couldn't believe she'd agreed to be involved in Gemma's escape. What had convinced her was the desperate look in Tara's eyes and the explanation that this was her way of making up for what happened to Abel. Angela rarely turned down a friend in need, and she'd do anything to help Abel even if it meant breaking a law or two. "Sounds good."

"Be careful, okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said with a reassuring smile. She was confident in her driving skills. Even though the Cutlass looked like it was on its last legs; Tara had assured her that it would hold up going high speeds. "Does she know where we're going?"

Tara shrugged a shoulder. "We'll find out."

"Awesome," Angela said sarcastically.

The doctor looked her over. "You sure everything's all right?"

"Juice and I had a…disagreement," she answered honestly, her eyes on her boots. "We couldn't figure it out before he had to go which left our already weird relationship in limbo."

"I know how you feel," Tara said on a sigh. At Angela's questioning look, she elaborated, "Jax fucked Ima."

Angela scoffed, shaking her head. "Shit. You win."

"Yeah," she agreed, pulling into the parking lot. It was not a game she was happy to win. "Yet I'm still here. Putting myself on the line for Gemma."

She sighed in response, laughing lightly at the strange situation. "Funny how that works out."

* * *

><p>Angela waited in the Cutlass for Gemma's text, her leg bouncing up and down nervously. Her heart was racing in her chest as she waited eagerly for the rush that came with speeding down the street. She needed it, needed something to get what happened with Juice out of her head.<p>

She got the text and sped towards the back of the building, smiling at the kick the Cutlass had. Turning into the service lot, she pulled up in front of where Clay, Jax, Tig, Gemma, and Unser were standing just outside the entrance. "Hi," she greeted with a small smile, giving Unser a two-fingered salute. "Chief."

Unser looked over his shoulder at her, his hands still holding his gun pointed at the others. He'd seen the young undertaker before, but had no idea she was one of Gemma's little minions. Clay and Jax both looked slightly surprised while Tig just grinned at her. Oh, she was definitely going to be hearing an earful from Happy later, she thought with a grimace.

Gemma nodded to her in greeting, a proud look on her face. She pointed at the black car, looking at Tig. "Tig, you take the Cutlass with Ang."

At Tig's eyebrow raise, Gemma shrugged. "Don't want her goin' to jail, do ya?" she asked glaring at Unser. She hadn't been sure Angela would pull through, but now that she was there, she wasn't about to get her arrested by Unser just because Tig didn't want her to be involved. If she went with them, she'd at least have a chance to get out of spending a night in jail.

Tig sighed as he nodded. "Whatever you say, Gemma," he said, walking around the car towards the driver's side. He waved his hands at Angela in a shooing motion, not about to let her drive. "Outta the way, doll."

Angela scooted over to the passenger's side, buckling herself in as she watched the other three get into the tow truck. "I don't really have to go with ya you know," she said as he put the car in gear. "He can't arrest me for driving a car around."

"Can for aiding and abetting," he pointed out, pulling out of the parking lot. " 'nd I ain't gonna be the one responsible for putting Hap's little cousin in jail."

She chuckled, sliding her sunglasses onto her face and rolling down the window. "Fair enough."

"Surprised you're a part of this, undertaker. Thought you liked to stay outta club stuff."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Doin' it for Gemma and Abel. Not the club. Plus, I like driving fast. I'd make a killer wheelman if I got the chance."

Tig chuckled, shaking his head at her terrible joke. "I'll keep that in mind," he said looking over his shoulder to where the towtruck was following behind him. "They're lookin' for the fuckin' truck."

"Switcheroo?" she asked feeling the adrenaline rushing through her veins as Tig pulled over into an empty parking lot. The towtruck followed suit.

"You got it, doll," he said, getting out of the car and going to explain the situation to the others. She followed after him, leaning against the front of the truck and waiting for Tig to finish his explanation. "Backtrack through town, I'll lead them up the thirteen. Go!" Tig ordered, pointing to the Cutlass.

Jax clapped Angela on the shoulder while Clay nodded his goodbye. After saying a few words to Tig, Gemma pulled her into a tight hug. "You take care of Tara."

"Will do," she said, pulling away and getting into the passenger's side of the tow truck with Tig. He gave her a questioning look. He thought she'd bail and save herself some jail time. She smirked in response, unbraiding her hair and starting to fashion it to look like Gemma's. As Tig called out orders to Clay and Jax.

He started up the truck, pulling out of the parking lot. "You want me to pull over and let you out somewhere?"

"They're not gonna chase after you if they see just one person in the truck."

Tig grinned at her as he pushed down on the accelerator. "You're smarter than you look, undertaker"

She rolled her eyes at him, fighting a smile. "Thanks." She held on tightly as he made his way towards the highway, weaving through traffic expertly despite the huge bulk of the truck. It was clear he'd done this before.

He glanced over his shoulder quickly. "They close?"

Angela spared a quick glance over her shoulder. The cops were visible, but they had yet to come close enough to be a real threat. "Not too close, not too far. They're keeping up."

"Good," he said on a nod. "How many?"

She smirked and looked over at him. "I'm pretty sure all of Charming PD is on our tail."

"Even better," he said tapping on the steering wheel excitedly. "Stay with me little piggies. C'mon stay with me P-I-G-G-I-E-S."

Angela chuckled, rolling down the window and letting her hand hang out. "Where we goin'?"

"I'm thinkin' Modesto. You like Modesto?"

"Just get me outta Charming," she said, kicking her feet up on the dash. She left everything that had happened during the day behind her as she relaxed, letting the loud sound of the wind rushing through the window and whipping her hair out of her face drown out the thoughts in her head.

If it was Kozik driving, he'd have asked her where a statement like that had come from and bugged the crap out of her until she told him. Then, of course, he'd go straight to Happy. To her relief, Tig just nodded, cranking up the stereo and flooring the truck. "You got it, doll."

* * *

><p><strong>A little departure from the usual happy chapters, sorry! :\ But as Maroon 5 would say, "It's not always rainbows and butterflies." ;) <strong>

**As always, I love hearing from you guys! Any feedback (good or bad) is greatly appreciated! **

**~Love Ink**


	32. Uno

**Thank you so much to all those of you who took the time to review! You all rock my socks! :) **

**Also, a quick shout out to _superadventure_ from Tumblr! I had seen her post about this story the last time and totally forgot to say thank you! I really appreciate your kind words and recommendation! You're awesome! :) **

**This chapter takes place during Season 3, Episode 8 "Lochan Mor." :)**

**35 days until season 5 premieres in the U.S. My goal is to be half way or even all the way through season 4 by then...we shall see. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 32: Uno_

_By Love Ink_

Juice stared at the motorcycle magazine in his hands as he sat on one of the uncomfortable cargo plane seats. He'd been reading the same line for what felt like an hour without having it sink in. It was a ten and a half hour flight to Ireland, and he hadn't been able to sleep at all unlike most of his brothers who were snoring around him. Thoughts of his fight with Angela plagued him, made him feel restless. All he wanted to do was call her, work things out, but he couldn't do that. Not on the plane.

"Your girl did good today," Gemma's voice said, pulling him from his thoughts.

Juice lifted his head, glancing at Gemma whom, he realized, was talking to Happy. "She's a smart kid," Happy said in response, a look of pride on his face.

Juice raised an eyebrow in response wondering who they could possibly be talking about. Happy didn't have a girl. The only women in his life were his mom, his aunt, and... "Angie?"

She nodded in response. "Helped me get out of the hospital. No questions asked."

"What?" he breathed, his brows drawn together in confusion. That wasn't like Angela. She didn't do favors for the club because she didn't want a part in it. As she'd said before, she wasn't bound by the club's rules. There was no cut on her back. "Angela. _My_ Angela was part of your whole plan?"

Happy pulled a face at Juice's description of Angela. He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah."

"Rode with Tig in the getaway car," Gemma replied on a nod. "She was gonna drive it, but Tig wasn't about to let _that _happen."

Juice glanced at Happy, shocked. "And you knew?"

"You didn't?" came the Tacoma killer's gruff response. "The doc set it up."

He fought against the urge to laugh. She'd been telling the truth when she said she went to talk to Tara, and before she could explain what was going on, they'd fought about her presence at the rally. He felt like a total idiot for yelling at her for being disloyal when all the while she had been planning to break the law to help the Queen of SAMCRO. "How'd you convince her to do that?" he asked Gemma.

"Dunno. It was Tara that did the convincing," she explained on a shrug. "She's a smart girl. Loyal. From what I see she's got a good heart too."

Juice nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she really does," he murmured to himself, shaking his head and feeling like the dumbest man alive. What had he done?

Gemma noticed the guilt flash across the younger man's face and raised an eyebrow. "Somethin' wrong?"

He shrugged a shoulder. He wasn't about to tell Gemma about the whole Mayan dilemma. It seemed the Queen of SAMCRO was just beginning to like Angela, and he wasn't about to ruin it by creating a feeling of mistrust between them. "Just don't like leavin' her. Got a bad feeling about it for some reason," he answered. It was an honest answer, despite their argument, something felt…off.

"She can handle herself," Happy put in confidently.

Juice nodded. "That doesn't make the bad feeling go away."

"It should."

"It doesn't."

Gemma smirked at their back and forth, shaking her head at the two of them. "Relax. Both of ya. That bad feeling ya got? It happens when you leave people you care about behind. It's nothing outta the ordinary, Juice. Everything's going to be fine."

Juice nodded, rubbing his palms on his pants as he let out a sigh. "Hope so."

* * *

><p>Kozik groaned as his phone went off loudly in the middle of the night. Reaching out a blind hand, he smacked the Croweater that was next to him in the face on accident. She whined in protest to which he grunted an apology before reaching out his other hand and finding the vibrating phone on the bed stand. "Yeah?" he answered around a yawn.<p>

"Hi Kozi," Angela greeted on the other end, her voice bright a cheery despite the earlier hour.

He groaned as he checked the clock. "Kid, it's almost three in the morning," he said, running a hand through his hair. "What could you possibly want?"

"Remember that one time in Tacoma when you needed me to bail you out of jail 'cause you got caught doing that thing and you didn't want anyone else to know and you said you owed me one?" she stared out.

"Vaguely."

She sighed. "I'm gonna need to cash that in. Now."

He sat up quickly, the movement knocking the woman that had been draped over him off the bed. Every single bad situation that Angela could possibly get into went through his mind. The possibilities were endless...as were the options of what Happy would do to him if he let his little cousin get into any sort of trouble that would require jail time. "Jesus, Angela. What the hell happened?"

She winced at his use of her full name, not at all used to hearing it from Kozik. He only used it a few times and those times, she'd been in a lot of trouble for doing stupid things. "Long story. I'm at Charming PD. Can you come pick me up? Please?"

Kozik sighed, throwing his legs out of bed and grabbing his pants off the ground. "How much money do I need for bail?"

"None, actually. I just need a ride home. As soon as possible please," she explained shifting uncomfortably under Unser's scrutinizing gaze.

"You're killin' me smalls," he muttered pulling on some pants and shirt before shouldering on his cut. "Be there in a minute."

Angela hung up the phone and smiled at Unser. "Thanks."

"Standard protocol," he said, gesturing to the phone with a frown. "FBI is gonna be around to question those who participated in Gemma's escape. Maybe you should…figure out your story."

"Gemma escaped?" she asked, feigning shock. "Where did she go?"

Unser narrowed his eyes at her. "You're gonna go with that excuse?"

"What excuse? I told Tig he couldn't push that truck over 85 on the highway. He decided to prove me wrong. The fact that your whole fleet chased after us and let Gemma get away wasn't my fault," she explained on a shrug. She nodded a greeting to Kozik before turning back to Unser. "Nice to officially meet you though, Chief."

The Chief muttered something unintelligible before gesturing for her to leave. She skipped towards Kozik. "Hey Kozi."

"Sup, kid?" he asked, draping an arm over her shoulders. "Whatdya do?"

Angela let him lead her out to his bike, yawning on her way over. "Nothing."

"You're tellin' me later," he said, handing her his extra helmet. She looked into the helmet, studying the foam padding inside of it. "What?"

"Just makin' sure there's no weave left in it from the last girl."

Kozik rolled his eyes. "That was _one_ time, Ang."

She laughed swinging a leg over his bike and settling in behind him. Riding the bike with Kozik was the same as riding it with Happy; all she had to do was hold on loosely and enjoy the ride. He took her back to her house and followed her inside. "You don't have to worry about tellin' Hap about all this. He already knows what I'd planned to do," Angela said nonchalantly as she took a seat on the couch.

"Does he know it put ya in jail?," he answered sitting down next to her.

She shook her head. "That you can keep to yourself."

Kozik chuckled and nodded in agreement. What Happy didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "So what'd you do?"

"Bailed Gemma outta the hospital."

He raised an eyebrow at her in surprise. "So much for not getting involved with the club."

"I did it for Gemma, Koz," she explained for what felt like the millionth time. "How could she go to jail knowing her grandson was missing?"

"Easy. She goes to jail, the guys bring home the kid, everything's fine."

Angela rolled her eyes at him. "Please," she said around a yawn. "I know I did the right thing."

"Whatever, kid," he said, ruffling her hair lovingly, a proud grin on his face.

"Hey Koz?"

"Yeah?"

"You think I should cut ties with the Mayans? I mean, I went to their rally yesterday, and Juice flipped out. He said I was being disrespectful to the club but…Hap said the Sons and the Mayans were cool. It's just Juice that has a problem with it."

Kozik played with the tips of his hair as he thought it over. "I don't know, kid. I know what you're gettin' at, the Mayans are you friends and shit, but if that's how he feels…"

"I know, I know, I should respect that. I just…I feel like I bend so much for him and he won't do the same for me, you know?" she explained, finally voicing her feelings about it. She knew her opinions were safe with Kozik.

He nodded in response. "Ang, you were fine stayin' away from the Mayans before when we were unfriendly. Why do you have a bug up your ass to hang out with 'em now?"

She frowned and shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. Before it was easy because I knew associating with them could potentially hurt Juice or Hap or you but now that that threat isn't there…it's hard to find a good reason to stay away."

"Juice isn't a good reason?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Part of me wonders how long he'll stick around for."

"The part of you that's an idiot. Trust me, kid, if he was gonna bail, he'da done it already," he commented with a shake of his head. At her skeptical look, he sighed. "Now, I'm gonna say somethin' that is gonna stay between you and me, aight?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Here comes the corny line."

"Nah, no corny line. Just listen," Kozik said smirking at her. "I'm not gonna sit here and tell you you're gorgeous and all that bullshit because you already know that. I'm gonna tell you that you're not a bad catch, kid. I'm not sayin' any guy'd be lucky to have you because that's bull shit. Some guys would be real unlucky to have you actually because you're difficult as hell to deal with and you got Hap on your ass all the time, but…you and Juice, that shit works. You are lucky to have him and vice versa. This shit with the Mayans…is it really worth losing your catch? You can say there are plenty more fish in the sea, but you're lookin' for a goddamn shark, kid, 'cause only a shark is gonna put up with all your shit."

"And Juice is a shark?"

"He's got the damn fin on top of his head an' everything," he said, nodding slowly.

She laughed lightly as she picture Juice's cropped mowhawk grown out just a little longer and shaped into a fin. "I don't know if what you said is brilliant or total bull," she said, looking up at him with a mix of surprise and annoyance.

Kozik bobbed his head in a nod. "It's brilliant. Let it settle in a minute."

"All right," she said around a yawn as she stood. "I'm goin' to bed. I gotta go to work in like five hours."

" 'ey, you mind if I crash here the rest of the night?" he asked, already stretching out across the couch.

"Nah, go ahead," she answered on a shrug. In fact, she preferred him to stay; it felt safer than being in that house all alone. "Why though?"

He shrugged a shoulder as he put his hands underneath his head. "Got a chick in my bed at the clubhouse. Don't want to give her any ideas if I get back in bed with her. They get clingy."

Angela shook her head at him. "Manwhore," she muttered under her breath. He just grinned cockily at her, unfazed by the name calling. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Thanks for pickin' me up, Kozi."

"Anytime," he said giving her a nod. "Love ya, kiddo."

"You too, Koz. Night."

* * *

><p>Angela wasn't surprised when she woke up and Kozik was still sleeping away on the sofa. She made herself some coffee and put it in her travelling mug before leaving a note for Kozik and heading out the door. After stopping by the funeral home to get the big van, she headed towards St. Thomas for a pick up. Apparently, the guy who shot up the funeral home was ready to be transported back to Lodi. Skeeter promised her he'd drive to Lodi if she just picked the body up from St. Thomas so that he could finish up his paperwork.<p>

She had one business matter to take care of first, though. She had to talk to Tara. Parking her gurney in front of the morgue, she headed towards the front of the office to see if she could find her. It was easier to locate the doctor than she thought it would be; Tara was at the front desk talking to an admin about something or other. Angela nodded a greeting to the admin before turning to Tara. "Got a sec?" she asked.

Tara nodded. "My office?"

"Preferably," she said, following the doctor towards her office which Angela swore had once been a storage closet. "Nice digs."

She smirked in response. "It's not much, but at least I have an office. What's up?"

"Tig needs bail money. Now, I can cover like three-quarters of the cost, but I can't afford all of it and still pay for my aunt's meds. I hate to ask but…"

Tara sighed as she nodded. "We can split it right down the middle. I got you into this mess, we should share the consequences," she offered with a smile. "I'm actually about to go on break, so I can probably pick him up."

"Awesome. Thanks, T."

"Yeah, of course," she replied, waving off her thanks. "Do you have your story straight?"

Angela smirked at her. "What story? I bet Tig he couldn't get that truck to go past 85 miles per hour. Not my fault Charming PD thought I was Gemma. I didn't even know she got out."

"Right. Of course," Tara said on a laugh. She liked Angela's nonchalance; it made her feel more at ease about the whole situation. "Thanks for everything, Ang."

"For what? I didn't do anything," Angela insisted innocently. "I'm gonna go get some more coffee. See you later?"

Tara nodded. "I'm gonna head over to TM later, take care of some invoices."

"Wanna do dinner?" she asked. At Tara's questioning look, Angela shrugged. "C'mon. We can bitch about our guys. Drink our worries away. Fun stuff like that."

She thought about the offer. Since Jax was gone, she really didn't have anything else to do, and she was willing to bet Angela didn't either. Having dinner with a friend didn't sound like too bad an idea. "Sounds good to me. I'll meet you at TM and we can figure something out."

"See you then," Tara said, smiling as she watched the undertaker leave.

Angela topped off her coffee in the cafeteria before heading towards the morgue where she'd already left her cart. She stopped a few feet in away from the big metal doors when she saw a Hispanic man in front of them, trying his best to jerk the locked doors open. "Can I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

He turned to look at her, a panicked look in his dark eyes. His face, though badly bruised, was somewhat familiar. "You work here?" he asked, taking a few steps towards her.

"Yes," she answered slowly. "Is there a way I can help you, Sir?"

"I want to see my boy. I want to see Pozo," he demanded looking back at the closed morgue doors.

Angela took in a deep breath as she felt panic slowly seep into her veins. This man was allied with the man who had shot up the funeral home. He probably had been one of the shooters as well. She knew where she recognized him from now; he'd been at the rally in a Calaveras cut. Now, he had no cut and looked like a caged animal ready to pounce. "Sir, I'm not allowed to let you in there," she stated calmly. "It's for authorized personnel only."

He took her by the arms, shoving her against the wall. She let go of the coffee cup, splaying her palms flat against the wall to cushion her fall and tucking in her chin to keep her head from slamming against the wall. "Bitch, I don't care. They killed Pozo! You hear me? _Lo mataron_! I just want to see my boy!" he shouted in her face. (_They killed him.)_

"I know, but I'm not authorized to do that," she replied trying her best to remain calm despite his tightening grip on her arms.

He studied her face for a brief moment before his slamming her against the wall again. "You were there! A Mayan _puta_, huh? I bet you helped kill him didn't you?" he asked. When she stayed silent, he smacked her across the face. "Didn't you?" (_Slut)_

She gritted her teeth together as the irony taste of blood filled her mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sir."

His hands moved from her arms to around her neck, moving closer together in an effort to choke her. "I want answers, you little _puta_. You let them kill Pozo!"

It was a rare even that Angela had to use the skills Happy taught her, but it was times like these that she was glad her cousin had stood there pushing her into walls and teaching her how to defend herself against attackers such as the man who's hands were tightening around her throat. She quickly moved her arm up, moving it over both of his arms as she turned to the side and broke the choke. She jabbed her elbow into his face before grabbing the back of his neck, swinging him around into the wall and kneeing him in the groan. She managed to pin him to the ground, keeping a knee in his back as she pulled a gun out of the waistband of his jeans and held it to the back of his head. "Don't fuckin' move," she growled, pressing the barrel into his head before crying out for help.

She heard the squeak of sneakers as someone ran towards her. In seconds, Darren was there, a stunned look on his face. "What the hell?"

She was breathing hard as she held the Hispanic man there, her chest heaving up and down with the labored breaths. Of course, that's where the male nurse's eyes went first. "Call the police, Darren. Now!" she ground out, fighting the urge to point the gun at him for being such an asshole.

"Yeah, yeah, for sure," he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. The police were there in minutes, handcuffing the man and taking him out of there. "You always been able to do that?"

Angela nodded, wiping at her split lip and grimacing when it came away red. "Yeah," she said, still trying to catch her breath. She suppressed a triumphant smile at the scared look on the nurse's face. No doubt he was wondering if he'd have fared similarly had Juice not intervened the other day.

The cops were there shortly after. Apparently, a few had been hanging around the hospital after Gemma's botched transport. As a few of the larger cops hauled the man off the ground, the blond cop, Candy, approached Angela, a frown on her face. "Today is not your day, huh Ang?"

Angela shook her head and laughed, depositing the man's gun into Candy's awaiting hand. "Guess not," she agreed. At the cop's questioning look, she shrugged. "The gun isn't mine, I swear. I took it from him for protection."

Candy handed it off to someone to be bagged for evidence. "Need you to come down to the station for questioning."

"Fair enough," she replied on a small nod.

Darren handed her an icepack he'd gotten from a nearby first aid kit. "If I'da known how badass you were, I'da never laid hands on you. That was awesome," he complimented on a chuckle.

"You should never lay hands on anyone, dumbass," she sneered at him, hitting his shoulder with hers as she followed Candy towards the front of the hospital. She rubbed at her neck with a frown already dreading explaining the bruises that were sure to form to Kozik.

* * *

><p>After being questioned extensively by Charming PD, Angela headed towards TM, thoroughly exhausted. She put on the hoodie Juice had left in her car, tugging the hood up over her head and zipping it up all the way to hide the dark bruises that were beginning to form on her neck. She walked towards where Kozik was working on his bike, smirking as she heard him bickering with Tig; those two were like little high school girls when it came to their fighting.<p>

Kozik looked up from his bike and gave her a smile. "What's up, kid? Ain't you hot in that?" he asked looking her over with an eyebrow raised.

She shrugged a shoulder as she headed towards the office in search of Tara. "Nah. I'm good."

"Hey doll," Tig greeted, clapping her on the shoulder on her way by. "Thanks for bailin' me out."

Angela smiled at him and shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It was my fault. I shouldn't a bet you couldn't push that truck over 80."

Tig smirked, happy she remembered the story they agreed to tell the police. "That's right," he said on a nod. He raised an eyebrow as he studied her face, eyes zeroing in on her lips. "What the hell happened to your face?"

She grimaced, self-consciously touching her split lip. She'd been so concerned about hiding the bruises on her neck, that she forgot about the one on he face. "Nothin'," she said turning away from him.

But Kozik was right there when she turned; apparently he'd been listening in on their conversation. He caught her chin in a big hand and tilted her head up so he could get a better look at it. "Who the hell clocked ya?"

Angela swatted his hand away, turning her face away from him. "Don't worry about it."

"Nah, bullshit," Kozik pressed, shaking his head at her. Tig pulled back her hood, revealing two small bruises on her neck, the others were hidden by the sweatshirt. He and Kozik exchanged glances, for once acting civil to each other out of concern for the undertaker. The blonde frowned, knowing that any mark left on Angela would have to be answered for once Happy and Juice came home. "What the hell happened?"

"I'm _fine_," she instisted, trying to push through them when she saw Lyla's Prius pull in. A conversation with Lyla and Tara would be exponentially better than the conversation she was having right now.

Kozik wasn't about to let that happen though, he easily stepped in front of her. "You think I'm gonna let a split lip and bruises on your neck slide, you need your head checked, kid. I know your cousin and your man ain't here, but I am and I'm takin' care a you while they're gone. Tell me what happened."

She sighed, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Some Mexican guy came to the morgue wanting to see his friend, I told him I couldn't do that, he got a little rough with me."

Tig ran a hand over his face."He have a broken nose?"

"Yeah, he was all bruised up. Why?"

"Had to be Salazar," Tig said looking at Kozik.

Angela's brown furrowed in confusion. "Who?"

"Don't worry about it, kid," Kozik said on a sigh. He was sort of thankful this happened while Happy was away. The Tacoma killer would deal with the assault on his cousin in one manner, and Kozik had a feeling that would only cause more trouble in the long run. "Police get 'im?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. He's in custody now."

"Someone have to intervene or did you get out of it yourself?"

She rolled her eyes. "Soon as he put his hands on my neck, I broke outta it, and had him lying face down by the time help got there."

Kozik grinned proudly. "Atta girl," he said, ruffling her hair before pushing her towards Tara and Lyla. "Go 'head. Do your girly shit."

Angela swatted his hands away with a scowl before heading towards the two women that were seated at the picnic table. "Hey ladies," she said sliding into the table next to Lyla. "Want to join us for dinner, Ly?"

Lyla gave her a soft smile as she nodded. "I got the kids though so why don't we do it at my place."

"I'll bring pizza," Angela offered with a grin.

"Awesome. We have soda and juice…" she stopped when Angela's face fell slightly on the last word. "What happened now?"

She shrugged a shoulder in response. "Nothin'. I just miss him is all," Angela answered honestly, though that hadn't been what made her face fall. Hearing his name had just brought up everything they'd gone through the night before putting her on edge.

The other two women nodded slowly, understanding her feelings; they were both missing someone too. Tara stood up, bidding them goodbye as she headed back to work. Once she was gone, Lyla turned back to Angela. "All right, cut the bull shit. What really happened?"

* * *

><p>That night, Angela sat in the waiting room of the abortion clinic, her flip-flop clad feet propped up on the small table that was filled with pamphlets. The idea of having dinner together had been thrown out the window once Tara had gotten Lyla the much needed appointment at the clinic. Both women decided to tag along with the young porn star for support. Lyla had just gone back to have her procedure. Both women had offered to go in there with her, but she'd refused saying that it was something she had to do alone.<p>

She watched Tara approach the front desk curiously, wondering what the young doctor was going to ask. She knew it was bad to ease drop, but she couldn't help it. It sounded as though Tara was making an appointment of her own. After filling out the paperwork, Tara took a seat across from her, her green eyes meeting Angela's for a brief moment. "This doesn't leave here," Tara stated.

Angela crossed her heart with her finger. "Your secret's safe with me, T."

"You're not going to ask why?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Do you want me to?"

"Not particularly," Tara answered, looking down at her feet. "I just…don't want you to judge me."

Angela gave her an understanding smile. "You're a smart woman, Tara. I'm sure you have a really good reason for it. You want me to come with you?"

She let out a sigh of relief. There weren't many people she could turn to that would have a similar reaction. Gemma had urged her to think about it, Jax would've freaked out, and she didn't completely trust Lyla yet, though she knew the porn star wouldn't judge her. She could use Angela's calm demeanor, draw strength from it in her time of need. "I do, actually."

"Let me know when, and I'll be there," she assured the doctor.

Tara smiled softly at her. "If you need to talk about Juice…"

Angela cut her off by holding up a hand. "I appreciate the sentiment, T. I really do," she stated, trying her best to be polite before repeating exactly what she'd told Lyla earlier. "I just…need to figure things out on my own."

* * *

><p>It was still relatively early when Angela made it home from the abortion clinic. As awful as it sounded, dealing with other peoples' problems had been a welcome release from dealing with her own. It wasn't until she got home to an empty house that everything really hit her. Surprisingly, what had happened at the hospital didn't concern her much; she'd already taken the man Tig had called Salazar down once, she could probably do it again. What was really troubling her was the unresolved problem she still had with Juice.<p>

Sighing, she slipped off her flip flops and headed to the kitchen for a beer. She sunk down on the couch, reaching for the little black burner that was on the coffee table. Juice had left a few for her, all labeled for at least a week of him being gone. She looked at the "1" drawn on the back in whiteout, running her thumb over the stark white number. He promised he'd call her at least once from Belfast…but that had been before their little argument. She wondered if he'd keep that promise despite what had happened or if he'd just forget about her and move on.

Flipping it open, she frowned when she saw there were no missed calls, no text messages. Her heart sank to the bottom of her chest. What if their little fight had pushed him straight into the arms of another woman? She put her head in her hands as she sucked in deep breaths. She couldn't lose Juice. He wasn't just her lover, he was her best friend. The one person she wanted to talk to at the end of each day. The one who calmed her down, made her laugh. Her life was filled with so much death and darkness, but one smile or nerdy from Juice made her forget about all that. He made her happy.

Taking a long pull of her beer, she knew what she had to do. Juice meant more to her than the Mayans did. If he wasn't okay with her going out with them, she'd just have to deal with that. Like Kozik said, it wasn't like she hadn't cut ties with the rival MC before; she could easily do it again. She stared at the burner in her hand. If he called, that's exactly what she would tell him.

With her decision already made, Angela felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She stared at the phone on the table. She'd stay up all night watching that damn thing if she had to. "Ring," she ordered and waited.

* * *

><p>Juice flipped open his burner, the one he knew he shouldn't have. The one he'd specifically brought so he could call Angela. It was almost six in the morning which meant over in Charming it would be around ten. She'd be awake. Maybe she'd be home. Maybe she'd remember the burners and pick up or maybe…maybe she'd already moved all her stuff out of his house. He swallowed hard and flipped it closed, wrapping his fingers tightly around the cheap phone. If she'd moved out, he didn't want to know.<p>

It was strange how much he missed her. How much he wanted to tell her different things about their trip over. Things he'd never admit to the guys like how cool it felt to ride in a cargo plane, maybe try out his Irish accent on her just for fun...little idiot things that his brothers would give him shit for but would make Angela's eyes light up with laughter. She might even play along with the Irish accent thing...talk dirty to him from a million miles away in a terrible accent. He made himself laugh with that one, knowing that she'd be up for it if it kept him away from the Irish sweetbutts.

He'd already had the opportunity to sleep with one of those, though. A tattooed blonde with more boobs than brains, but after a lap dance from her; he found he couldn't do it. She wasn't Angela and waking up beside a blonde with fake boobs and a hangover was not something he found at all appealing. Not when he was so used to waking up to a brunette's kisses.

He flipped open the phone once again, the bright light of the screen illuminating his face. He scrolled down the address book to the number he'd assigned to the first burner he'd left her. _Uno_. His thumb hovered over the send button.

"Juicey-boy," Chibs' voice had him snapping the phone shut and quickly shoving it under his pillow. Seconds later, Chibs walked in, a happy smile on his face. The Scot had been in a great mood ever since he got to see his wife and daughter. "Time for Church."

"I'm up, I'm up," Juice said getting off the bed with a groan. He quickly put on his boots and laced them up before following after Chibs to their makeshift "chapel" leaving the phone forgotten under his pillow.

* * *

><p><strong>"Uno" means one in Spanish. ;) <strong>

**Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think in a review!**


	33. Bad to Worse

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I really struggled with this chapter and I apologize for it being a bit jumpy! :\ I hope you guys like it! :) **

**Thanks to all who favorited, followed, and reviewed! :D I really appreciate all the kind words! You guys rock!**

**This chapter takes place in Season 3, Episodes 9 "Turas", 10 "Firinne", and 11 "Bainne". ;)**

**Only 24 days til Season 5! YESSS!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 33: Bad to Worse_

_By Love Ink_

Angela woke up in her bed with a start. She sat up, raking her hand through her hair as she tried to recall when she had moved from the couch, where she'd been waiting for the phone to ring, to the bed. A loud crash and some swearing in the kitchen had her up and out of her bed in seconds, Glock in hand. She held it straight out in front of her as she walked towards the noise. "Hello?" she called out.

"Hey, hey, easy, kid," Kozik said, arms in the air as he stood up from the floor. "It's just me."

"_Jesus_, Koz. What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, setting the gun down on the coffee table.

He looked at her like it should've been obvious. "You think I'm gonna leave ya unprotected after some guy tried to choke ya? Fat chance."

She rolled her eyes at him, though she couldn't say she was surprised; Happy and Kozik had a way of showing up to conveniently "spend the night" whenever she'd gotten in trouble in the past. Sometimes it was for her protection, other times it was to make sure she didn't get into more trouble. "How'd you get in?"

"Your hide-a-key is fuckin' obvious. Who puts a computer mouse in a planter?"

Angela laughed, that was all Juice. He'd had an extra mouse he wasn't using, so he'd emptied it out, painted it dirt brown, and hid an extra key in it. "He painted it brown," she justified with a small smile.

"Idiot," Kozik said with a shake of his head.

"What are you doing in my pots and pans, Koz?"

"Nothin' productive, obviously," he muttered as he started to pick them up.

She laughed, leaning against the counter to watch him clean up. She didn't move to help him, knowing that if she started to, he'd stop and she'd have to finish the job by herself. "Did you carry me to my room last night?"

He nodded. "Wasn't about to sleep in the same bed you and that idiot do your stuff in," he replied on a shrug. "Gettin' kind of heavy for that, though. You're not seventeen any more."

"Please, Koz. You're just an out of shape old fart," she teased. She thought about telling him that she and Juice had done the same kind of "stuff" on the couch he'd slept on…many, many times, but decided against it. What Kozik didn't know didn't hurt him.

"There you go with the Old Man jokes," he commented on a scowl. "I ain't that old, kid."

"Keep tellin' yourself that," she joked with a mischievous grin. "Hey, what was it like to live among the dinosaurs?"

Kozik flipped her the bird just as his phone went off, making her heart lurch in her chest. Could it be the boys calling from Ireland? He gave her a knowing grin as he put the little black phone to his ear. "Yo?...'Ey Hap, what's up, man?"

Angela pushed herself up onto the counter, heel kicking against the cabinet as she listened in on their conversation. She didn't get much from it, apparently Happy was just checking in. She knew her cousin wouldn't ask to talk to her; every second spent on the phone it was easier to trace the call which put them in more danger. A part of her hoped that Juice might tell Happy to say something to her, apologize for not calling. Something to make her feel better.

Kozik hung up the phone with a snap. "The boys are all good in Belfast. Hap says hi."

"Oh. Good," she said trying to keep from looking disappointed.

She must've been doing a miserable job at hiding it because he frowned, shaking his head at her. "Hap didn't say anythin' about you. I'm guessin' it was on purpose 'cause he didn't want Juice takin' the phone."

Angela could see the hole in his story, and though she appreciated him trying to make her feel better; it didn't help. "Then how did he say 'hi'? You're lyin' about one or the other, Koz."

Kozik sighed. He'd been hoping she wouldn't catch that; the girl was much too smart for her own good. "Maybe Juice wasn't around."

"Maybe," she repeated softly, though she highly doubted it. She jumped off the counter and went to the fridge, getting out an icepack and handing it to him. "For your face. Who smacked ya?"

He nodded appreciatively, putting the cold pack to his eye. "Tig."

"_Again_? Really Koz? Maybe you should learn to duck."

In seconds, Kozik had her locked in a headlock and was rubbing his knuckles into her head. "Gonna teach me some fighting skills? Huh, kid?"

Angela laughed as she struggled against his hold. "Get off! Get off!"

He chuckled and let her go, ruffling her hair. "I gotta go, dude. See ya."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You gonna sleep over again?" she asked, flicking on her coffee maker.

Kozik shrugged. "We'll see how the night pans out," he said on an indifferent shrug. He kissed her temple as she slid an arm around his waist in a quick side hug. "Try and stay outta trouble, all right? Anythin' happens to you, and Hap'll kill me."

"That seems fair," she said, laughing at the scowl on his face. "I'll do my best, Kozi. Just for you."

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Appreciate that."

* * *

><p>After a slow day at the funeral home, Angela went home and took a quick shower before heading over to Tara's. The doctor had called to tell her she didn't need to come to the appointment because one of the hospital administrators offered to accompany her, but Angela wasn't about to let that happen. She seriously doubted one of Tara's superiors could provide the same comfort as a friend, so she decided to tag along anyway.<p>

Tara smiled when she opened the door. To be honest, she'd been thankful that Angela had insisted on going. She was starting to get nervous about saying the wrong thing around Margaret and knew Angela could provide a good buffer between them. "Hey Ang," she greeted, stepping back to let her in. "Margaret should be here in a minute. You want something to drink?"

"I'm good, thanks," Angela said on a shrug as she stepped into the house. "How you feeling, T?"

"All right, I guess. Nervous."

She nodded. "Sounds about right." At Tara's questioning look, she shrugged again. "I've been to a few of these; my friends were careless growin' up."

"And you?"

"I've never had to think about it," she answered honestly. While her friends were careless as teenagers, Angela had been a little obsessive compulsive about practicing safe sex, mostly because she knew Happy would kill her if she got pregnant as a teen especially if it was with Esai's kid. "I don't know what I'd do."

Tara nodded in understanding. "Yeah," she said for lack of anything better to say. "Thanks for coming though, Ang. I really appreciate it."

Angela gave her a warm smile in response. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Margaret Murphy was surprised to see the young undertaker at Tara's house when she went to pick Tara up. She was sitting on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table like she owned the place while she talked to Tara. She almost didn't recognize Angela in her regular clothes that consisted of a pair of ripped blue jeans, a wife beater, and big clunky biker boots. "Oh, hello there, Ms. Ruiz," Margaret greeted stiffly.

"Angie's fine," Angela assured her with a friendly smile. "Good to see you, Margaret."

Margaret gave her a small smile in return. The undertaker always had a serious look to her face when she was at the hospital, one that warded off most people, but now, in a normal setting, she had a friendly smile on her face. One that put Margaret a little more at ease."You too, Angie."

The car ride was awkwardly silent on the way there until Margaret struck up a conversation with Tara about some hospital thing. Angela sat in the back, staring out the window at the passing scenery, not paying much attention to the conversation; it didn't involve her. It was until Tara had turned around to look at her expectantly that she realized they'd asked her something. "I'm sorry. What?" she asked politely.

"How did you and Tara become friends?" Margaret asked, glancing back at her in the rearview mirror.

"Oh, you know. Hung out over coffee breaks and stuff. Your hospital has excellent coffee," Angela replied vaguely.

Margaret nodded. "So you're not involved with the motorcycle club?"

"Not really," she replied on a shrug. She knew that was a lie, but she honestly didn't think it was any of the administrator's business whether she was involved with the club or not.

Margaret's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as she pulled up to the stop light. How could someone "not really" be involved with the club? It didn't seem to be a half-in, half-out thing. "Okay."

Out of nowhere, a car slammed into their bumper. Angela raised an eyebrow as she slid over to the door, following Margaret and Tara out to assess the damage. A young Latina woman stepped out of the other car, apologizing profusely. The girl looked familiar though Angela couldn't quite place where she'd seen her before.

Then she asked if Tara was Jax Teller's girl. Angela's eyes widened as she saw the man step out of the car. "Oh _shit_," she muttered under her breath. It was Salazar, the same man who'd tried to choke her in the morgue; only now both he and the girl had guns pointed directly at them. They were screwed.

As the woman checked Margaret's ink, Salazar rounded on her. "Look who it is. The little Mayan _puta_ from the morgue. Funny seein' you here with Jax Teller's Old Lady. Guess the Mayans and the Sons really did patch things over," he said taking a few steps closer to her.

"Look. I'm just an undertaker. That's it. Check my ink if you want," Angela stated calmly, holding up her hands. She silently thanked God that Happy would never let her tattoo the different MC-related symbols she'd wanted in her youth. They would've gotten her in a hell of a lot more trouble. Luisa lifted up Angela's shirt, checking for ink. She found the koi fish tattoo and gave the undertaker a strange look. "I like fish," Angela explained on a shrug.

Salazar pointed the gun in her face. "Don't matter what ink you got. I saw you at the rally, _puta. _Get in the fuckin' car."

Angela sighed, her hands still held up in the air in defeat. She could get out of this and save herself, but she wasn't about to leave her pregnant friend and the innocent supervisor behind. Salazar pushed her towards the car, his gun held up to her temple. "Not so tough now, are ya?" he gloated, poking her back with the gun before he slammed the door behind her, locking them in his car.

* * *

><p>Tara glanced at Angela out of the corner of her eye wondering how the girl was staying so calm despite being tied to a support in an attic that was hot as hell. She had her head tipped back, eyes closed, legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankle. The undertaker was the picture of nonchalance; it looked as though could've easily been just hanging out at home instead of tied up in an attic.<p>

"I guess you weren't lyin'. Got ourselves a doctor, an undertaker, and a hospital boss," Salazar stated as he entered the attic.

Angela waited patiently for Luisa, to peel the tape off her face. She did so, none too carefully, and splashed some water into her mouth. They wanted a number for the Sons, one that Angela didn't know. "T, give 'em the garage number," she said glancing at the doctor who'd just been smacked across the face for asking too many questions.

Tara rattled off the phone number a little breathlessly. Salazar pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. While he talked to whoever was on the other line, Angela worked on twisting her wrists this way and that, feeling the knot. She smirked; it was a wimpy knot, one done a little too carelessly. Pulling on one end, she felt it unravel and fought the urge to smile. There was hope yet.

* * *

><p>Kozik stood in front of Marcus Alvarez's house, hoping like hell his plan was going to work out. He knew Tig and Piney thought he was crazy, but he knew something they didn't. He knew how much Alvarez cared about Angela. Luckily, as soon as they stepped into the front yard, Alvarez was already there, gun in hand.<p>

He listened while Tig explained the situation, though the SAMCRO Sergeant left out Angela's name. That was a mistake. But Tig didn't know about Angela's Mayan connections, and Kozik was sure there was a reason for that. Maybe it was best not to mention Happy's little cousin. Maybe it'd save her some grief later.

As Alvarez rounded on Piney, gun pointed straight at the old man's head, Kozik decided that whatever the reason was that the club didn't know about Angela's connections, it wasn't going to do her any good if she was dead. If Alvarez didn't give a shit about Tara, he'd sure as hell care about Angela. "Look I'm really sorry that we upset your family, but we're desperate," he said, looking at Alvarez's Old Lady who was holding the baby. "You know little Angie Ruiz? They got her too, man."

"Angelita," Alvarez repeated under his breath.

Kozik nodded in confirmation. "You're the only chance we got at saving those women," he stated, seeing the Mayan president's demeanor change. Now, they were getting somewhere. "We'll make it up to you, somehow. Please."

Alvarez looked back at his Old Lady who gave him a small nod. He'd play dead if it meant saving Angela, hell he'd send crews of his own men out to look for her if that's what they needed. "All right. I play dead 24 hours, and that's it."

"Thank you," Kozik said, nodding to him.

After one last threat from Alvarez, the three Sons headed back to the van. "What the hell was that?" Tig asked once they were inside. "What's Angie got to do with the Mayans?"

"The kid grew up in Oakland. Went to school with all those punks. When Hap went inside for a stretch, she fell in a little too close," Kozik explained trying to keep out most of the details. They didn't need to know about her relationship with Esai. "Hap got out and got her the fuck out of there."

"Ah shit," Tig cursed, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Does Juice know?"

Piney chuckled. "That idiot goes through all sorts of background checks. You don't think he looked her up? 'Course he knows. She's not a threat, is she?"

Kozik shook his head quickly. "No, no. She wasn't into the Mayan shit, just like she ain't into our shit. Angie keeps her nose clean 'cause that's what Hap taught her."

"And Hap wouldn't let her around the club if he thought differently," Piney said more to himself than to the other two men in the car.

Tig nodded in agreement. "That why you knew Alvarez would play along?"

"Guy's got a soft spot for Ang," Kozik answered on a nod. "Figured we could use that to our advantage."

* * *

><p>Angela had just managed to untie the knot when Louisa came in and started to untie Margaret, muttering to herself in Spanish about the Sons not following Salazar's request and wondering to herself what they were going to do about it. Salazar came in a few seconds later. "Time's up," he stated, a menacing look on his face as he turned to them.<p>

"For what? What are you going to do?" Tara asked, her eyes wild as she looked up at Salazar.

"Your crew ain't takin' me serious. I'm gonna kill the red bitch."

Angela remained calm while Tara and Margaret freaked out, starting to beg and make all sorts of deals. She knew better. Nothing they said could help them now. They just had to play it smart. But Tara and Margaret hadn't been trained by the Tacoma killer. They'd never been taught to stay calm in the face of their own death. Scared people made stupid mistakes, calm people didn't. When Tara made the mistake of pulling Luisa's hair back in an attempt to grab her gun, Angela gave away the only edge they had and dove in front of her just as Salazar's booted foot came down. She winced as his foot caught her in the ribs. "Don't! She's pregnant!" Angela gasped, holding onto her side.

"It's true!" exclaimed Tara, one hand protectively covering her stomach.

Salazar stared at both of them, dumbfounded as his phone rang. Angela grimaced as she crawled back towards the support, every movement pulling at her sore ribs. There'd been some power behind that kick that could've done some serious damage to Tara and the baby had Angela not blocked it. Luisa tied her back onto the support while Tara spoke to whichever Son had called Salazar. Once she was done, Salazar tied Tara back up before he and Luisa went back down stairs.

"Are you all right?" Tara breathed, glancing at Angela.

Angela nodded slowly, moving her wrists from side to side as she tried to figure out the freshly tied knots. They were relatively loose, though not as loose as they had been before. These knots would take a little more skill and a lot more time. "I'll live," she replied, ignoring the dull throbbing in her wrist. She'd just barely recovered from the wrist sprain she'd had before and moving it so much was definitely not good for it.

"Thanks for that, Ang."

"Yeah, 'course," she muttered in reply. "We just got to keep it together a little longer."

Tara nodded in agreement just as Margaret broke down into sobs. Angela clenched her jaw, trying her best to tune them out. Crying would get them no where, Happy had instilled that in her since she was a young girl. If he could see her now, he'd be pissed. Not only did she allow herself to be taken hostage, she didn't have a weapon on her.

Except that she did. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she fidgeted this way and that, trying her best to gain access to her boot. She'd taken to stowing her knife there ever since Happy had gotten on her case for not carrying it around with her. It fit so well tucked into the soft leather on the boot that she'd forgotten it was there.

Tara raised her eyebrow at the undertaker who was moving around like she had ants in her pants. Between her fidgeting and Margaret's sobbing, the doctor felt like she was about to go crazy. "What the hell are you doing, Angie?"

Angela twisted into a kneeling position with a grunt, managing to slide a finger into her boot. She smiled triumphantly as she felt the smooth wood of her folded knife. It was there all right. Now she just had to find a way to get it out. "Just trust."

* * *

><p>After what felt like an hour, Angela finally managed to get the knife out of her boot. She smiled to herself. "Hey T," she said nudging Tara awake. She was careful not to bother Margaret, the supervisor had finally stopped crying and she wasn't about to wake her up to get her started again.<p>

"Huh?" Tara mumbled, only half awake.

"Salazar left to make the exchange. I'm gonna give you my knife," she whispered moving so that the knife slid easily into the other woman's palm. "Tell Luisa you gotta take a piss. She'll let you 'cause she knows you're pregnant and I'm willing to bet, she's got experience with that. Stick her with the knife and get the hell out of here."

Tara's eyes widened as she felt the small folding knife in her palm. "I'm not going to leave you guys behind. I got you into this mess."

"Don't worry about it. You stab her with it and run, Tara. I'll figure out the rest. You just go," Angela ordered, trying to put as much authority in her voice as she could.

"Okay," she agreed on a nod.

It wasn't long until Luisa walked back into the room. Angela pretended to be asleep while Tara asked to use the bathroom. After a minute of hesitation, Luisa agreed and carefully untied just the doctor. With Tara gone, the rope was a bit looser, allowing Angela to easily untie the knot. She rubbed at her raw wrists before getting to work on Margaret's ties. The movement woke Margaret up. "How'd you…" she began.

"Shhh! Luisa's downstairs with Tara. I'm gonna get us out," Angela whispered, pulling out the rope and tossing it aside. They both heard a loud pounding up the stairs. "Oh shit!"

"It's me!" Tara exclaimed as she made her way into the room, Luisa's gun in her hand. Blood covered her arms. "I may have just slit her throat."

Angela's eyes widened in surprise and a shocked laugh left her lips. "_Jesus_, Tara. I said stab her, not kill her."

"Yeah, well, I did my best," Tara said, watching as the other women got to their feet. She held the gun up in front of her and all three started making their way down the stairs.

Angela pushed her way in front, heading to the bathroom. She ignored the sounds coming from Luisa in the bathroom as her eyes scanned the floor for the knife. It was on the ground, covered in blood, as she expected it to be. She leant down to pick it up just as Salazar stormed into the house. Angela froze, knife in her hand as she listened intently to the exchange between Salazar and Tara. Glancing around the room, she grabbed a rag from the ground and pressed it into the cut on Luisa's neck, trying her best to look as if she was helping the woman in the bathtub.

Salazar stepped back into the room, his eyes going from the knife in her hand to the compress in the other. Tara held the gun up straight at his head. "You need us to keep her alive," she stated, her eyes never leaving Salazar's face.

To prove Tara's point, Angela moved the compress away from the gash on Luisa's neck. Dark blood spilled over her neck the second the compress was taken away. "Let her leave and I'll save Luisa," she bargained, nodding to Margaret.

He contemplated her offer, the pain on his face evident. If he hadn't just abducted them and held them hostage for over two days, Angela would've felt bad for him. "Okay. First we get Luisa in the car. We'll get her out of here. Then she can go."

"Okay," Tara agreed before handing Margaret the gun.

"C'mon, help me!" Salazar shouted at Angela.

Angela nodded, pressing the compress back down and moving with Salazar as he lifted Luisa from the bathroom. She hoped like hell that Luisa would live. At least until the boys came for them. Before she'd had a feeling Salazar's threats were all smoke. That he wouldn't really kill a woman, especially not a pregnant woman; but losing a loved one made people do crazy things. If Luisa died, she had a feeling Salazar wouldn't spare anyone, pregnant or not.

* * *

><p>Juice sat in the small bedroom where Kerrianne and Fiona were staying. He was kicking ass at poker with Kerrianne and Trinity while Fiona looked on mildly amused. It was a brief respite from the bullet and bombed filled days they'd just been through.<p>

"You got a girl back home, Juicy?" Kerrianne asked adding a roll of sweet-tarts to the betting pool.

He sighed at the question, wondering the same thing himself. It'd already been almost three days, and he'd yet to talk to her. He'd tried to call her a few times, but she hadn't picked up. The phone just kept on ringing until he hit the stupid automated voicemail message. Each time he convinced himself that he'd counted the hours wrong, that she was working or sleeping or doing something else and not just avoiding his calls. "Yeah, I guess."

"You guess? What's tha' s'posed to mean?" Trinity asked on a scoff.

He shrugged a shoulder. "We got in a fight before I left. Left things kinda hangin'."

"She not supportive of the life?" Fiona asked from her place at the door.

Juice shook his head. "Nah, nothin' like that. Just stupid stuff."

Fiona nodded in understanding. "That'll getcha."

Kerrianne rolled her eyes at her mom. "What's her name then?"

"Angel," he said before quickly correcting himself. "Angela. Her name is Angela."

"But she's his _angel_," Trinity teased making Juice scowl. "Tha's sweet."

Juice rolled his eyes at her, not at all appreciative of her teasing. He'd never really thought of it like that before. In a lot of ways she was _his_ angel, one that had been sent to take care of him and make his life better. "It's just easier to say," he lied on a shrug.

"Yeah, fine. She blonde? I can see him with a blonde," Trinity commented glancing at Kerrianne.

Kerrianne nodded in agreement. "Aye. Petite little blonde. Delicate."

"You couldn't be more wrong," he said, shaking his head at her. "She's got brown hair, actually."

"Big tits?" Trinity asked, to which Fiona scoffed.

Juice grinned and nodded. "She's certainly not lacking, and she's anything but delicate. Works in a morgue."

"She real pasty? " Kerrianne piped up, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Kerri!" Fiona admonished, shaking her head at her daughter. "Between the two of ya, I don't know who's more rude."

"Girl works in a morgue, Ma. She's gotta be pasty."

Juice chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, she's Cuban."

"Ah, got yourself an island girl, eh?" Trinity said, enjoying teasing Juice. "Let's see a picture."

He paused, stopping to think if he had a picture of her on him. They didn't really take pictures of each other. Angela wasn't the picture taking type, and neither was he. But he did have one, courtesy of Ellie Winston. The young girl had gotten a digital camera for her birthday and was constantly taking pictures. She'd given Angela a few prints from which he'd stolen one and shoved it in his wallet before their supposed trip to Vancouver.

Ellie had taken the picture when she and her brother had been at the house helping Angela wash her car. He'd walked up the drive only to find her standing there in nothing but that silver bikini and a pair of her cut of jean shorts. She'd noticed him gaping at her and sprayed him with the hose. He'd chased after her, and Ellie managed to snap a picture of him with his arms around her, reaching for the hose. Her eyes were looking up at him, a huge smile on her face that matched his smile. He could almost hear her laughter as he looked at the picture, his finger gently tracing her face before he handed it over to the girls to see. "That's her."

"Good looking girl ye got there," Trinity commented, smiling as she handed the picture over to Kerrianne. "What she think about your little trip overseas? I'm sure she's worried as hell about the Irish lasses up here."

"She was all for it. Wants Abel to come home safely," he explained, looking over his cards and adding a lollipop to the growing pool. "She gets it."

And that's when it hit him. She understood him. She understood what MC life required and was willing to bend for him because she understood how much it meant to him. The one time she'd done something for herself; he'd gotten mad at her for it. He hadn't been willing to bend for her like she consistently did for him. Yeah, she'd been wrong to go without telling him, but at the same time, he'd been wrong to ask her to give up something that she cared about. And he was going to lose her because of it. Because he was an idiot who couldn't swallow his pride and just let her be happy.

* * *

><p>Angela stood outside of the car watching as Tara tried her best to staunch the bleeding wound in Luisa's neck. Her eyes flitted from the girl who was losing too much blood to fast, to the man who was currently pacing back and forth, muttering to himself in Spanish. She glanced down at her arms that were sticky with Luisa's blood. She tried in vain to wipe it off on her jeans with no result.<p>

Tara pulled away from Luisa, glancing up at Angela as she shook her head. "Ang…"

"Shit," Angela murmured in response, raking a bloodied hand through her hair. This was not good. "I'll tell him."

"No, Ang. This was on me," Tara whispered, knowing what was going to come next. He'd kill her.

Angela shook her head slowly. "My knife. My responsibility," she said, taking a deep breath to strengthen herself. She took a few steps towards Salazar who stopped his pacing to look at her. "I'm sorry. There was nothing we could do."

Salazar paused for a second, soaking it all in. "You stupid bitch!" he shouted, rushing at her and twisting a hand into her hair. He forcefully slammed her head against the hood of his car. "You killed Pozo and now you killed my Luisa."

Her head was pounding, but she refused to cry out. There was no way she'd give him that pleasure. Unsatisfied by her quiet response, he lifted her head back one more time and brought it down harder against the hot metal of his car.

Tara watched in horror as Angela's body went limp as he pulled her away a third time. He jerked her back, letting go so that she landed flat on her back just inches away from Tara. "Stupid bitch," he swore at her again, kicking her in the ribs.

She didn't respond, just lay there lifelessly. Tara swallowed hard before looking at Salazar. "Stop!" she cried out.

Salazar stopped what he was doing and looked at her, tears in his eyes. He looked back down at the woman at his feet. There was a large gash across her forehead that was slowly oozing blood. What had he done? He'd never meant it to get to this point. He and Luisa had just wanted to have some revenge against Alvarez and the Sons for stripping him of his patch. They'd never once thought of actually killing the women they'd abducted.

Tara took the opportunity to kneel down beside Angela, pressing her fingers into her pulse point. She murmured something to Angela before glancing back up at Salazar who'd begun to pace again. He stopped when he saw Tara stand up a look of panic in his eyes as he awaited the doctor's assessment. Her eyes met his and she frowned, shaking her head sadly.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun, dun duuuun. ;) <strong>

**Let me know what you think in a review! I promise to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! I'm off all week so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. ;) **

**~Love Ink**


	34. Home Safe

**As promised, I posted this chapter as soon as I could so as not to leave ya'll hanging! :D **

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! You all make my day with your kind words and encouragements! _Thank you!_**

**It's set during Season 3, Episode 12 "June Wedding". **

**And YAY only 20 more days til Season 5! YES!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 34: Home Safe_

_By Love Ink_

Happy loaded the last bag into the back of the truck and cast a look at Juice. The intelligence officer was grinning like a fool, no doubt excited to go back to Charming to be with Angela. He shook his head at him wondering how that idiot managed to win over his cousin. Bobby caught his attention, gesturing him over before looking to Juice. "You might want to hear this too," he said waiting until they were both close enough before starting. "Jax is on the phone with Tig. Somethin's goin' down in Charming."

Juice looked confused, but Happy knew exactly why Bobby needed to speak with both of them. "What'd she do?"

"Salazar's got her and Tara," Bobby explained, a grim look on his face. "Tig and Koz have been tryin' to keep up with his demands to get her back, but they didn't do 'em in time."

Juice felt like he couldn't breathe. Salazar had Angela. Salazar the man who'd taken his cut, who'd killed one of the Grim Bastards, who wanted revenge against the Sons had Angela. "What does that mean?"

"He's gonna kill 'em," Happy answered confidently. Juice looked at him in shock, how could he be so calm about this all? His cousin was kidnapped! He should be freaking out! Instead Happy looked stoic as usual. He glanced at Jax who'd just hung up the phone. "What do we know?"

"Not much," Jax answered with a shake of his head. "We're workin' on a location now."

Happy nodded. "How long's he had 'em for?"

"Almost two days now," he answered looking at the truck. "We should go. The more time we waste, the harder it'll be to find 'em. Keep it quiet for right now."

Juice swallowed hard as he ran a hand over his head. His heart felt heavy as he got into the truck, silently praying that they found her. That he'd be able to see her again and apologize for being such an inflexible asshole. He sat down next to Happy on the cargo plane back, his head in his hands.

"We're gonna find her," Happy's rough voice assured him. Juice lifted his head up to look at him and he continued, "She's a tough kid. She'll figure a way out."

"What if he kills her?"

"What if this plane crashes?" Happy shot back.

Juice looked at him like he was crazy. "The plane's not gonna crash."

Happy nodded in agreement. "And he ain't gonna kill her."

"But you said..."

The Tacoma killer scowled at him, shaking his head. "He's not gonna get the chance to. She won't let it happen."

* * *

><p>Angela heard the car start up and opened one eye, trying to focus on the car Salazar drove away in. Her vision was blurry, distorting the license plate, but she'd managed to make out the color and what kind of car it was. She'd had to hold her breath while Salazar moved her over to where he'd already laid Luisa and the woman whose car he'd stolen. She'd gotten lucky that he had been so distraught over Luisa that he hadn't noticed that she was still warm, that her heart was still beating.<p>

Once she was sure that car was out of the small lot they were in, she started to pull herself out from underneath the blanket. Her head pounded with every movement as she started to crawl out. Her aim was to stand, somehow make it to the road, and flag down a driver. Get help somehow. The sun blared down on her, the rocks from the gravel scraping at her skin as she moved. Gritting her teeth together, she crawled out a little farther, gasping when the movement pulled at her ribs. That last kick Salazar had laid into her side when Tara had told him she was dead had to have cracked something.

"Shit," she grunted. She thought of Tara and the baby in the doctor's belly and fought against the pain, finally taking a seat in a shady spot by a bunch of bushes.

Lifting a hand, she gently touched the gash in her head, assessing the damage. Thankfully it had stopped bleeding, but her blurred vision and dizziness told her something else was wrong. She rubbed at her forehead, trying to work up the strength to stand. She needed to get help for Tara. Every time she tried, the world seemed to move against her, making her fall back on her ass.

Frustrated tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She needed to get up, she needed to get help. Tara had put her own life and the life of her unborn child at risk to save her. Now, she needed to repay that favor. Leaning her head against her knees, she sucked in a deep breath as she tried her best to remain calm. Crying wouldn't help her now. She tried to stand again and once again, gravity worked against her. She kicked out at the dusty ground, stirring the dust up all around her. "Shit!" she exclaimed, raking dirty, bloody hands through her hair.

She eyed the fence across the way from her and crawled towards it. Slipping her fingers around the metal links, she slowly pulled herself to her feet. Her head swam dizzily, but she managed to stay on her feet by clinging to the fence. She used her hold on the fence to make her way closer to the street.

That's when she heard it. The roar of motorcycles. Tilting her head back to look up at the sky, she silently thanked her guardian angel for sending them. She just prayed they were the right ones.

* * *

><p>Happy knew she was there. He could feel it as he ran towards where the rest of his brothers had gathered around a gray blanket. There were two still forms under it, both with dark hair the same color as Angela's. Juice's eyes met his, wide and scared as Jax went to move the sheet. But Hap knew it wasn't going to be her. Angela would never fall victim to that; he'd taught her better. He didn't even bother checking to make sure his assumption was right, his eyes scanned the rest of the pullout, following the fence.<p>

He nodded to himself as he spotted a figure leaning against it, waving an arm up and down. That was his girl; it had to be. Hitting Juice's arm, he nodded towards her before starting to run in that direction.

Juice felt his heart hammering in his chest as he sprinted towards the figure. Like Happy, he hadn't looked to see who was under that blanket. If she was under it, if he had lost her…he didn't know what he would do. Instead, he'd looked around the lot, anywhere but at the blanket. His eyes had found the figure at the same time Happy had hit him. He ran past Happy, determined to get there first. It had to be her. It just had to be.

And it was. Standing there, waving like a maniac and covered in blood as she clung to the fence with one hand. He'd never been so happy to see anyone in his life. "Angel," he breathed, taking a step closer to her. He took her face in his hands, noting the huge gash on her forehead. "Shit, baby. Are you okay?"

Angela felt tears of relief sting her eyes as she clung to the front of his cut, knowing that if she let go, she'd fall right back down on her ass. "Juice," she breathed. She couldn't believe he was there…that he'd come after her. Swallowing hard, she remembered why she was there, what she'd been trying to do. "Juice, he took Tara. Salazar has Tara!"

At that moment, Juice didn't give two shits about Tara. All he cared about was the gash on Angela's head and the blood that covered most of her skin. There was no way it could've all been hers. She would've bled out; she wouldn't be conscious. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Tara, you guys need to get Tara," she insisted, her head pounding as she looked for Jax; he'd understand. He'd want to know what little information she had.

Juice grabbed her chin gently, catching her attention. "Are you okay, though?"

"Juice, listen Tara's…"

"Angie!" Happy's rough voice barked at her, drawing her attention. He was standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You gotta answer, kid."

She looked at her cousin's worried face, swallowing hard as she nodded. " 'm fine. Whatever. It's Tara…"

"Shit," Happy muttered, exchanging a worried glance with Juice. He knew she was in more pain than she was letting on, but there was no way she was going to admit it. Not until she got to say her piece about Tara. Angela was stubborn as hell. "Let's get her over there."

Juice slipped an arm around her waist, holding to his side as they began to walk towards the group of bikers that were quickly heading their way. She clung to him as the world spun around her with every step. "I got you, Angel," he murmured, holding her closer and pressing a kiss to her temple. "I got you."

Jax approached them quickly, a panicked look in his eyes. "Do you know anything about Tara, Ang?"

Angela nodded, sucking in a deep breath and wincing as that just brought her more pain. "She cut Luisa a little too deep and I took the blame so he took it out on me, not her. Last I saw her, she was fine physically. I don't think he ever meant to hurt any of us but…he…he took her. Stole a car. A shiny grey sedan. I couldn't make out the plate or anything but…she's okay."

The Vice President gave her a grateful look as he ran a hand through his long hair. "What'd he do to you?" he asked as he looked her over. He noted the blood that covered her and worried about what state Tara would be in.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine," she breathed, knowing that letting him in on what happened to her would only make him worry more about Tara. "Go find Tara."

"All right. Thanks, Ang." Jax said on a small nod. He looked at Juice. "Make sure she gets checked out."

Juice nodded, holding her just a little tighter. He watched as Happy went to get Chibs, the only brother with any medical training. Chibs looked Angela over, a worried crease in his brow. "What's your damage, love?"

"Concussion, I think," she murmured, all of a sudden feeling incredibly tired. "Fucker rammed my head into the hood of his car. Twice."

Chibs nodded slowly. "You dizzy? Tired?"

"Mm-hmm," she said wishing she could just sit down. "He kicked me in the side too."

Happy's brows furrowed as he lifted the corner of her shirt revealing a dark purple bruise that spanned her the side of her ribcage. He glanced at Chibs who grimaced in response. The Scot didn't hesitate as he gently pressed his fingers along her ribcage, his dark eyes on Angela's face, watching for signs of pain. She winced at the pressure at first but once he prodded one of her lower ribs, she gasped in pain. "Sorry, Angie," Chibs murmured, grimacing himself. "That one there is either broken or cracked."

Juice's eyes widened. He didn't like the sound of that. "Should we take her to a hospital?"

Chibs considered it for a brief moment. "Up to her. Not much they can do but give 'er some drugs."

Happy scowled at that. Though Angela didn't mind visiting hospitals, he knew she'd do anything to get out of being a patient. Angela shook her head quickly, looking from Happy up to Juice, a pleading look in her eyes. They'd make her go, she knew they would. "I just want to go home. I don't need a hospital, I swear," she said, her eyes meeting Juice's. "Please. Just take me home."

Juice couldn't say no to her. Not when she was looking at him like that. Not when there were two dead women lying close by…one of which could've easily been her. He'd gotten a second chance with her; he wasn't about to blow it. He swallowed hard as he nodded, "Okay, baby. Let's go home."

* * *

><p>Angela let the hot water of the shower fall down on her, washing away the blood from her skin. She watched as the water turned pink with it as it swirled down the drain. She closed her eyes as her stomach churned; she wasn't even sure whose blood it was anymore.<p>

"Angel?" Juice's voice came as he stepped inside the bathroom. After Chibs had told him she needed to be monitored because of her concussion, he'd been checking on her every two minutes. "You all right?"

She smiled at the concern in his voice. "Yeah, I'm still okay, Juice," she said, reaching out to turn off the water. She pushed back the shower curtain and stepped out. He was there waiting for her, towel stretched out wide.

Standing there naked in front of him, Juice could see the extent of the damage Salazar had caused. Her whole side was a grotesque purple color as though someone had kicked her. Fingerprint shaped bruises dotted her upper arms, dark in comparison to the lighter ones around her neck. He wrapped the towel around her, taking a step away so she could tuck it in so it wouldn't fall.

"Shit, Angel," he murmured, his fingers brushing over the bruises on her neck. He gently took her face in his hands, his thumb trailing across her split lip before he laid a soft kiss on her mouth, his arms snaking around her waist and pulling her into his chest. "I'm so sorry," he murmured as he pulled away.

She tilted her head back to look up at him. "You didn't do anything, goof."

He brushed his fingers over the cut on her forehead, happy to see it wasn't as bad as the amount of blood made it out to be. It wasn't deep and definitely wouldn't require stitches. "I shouldn't have left you," he said, his lips moving against her forehead. "Not the way I did."

"It's okay. I'm okay," she assured him.

"Angel, it coulda been you under that blanket," he said, putting a piece of hair behind her ear

"I know. But it wasn't," she said, lifting herself up on the balls of her feet to kiss him. It felt so good to be in his arms again, to have his lips on hers. For the moment, that whole stupid fight was the farthest thing from her mind.

Juice nodded slowly. "Yeah," he murmured, moving his lips to kiss her forehead. He waited for her to get dressed in a pair of sweats and a black beater before taking her hand. "C'mon, let me patch you up."

She sat down on the toilet and watched as he took out the huge first aid kit. These cuts he knew how to fix and knew how to fix well. He put rubbing alcohol on a piece of gauze and gently touched it to the gash in her forehead. She winced in pain, pulling away slightly. He hated to see her in pain, hated that he was causing it. "I'm sorry, Angel," he said, his hands shaking as he pulled away. "I can stop. I mean, it looks pretty clean."

"No, it's okay. Keep going, please," Angela urged, trying for a smile. "Just…distract me. How's Abel? You got him, right?"

He bit back a smile. That was his girl, always putting others before herself. He hadn't been at all surprised that the first words to come out of her mouth when they found her were about Tara. "Yeah, we got him. He's fine. Home with Gemma."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good. How was Ireland?"

"A day didn't go by that we weren't shot at or bombed," he answered honestly as he put a band-aid on her cut. "It was crazy."

Angela frowned, a worried look crossing her face. "I'm glad you're home safe," she admitted softly. She paused awkwardly, biting her lip as she wondered how to bring up their argument. "Juice, I'm sorry about the whole rally thing. I was being stupid and stubborn. I should've talked to you about it first."

Juice leant forward and kissed her softly. "I don't give a shit anymore, Ang. Like you said, we're good with the Mayans. They helped us look for you. I just…can it not be a constant thing?"

She laughed lightly. "It was never going to be a constant thing, Juice. I just wanted to see them all again once. I don't need to be having dinner with the Alvarez's every Sunday or anythin'."

He let out a sigh of relief, feeling the urge to laugh himself. They could've saved themselves a lot of grief if they'd just had more time to talk about it. He couldn't believe he'd almost messed everything up for a stupid misunderstanding. "I'm…"

"Don't apologize," she said, cutting him off. "I understand why you were upset. I put myself in a dangerous situation. I get that. You have a right to you own opinion, and it's not always gonna line up with mine. We're gonna fight and say things we don't mean, and yeah, it'll suck but…that's okay. As long as we have time to sort things out, I think we'll be fine."

Juice chuckled, thinking of all the moments their "time" got cut short by some stupid interruption. "Time seems to be hard for us to find."

The corners of her lips turned up into a small smirk as she nodded. "You know, I've noticed that."

He'd missed that sexy smirk of hers. The one that told him there was something dirty going through her head. The one that said she wanted him. He caught her lips in another kiss, smiling as she took his face in her hands, her tongue slipping into his mouth. Gently, he pulled her into a standing position, holding her tightly against him as he tangled a hand into her wet hair. Her hands slipped down to his belt buckle…

"ANG?" Kozik's voice called from the living room.

She groaned, leaning her forehead against his collarbone. "This can't be happening."

"Angie! Angela!" Kozik continued as though saying her name in different ways would somehow make her answer faster. "You better be decent! We're comin' in there!"

Juice chuckled, turning his head to kiss her temple just as they heard them enter the bedroom. He was glad he closed the bathroom door then. It gave them a little bit more privacy for a brief moment. "You think if we stay quiet, they'll leave us alone?" she whispered, a hopeful look in her dark eyes.

A loud knock on the door answered the question for her. Juice sighed, pressing his lips to hers in a quick kiss. "Fat chance," he murmured before going to open the door.

"Move," Happy ordered, pushing past him on his way to Angela.

"Hey Juicy," Kozik greeted, non-too-gently shoving him aside so that he was all the way out of the bathroom.

Angela sighed as she lifted herself on the edge of the counter. She knew she was about to get interrogated and would much rather go through it sitting down. "Tara?"

"Safe and sound with not a scratch on her. She and Jax went to the hospital to check on the baby," Kozik explained, leaning against the counter next to her.

She let out a sigh of relief as she nodded. "And Salazar?"

"He's very dead," Happy answered, his dark eyes looking over the bandaging on her forehead, inspecting Juice's work. "What the hell happened, kid? Thought I taught you how to get out of situations like that."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Hap, you taught _me_ how to get out of situations like that and sure, _I_ could've gotten out of it but…what about Tara and Margaret. What was I supposed to do? Leave them behind?"

"Yeah. Leave 'em behind and go get help," Kozik commented, shaking his head at her.

Juice watched as her shoulders sagged, her head hanging down guiltily. He felt like punching both men for making her feel like that. " 'ey, she did the best she could, all right?" he put in as he pushed his way inside the bathroom. He put a hand on hers, feeling stronger in his argument when she slid her fingers through his and squeezed his hand. "You don't know what she had to deal with."

Both Hap and Kozik looked at him like he was intruding on a private conversation. It was obvious they'd teamed up on her like this before and were not used to someone interfering with them. "It don't matter what she had to deal with," Kozik said, shaking his head. "She should know better. Why weren't you carryin', Ang?"

"Because I was going out with a doctor and a hospital supervisor. Taking a Glock with me seemed a little ridiculous."

Happy ran a hand over his face. When was she going to learn to carry that damn thing with her when they were away? "And the knife?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "What do you think Tara slit her throat with?" she asked, meeting his eyes with a little smirk.

Kozik grinned, exchanging a quick glance with Happy. "That's more like it. Seems like you waited a while though."

She bit her lip, an embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks. "I forgot it was in my boot," she admitted, looking back down at her hand.

"You _forgot_?" Happy repeated, disbelief in his voice. "_Jesus_, Ang."

She rubbed her thumb over the band of one of Juice's rings as she hung her head feeling like shit. Her head was still pounding and all she wanted to do was get into bed with Juice and stay there, not listen to Hap and Koz and all of their bullshit. "I know it was stupid, and I know you guys taught me better, but…it's not that easy when it actually happens."

Juice sighed when he noticed just how much this conversation was hurting her. Not only had she been physically beaten by Salazar, now two of the people she loved most were beating her up for not handling it better. "Would you guys lay off her? She's alive, isn't she? She got out of it. Can we all just be thankful for that?"

The corner of Kozik's mouth lifted in a smirk. He was surprised Juice was standing up for her in front of them; he'd have thought the idiot would stay out of it, but it seemed that Juice really cared for her. He liked that. "Yeah, we can be. Glad you're okay, kid," he said, leaning forward to press a kiss to her temple before clapping a hand on Juice's shoulder. "Let's give 'em a minute."

Juice hesitated, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. Angela squeezed his hand. "Go," she said, smiling slightly as he pecked her lips before following Kozik out of the room. Once she heard the bedroom door shut, she looked up at Happy, waiting for his lecture.

He was quiet though as he caught her chin in his hand. "You did good today, kid," he said, a proud look in his eyes. "Played it smart. I know it ain't easy, but I'm proud a you for stickin' around for the doc and that lady. I wouldn't a done it."

The corners of her lips lifted in a small smile. "Yeah? You're not disappointed?"

He shook his head. "Just glad you're all right."

She nodded slowly, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Were you scared, Hap? When you saw the bodies…did you think…"

"Nah. I knew you were smarter than that," he interrupted, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Listen, tomorrow we're goin' back inside."

Angela felt like someone had punched her in the gut. "What? So soon?" she asked, hating the way her voice cracked on the last question. When did she become such a baby?

He nodded. "You gotta stay on top of things with Ma, Ang. Ya need to visit and shit. Don't leave her alone with your mom. She'll go crazy."

"Okay."

"You need anythin', you go to Kozik, aight? He's gonna be stayin' here most nights," he said, when she opened her mouth to protest he cut her off. "I don't give a shit what you think about it. That's how it's gonna be."

She sighed, giving in. "Fine. And you keep an eye on Juice," she ordered, a hard look in her eyes. "None of this '_there's nothing I could've done_' bullshit, Hap. I know you. There's always something you can do."

Happy's lips twitched into a small smile. His cousin thought he was a goddamn superhero sometimes, and he'd yet to prove to her differently. "I'll do my best, kid. You bring Ma to visit sometimes too, 'cause you know your mom won't."

"Yeah, yeah, of course, Hap," she agreed. "How long this time?"

"Dunno yet," he answered honestly. If things worked out in their favor, it wouldn't be too long, but he didn't want to get her hopes up. "Keep your head up and your nose fuckin' clean, Ang. Don't get wrapped up into all the Old Lady bullshit."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not an Old Lady."

Happy shook his head at her. "Don't matter. Just stay out of it."

"All right. Anything else?"

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't do shit like this anymore, all right?" he said, allowing her to hug him albeit briefly. At her nod, he smirked, patting her cheek none-too-gently. "Love you, kid."

She swatted his hand away, scowling at him slightly before smiling. "Love you too, Hap."

* * *

><p>While Happy and Angela talked in the bathroom, Juice and Kozik were having their own conversation in the kitchen. Juice had gotten them both beers and was picking anxiously at the label of his as Kozik stared him down. "Did you guys really have to put all that shit on her? I mean, <em>Jesus<em>, Koz, she was kidnapped and beaten and all you guys did was tell her what a shitty job she did of gettin' out of there."

Kozik scowled at him. "We're tough on her 'cause we gotta be. That's how she learns."

"What's she gonna learn from all that? Not to get kidnapped? That'll never happen to her again," Juice promised, anger bleeding into his voice. "I won't let it."

The blonde biker's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh yeah? How you gonna protect her all the way from county?"

He tightened his grip on the beer bottle in his hand in an attempt not to lash out at his brother. Kozik was right though, he wasn't going to be able to help her much from behind bars. "Shit," he muttered, shaking his head.

Kozik took pity on him for a moment, knowing it wasn't easy to leave loved ones behind to serve time. "Look man, I got her while you're inside," he said, a serious look on his face.

Juice scoffed at that. "Weren't you supposed to be watching her while we were in Belfast? That did her a lot of good."

Kozik's blue eyes darkened as he narrowed them at Juice. The idiot was treading dangerous waters there. "I can't watch her every second of the day, man. Neither can you," he pointed out. "But I been keepin' an eye on her since she was eighteen which is a hell of a lot longer than you. I know the way she works."

"Really? Then why the hell did she get kidnapped on _your_ watch?"

"You want to spend your life followin' her around? Be my guest," he replied on a laugh. "But she'll hate you for it. Trust me, Hap and I tried in Tacoma. You follow her around and she'll start doin' shit like this on fuckin' purpose and _provin_' she can handle it herself."

Juice furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head at him. "What does that even mean?"

"Last time she caught on that I was tailin' her, she went straight to a bar, picked a fight hustlin' pool, and then laid the guy out on the ground, her knee in his back, before I even got over there to help her. She just looked up at me, that cocky ass grin on her face, tossed the money back at the dude, and bounced. Message sent and received."

He had to laugh at that one. Though he'd never seen Angela in action, he knew Happy had trained her. It was hard for him to imagine her with so much attitude, though. Apparently, she'd grown out of it. "I don't believe that."

"Dude, when we pulled her outta Oakland that girl had the worst attitude I've ever seen," Kozik explained on a laugh. "Hap's never laid a finger on her, but I swear to God, he wanted to smack that lip liner right off her face those first couple of months."

"What happened?"

Kozik shrugged a shoulder. "She was unhappy. Unhappy with herself, unhappy with where she was in life. It started to change little by little as she started getting into that funeral shit. And now…" he trailed off.

"What?"

"I ain't ever seen her so happy, man," he answered his voice low. "So don't fuck it up like ya almost did before you guys left."

Juice nodded slowly, knowing there was an unspoken threat to the Tacoma Sergeant at Arm's words. There was a reason Kozik had earned that patch. In many ways, he was more dangerous than Happy. At least with Hap, you saw it coming. With Kozik, one minute you could be joking around, laughing, the next he was pointing a gun at your head. "I won't."

Happy strode in then looking tired, he nodded to Kozik. "All good?" the blonde asked from where he was leaning over the kitchen counter.

"Yeah," Hap answered on a nod. "Told her about tomorrow."

"You told her?" Juice asked, his eyebrows raised. That was something _he_ was going to do. She'd specifically asked him to tell her, and he'd been planning on doing it at just the right time.

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "Someone had to. You take care a her now while you still can."

Juice nodded slowly. "Yeah, 'course. Always."

Angela walked into the room slowly, a small smile on her face. She loved that the three men she cared about the most were all in the same place at the same time. She only wished she could keep them there. That Juice and Hap didn't have to go inside, that Kozik would get voted into SAMCRO. All things she knew weren't going to happen but wished for just the same.

Juice was the first one to notice her. She gave him a small wave as he moved away from the conversation to go to her. "You all right?"

She nodded. "For the millionth time, Juice, I'm okay," she assured him, taking his hand in hers and giving it a quick squeeze.

"We got Church," Happy said, knowing that a kiss between Juice and Angela came next. A kiss he wasn't really in the mood to watch. He was still irked at Juice for defending Angela in the bathroom. "Got a vote."

"You comin' Juicer?" Kozik asked following Happy to the door.

Juice looked from his two brothers to his injured girlfriend, hesitating. Angela pressed her palms against his chest, gently pushing him towards them. "Go," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He was torn. On one hand, he knew the vote wasn't going to get very far. Tig would deny Kozik's bid and he'd be sent back home just minutes after he left. On the other, he knew Jax wasn't going so he could stay with Tara who was nowhere near as injured as Angela. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Go, Juice," she urged before giving him a quick kiss. "I'll be here when you get back."

He took her chin in a hand and pressed one long kiss to her lips, a silent thank you to her for understanding that he needed to go. As she leaned into him, he deepened the kiss, one hand moving to cup the back of her neck while he wrapped the other around her waist, tugging her closer. The world briefly slipped away as he kissed her. It felt like it'd been months since he'd had held her close like this, since he got to kiss her.

" 'ey! Idiot!" Happy's growl had him pulling away as if he'd been burned. He'd been so wrapped up in Angela; he'd forgotten his two brothers were in the room.

Angela tried her best not to laugh at the mixture of anger and a little of fear on his face. "Guess I'll see you later."

Juice sighed, kissing her cheek quickly before heading towards his brothers. He braced himself as he walked past Happy, knowing what was coming. "Get outta here," Happy growled, smacking him upside the head before pushing him out the door.

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><p><strong>Like it? Didn't like it? Let me know! I love hearing from you! :) <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	35. Won't Give Up

**Thanks to everyone for their lovely reviews, follows, and favorites! :) I know I thanked a lot of you via PM, but thanks to those who didn't sign in: the 2 Guests, dannygirl, and Jean **(I'm not planning to skip over their time in county, and I'm not quite sure when those three little words will come up...guess we'll see ;])

**You all make me so happy! :D **

**This chapter takes place between Season 3 Episode 12 "June Wedding" and Season 3 Episode 13 "NS". It's a lot shorter than usual, but I really didn't want to tack it on to the end of the last chapter and it didn't feel right at the beginning of the next one so here it is...alone. Hehe**

**I know I don't usually do this, but there were four songs I listened to on repeat while writing this chapter: **"arms" by Christina Perri, "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz, and "Daylight" & "Wipe Your Eyes" by Maroon 5. **Just thought I'd mention them because they are all fantastic songs and influenced me a lot while writing this bit. ;) ****  
><strong>

**Only 17 days until SOA Season 5 premieres in the US! YAY!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 35: Won't Give Up_

_By Love Ink_

Juice checked the time on the clock as he walked into the house feeling his heart drop when he saw how late it was. He didn't have much time left to spend with her. "Angel?" he called out, grunting as he kicked off his boots. He could hear music coming from the kitchen, some kind of soft rock ballad, and smiled. As he rounded the corner, he took a minute to drink her in.

Despite being battered and bruised, Angela was standing at the counter barefoot as she stirred something in a bowl, her long hair hung down her back in a mess of waves, the ends just barely brushing over the top of her lower back. She was wearing his sweatshirt again; one sleeve had slipped down her arm leaving her shoulder bare. Slowly, he approached her from behind, moving her hair off her neck before pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder, his arms snaking around her waist. "Whatcha makin'?" he questioned, looking into her bowl.

"Gemma called to invite us for breakfast tomorrow, so I'm making muffins," she explained, leaning back into his embrace. It felt so good to have him close again. She tried not to think of the fact that he was going inside the next day, choosing instead to focus on the present. He was there now, worrying about the inevitable wouldn't do her any good.

"Shouldn't you be resting or something?" he asked between kisses as his lips trailed across her shoulder and up her neck.

It was hard to think with his lips on her like that. "Mmm," she hummed, tilting her head to the side to allow him better access. "I have a concussion. I'm not s'posed to fall asleep, remember? I could slip into a comma and then I'd miss my last night with you."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her as he let her go. Leaning against the counter, his eyes followed her every movement as she worked, trying to pick on any hints that she was in pain. As she stretched to reach for a spoon, her jaw clenched briefly, a tell tale sign that the movement had hurt. "Are you in a lot of pain, baby?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. Her head was throbbing, her side ached, and the thought of him leaving had her heart hurting, but there was no way she'd admit that to him. "Not really," she lied, turning towards the oven as it dinged. She took out the first batch of muffins and went to put in the next, but he stood in her way.

"You think you can handle going for a ride?" he asked, his hands tucked deep into the pockets of his cut.

If he hadn't had the earnest, almost innocent look in his eyes, Angela would've thought he was hinting at something quite different than a motorcycle ride. She bit back a dirty comment knowing he wouldn't appreciate it at that moment. If he was asking her to go for a ride with him this late at night it was because there was something in his head he needed to work out. "Yeah, definitely," she said with a small smile as she set down the unmade muffins and turned off the oven. "Let me just get changed."

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><p>Juice didn't go as fast as he usually did on his bike. He was taking everything slow, enjoying the scenery, the cool wind on his face, and the feel of Angela's arms wrapped tightly around him, her cheek pressed to his back. It'd be a long time until he could enjoy these little things again.<p>

He pulled over at their mountain, watching her carefully as she slid off his Dyna. He caught her wincing and felt a pang of pain go through his chest. As if sensing what he felt, she sighed. "I'm fine, Juice. Just sore," she assured him.

He nodded as he took off his gloves and tucked them into his back pocket before reaching out a hand for hers. With a small smile, she took his hand and let him lead her to their usual spot at the edge of the mountain. They sat down next to each other, both silent as they stared out at the sleeping town.

He started to dig into his pockets before producing a lighter and a joint. She raised an eyebrow at him, watching as he lit it up taking a quick toke before passing it over to her. They sat in silence, passing the joint back and forth until finally Juice spoke. "You know why we're going in?"

She shook her head. "Nope," she answered as she exhaled. To be honest, she couldn't care less why he was being sent to jail; she just hoped he stayed safe while he was in there.

"Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon," he answered on a sigh. He usually didn't tell her stuff like this, but he felt like she should know the reason he had to leave her. That she needed to know they hadn't really done anything wrong despite the long stretch of time he was about to serve. "That asshole that did that thing to Gemma tricked us into busting into his stupid church meeting, guns loaded."

Angela wondered where this was coming from; Happy hadn't even told her the reason they were going inside. She did appreciate him telling her though. More because it showed he trusted her than because she really wanted to know. "That sucks," she murmured, shaking her head. "You guys really didn't do anything?"

He chuckled at the irony of it all. They did illegal things on an almost daily basis; the one time that they didn't really do anything was the time they got caught. "No. Absolutely nothing. How ridiculous is that?"

"How long will you be inside?" she asked knowing Juice, unlike Happy, would tell her a straight answer.

"At least a year," he answered softly.

"Woah."

Juice turned his head to look at her profile. It was times like this that they were just sitting there next to each other, more friends than lovers, that he realized how much he needed her. No one else would listen to him like this; without questions, without opinions. She just sat there and listened. "I don't…I don't expect you to wait for me, Angel."

Her head turned toward him, a surprised look on her face. "Why not?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"I dunno," he replied, sighing heavily. He already knew she was too good for him, leaving her for a year and expecting her to wait for him was pushing his luck. There were plenty of guys better than him who could step in while he was away. "A year is a long time. I just…don't want to hold you back."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Hold me back from what exactly?"

"From happiness, I guess," he answered on a shrug as he stubbed out what was left of the joint on the ground next to him.

A disappointed look crossed her face as she looked back out at the view. "What are we doing here, Juice?" she asked, her voice a little sad.

Juice furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, unsure of what she was asking. "What do you mean?"

"You're giving up. A few hours ago, you were all about making up and staying together, and now you're giving up. I don't get it."

"I'm not giving up," he denied, a scowl on his face.

She turned to look at him again, her dark eyes filled with a mixture of hurt and sadness. "Then why wouldn't you expect me to wait for you, Juice?"

He smiled softly at her, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple. How could he be so stupid to question her loyalty to him? Of course, he expected her to wait for him because he knew if the situation was reversed, he'd wait for her. No matter how long it took. " 'cause I'm an idiot," he answered wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side.

Angela wasn't convinced that he really understood what she meant. He often pulled the idiot card when he didn't want to answer something, when he wanted to finish a conversation before it got too serious. But this conversation wasn't one she was going to let slide. He needed to know that she'd wait for him. As far as she was concerned, there were no other guys she wanted to be with. "I'm not going to give up on you, Juice," she promised him, holding his gaze. "I'm not going anywhere."

Her dark eyes held a silent affirmation of her feelings for him. Feelings that were more than words. Feelings that, surprisingly enough, matched his own. "Good," he said catching her lips in a soft kiss. He pulled away as if he remembered something, his hand digging around in his jeans again. "Hey, I gotcha somethin' in Belfast. Well, actually Chibs' kid's friend, Trinnie, got it for me, but she got it for me to give to you so it's still from me…kinda. I picked it out from a few."

Angela bit back a laugh at his rambling, watching as he pulled out a little paper bag that was sealed with a pretty ribbon and handed it over to her. She opened it carefully before shaking out the item. "It's a clatter ring," he explained.

She studied the ring in her palm and let out a light laugh. "Claddagh ring, Juice," she corrected.

"That's what I said," he shot back stubbornly. It had sounded right enough to him.

Angela grinned, shaking her head at him. "It's beautiful," she said, running her finger over the hands, heart, and crown design.

Juice nodded in agreement; Trinity had brought him several rings to choose from, but he knew this was the one he wanted as soon as he saw it. It wasn't a normal, circular ring, but what Trinity had called a wishbone ring. He thought it looked like a mini tiara. "You gotta put the point of the heart towards you 'cause that means you belong to someone," he said turning it in the right direction. "Which is me."

"Is that so?" she teased on a laugh as she slipped it on the ring finger of her right hand. "Thank you," she said kissing him quickly. "I actually got something for you too. I mean, I ordered it awhile back and it came in when I was…not home."

"Let's see it," Juice said, his hand outstretched. Digging into her pocket, she pulled out a heavy silver ring and set it in his palm. He lifted his arm off her shoulder, pinching the ring between his fingers and holding it closer to his face so he could see it better. It had SAMCRO on it in big letters with angel wings going down the side. "Where'd you get this?"

"I know, I know. It's lame and cheesy. Angel wings and what not, but I went to this shop to get something for Hap's birthday and I saw this base and the guy at the shop said he could put a stone there or engrave something there so I just did that. I thought it'd look kinda cool."

"It _is_ cool," he murmured, slipping it onto a finger. "My two favorite things, my club and my girl."

Angela rolled her eyes at him, gently nudging him with her shoulder. "Goof."

He smiled, gently taking her chin in his hand and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She kissed him back passionately, moving so that she was on her knees beside him, her hands on his chest gently pushing him down so he was lying on his back. She slid a leg over his lap, straddling him as her lips moved down his neck. His hands tangled in her hair, gently pulling her away. She looked down at him, the moonlight creating a halo around her head. Her eyes studied him, waiting for the cheesy line he was probably thinking. "We're gonna christen this mountain, aren't we?" he asked, catching her off guard.

She sat up, tilting her head back as she laughed. Her laughter pulled on her sore ribs, but she didn't care; she was with the man she cared about the most for one more night and she was going to take advantage of it. "Yes, sir, we are," she said, her hands slipping under his shirt and he tugged down the zipper pull of her sweatshirt...well, his sweatshirt actually.

He was starting to love the sight of her in his sweatshirt. Not only because she was wearing his clothes, but also because every time he pulled that zipper down, a pair of sexy lingerie seemed to be under it. That night was no exception. The moonlight caught the little rhinestones embedded on the black lace making them twinkle back at him. "Damn, baby," he said, his voice rough with lust.

A teasing smile crossed her face. "I don't expect you to wait…"

Juice didn't even let her finish the sentence. He sat up, his lips crashing down on hers hungrily. No, he wasn't going to wait this time. Waiting usually led to interruptions and he wasn't about to let that happen. He wanted her, and he wanted her now.

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><p>Juice lay next to Angela in their bed, his face just inches away from hers, one of his hands tangled in her wet hair. After they'd christened their mountain, they'd gone home and re-christened the kitchen and the couch and the shower until finally making it to the bed. Her fingers traced over the two scars on his bare back as she looked up at him, worry etched into her dark eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking. He kissed the small worry wrinkle that appeared between her brows. "I'm going to be okay, Angel," he assured her, his thumb trailing over her cheek. "We have protection this time. No one is going to touch me."<p>

"Okay," she said, though the worried look didn't go away.

He glanced out the window over her shoulder, noticing that the sun had just started to rise. "Sun's comin' up."

She knew what that meant. As soon as that sun came up, her time with him would be over. Sure, they had Gemma's breakfast together, but after that…it'd be all about whatever plan it was they had and then, he'd be gone. "You barely slept," she said on a frown. Both of them had passed out for an hour or two on the couch before he'd picked her up and taken her to the bed.

"It's all right."

"No, it's not," she disagreed, a scowl on her face. "You should sleep."

"Nah, I don't want to miss a thing," he said, wondering if she'd get it.

She rolled her eyes at him, obviously she got the reference. "Don't you quote Aerosmith at me," she said, a hint of a smile tugging up the corner of her lips. "Not after you made me watch _Armageddon_…again."

The first time he'd brought up watching it, she'd been so adamantly against it that he'd just had to find out why. And he did. Angela didn't cry much, but at the end of the movie she cried like a baby. It was then he'd remembered how she'd suffered a loss similar to the main character's. He'd felt like shit for the rest of the day. "I still feel bad about that," he said with a small frown.

"As you should," she said, a teasing glint in her eyes telling him that she didn't mean it.

He pulled her in closer so that her head was tucked under his chin, every inch of her body pressed to his. Her body fit perfectly against his, like they were made just for this. He tried to ingrain this feeling in his head so that he could re-visit it during those cold nights in the slammer. "I'm gonna miss you, Angel," he murmured, his hand rubbing up and down her back. "So much."

She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "Don't do that, Juice," she choked out. "Don't make it harder."

He held her tighter then, feeling her tears against his skin. "That's what he said," he whispered in her ear.

Angela pulled away, that big grin on her face that he loved. Her laughter filled the room as she looked up at him. He'd single-handedly taken what could've been a sappy, mopey moment and turned it into something they were more comfortable with. It was typical of their relationship. They were uncomfortable with serious stuff; silly and light-hearted was more their style. "You are _such_ a goof."

"A goof you're gonna miss?" he asked, that huge megawatt grin on his face as he wiped away her tears. He loved being able to laugh, especially if it stopped her from crying.

She nodded, taking his face into her hands and pressing a soft, loving kiss to his lips. "More than anything."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer 2: I do <em>not<em> own "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith nor do I own _ Armageddon_. But both are awesome. :) **

****NOTE: _In season 4, there are some scenes where Juice is actually wearing the ring Angela gives him. It's on sale on the FX website if you want to get a visual of it. I saw it there and did some research and found different scenes where he's actually wearing it and it was just too perfect. ;) Anyways...just thought you all should know that I'm not pulling random things out. hehe ;)**_**

**Anyways, as usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! :) **

**Coming up next: Season 3 Episode 13: "NS" woot! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	36. Moving Too Fast

**Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who took the time to review, favorite, follow! :) You guys make me so happy! :D**

**Only 12 days 'til Season 5 premieres in the U.S.! I can't wait! :D**

**Anyways, this chapter takes place during Season 3, Episode 13 "NS".**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 36: Moving Too Fast_

_By Love Ink_

Angela sat at the bar of the clubhouse with Juice at her side sharing a plate piled high with breakfast food. Around them the rest of the club was buzzing with life. The club members were all talking loudly, their laughter filling the room as they enjoyed one final moment of normalcy. She loved every minute of it. Watching Kozik and Happy joke around with Tig and feeling Juice's arm wrapped protectively around her waist…these were things she could get used to. It was the other moments that came with it that made her uneasy. She felt a tap on her shoulder and swiveled the stool around to find Jax there, Abel in his arms.

"Hey Ang," he greeted, a bright smile on his face. "Little guy wanted to say 'hello'."

Angela grinned as she took the baby from Jax. "Hi Abie baby," she cooed, hugging him close before perching him on her lap. "I'm glad he's home safe."

Jax nodded in agreement, watching as his son grabbed hold of a lock of Angela's hair. "I just wanted to say 'thanks'," he said looking up at Angela with his pretty blue eyes. "Taking the fall for Tara, that was some brave shit."

She shrugged off his thanks; Tara saved her just as much as she had saved Tara. "No worries. If she hadn't told Salazar I was dead, he probably would've actually killed me so we're even."

He nodded again, a hint of a proud smile on his face. "Guessin' this is yours," he stated pulling out her little folded knife from his pocket and placing it on the bar in front of her, well out of the Abel's reach. "Tara told me you gave it to her. That it helped you guys escape."

Angela smiled softly as she nodded. She wondered where he'd found it but decided against asking. For some reason, she didn't want to know. The last time she'd seen it, it had been covered in blood, but now it was good as new. Someone had taken the time to clean it. "Thanks."

"Yeah. Tig did the cleanin'," Jax explained glancing over to SAMCRO's Sergeant. He'd been surprised when Tig had taken the knife from him so he could clean it. He'd caught the Sergeant scrubbing at it with bleach and a sponge an hour or two earlier. Apparently, he also felt guilty that Salazar got a hold of the girls on his watch. Jax took Abel from her arms and settled him against his hip. His blue eyes raked over her appraisingly. "You're a smart girl, Ang. Hope you stick around," he stated, looking pointedly over her shoulder.

She smirked, tilting her head back until it connected with Juice's shoulder. "Eavesdropper," she accused, looking up at him upside down.

Juice gave her that big goofy grin of hers as he shrugged. "What? I was curious."

Sitting up, she swiveled the stool to face him. He watched as she tentatively picked up the knife from the counter and flipped it open, inspecting the black blade. In her mind she could still feel the warm blood that covered her hands as she tried to staunch the bleeding from Luisa's slit throat. She swallowed hard as guilt swirled around the pit of her stomach.

Juice watched as her dark eyes focused on the knife in her hand, her finger running over the dull side of the blade. Something about her expression worried him. There was no doubt in his mind that she was going through what had happened with that knife, and though she hadn't told him what exactly had occurred, he knew it was something she wasn't used to seeing. He placed a hand on her thigh, his thumb stroking over the inseam of her jeans. Her eyes snapped to his, a look of relief flitting across her face. "Lost you for a second there," he stated softly so only she could hear. "You okay?"

Angela mustered up a smile for him as she nodded. "Yeah, totally fine," she lied, standing and tucking the folded knife into her pocket. She stepped between his legs, her fingers tugging gently on the front of his cut to pull him closer. His hand slipped under her button down top, fingers gently trailing over her bruised side as if he could somehow make it go away. Having him so close made her feel a million times better. Leaning forward, she caught his lips in a sweet kiss. "Don't worry about me, Juice. You got your own shit to handle."

He let his hands slide down to her ass. "I'm handlin' it."

She laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "Goof!"

Happy and Kozik exchanged glances over their breakfast when they heard Angela laugh. The blonde biker grinned, shaking his head at Angela and Juice. "How long you think that's gonna last?"

Happy looked over at them and shrugged. "Dunno."

Kozik knew Happy was still mad at him for letting Angela put herself in a vulnerable situation. He'd already gotten an earful from him the night before. "Look, I thought she'd be safe with the Doc."

"That kid ain't ever safe," Happy ground out, stabbing viciously at his eggs before shoving them in his mouth.

The blonde nodded in agreement. "Danger magnet. Don't help she's with the idiot. Gettin' her deeper into the club 'n all."

The Tacoma Killer considered that statement, his eyes drifting over to where Angela was talking animatedly with Tara. Juice was carrying on a completely different conversation with Chibs, yet he still had his hand around her waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Knew it was gonna happen," Happy stated with a shake of his head. Watching her grow up, he'd always had a feeling she'd end up with an outlaw. "Least it's with us and not the Mayans."

Kozik chuckled as he nodded. "True that, brotha."

Happy's dark eyes fell on Lyla as she made her way to the center of the room. Opie cleared his throat. "Lyla has something to say."

The clubhouse fell silent as the blonde raised her left hand in the air. "We're getting married!"

As the club erupted into cheers, Juice chanced a glance at Angela, surprised to see that she seemed to be sneaking a glance right back at him. He wondered if her mind was going in the same direction as his. If she too realized that Opie and Lyla had not been together nearly as long as they had. She winked at him, a smile breaking across her face as she looked away and threw her arms around Lyla, shouting her congratulations as she hugged the petite blonde.

"Don't even think about it," Happy's voice growled into Juice's ear.

Juice jumped, he hadn't noticed Happy was standing so close to him. "Me? What? No, _no_. No way," he stuttered out looking up at his brother nervously.

Kozik let out a chuckle at Juice's expense. Like Happy, he hadn't missed the look the two lover's had exchanged at Lyla's announcement. As soon as they gave Opie their congratulations, both men had stealthily made their way over to Juice. "Why not? What's wrong with Ang?" he asked.

"Nothin', nothin'," he answered, his voice shaking slightly. "I'm just…we're not…there yet, I guess."

Happy nodded in approval, slapping him on the back as he chuckled. "Relax. We're just messin' wi' cha."

"Yeah, whatdya think we were gonna do? Kill ya?" Kozik teased, grabbing onto his other shoulder and shaking it lightly.

Juice let out a shaky breath and managed an awkward laugh. "Yeah. Real funny, guys."

Happy stepped away, heading towards Angela who was making her way over to them. He slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side in a brotherly fashion. Kozik, however, was still looking him up and down. "Y'know, _you_ might not be 'there' yet, but she might be. I'm sure she'll let you know."

Juice's jaw dropped at that one. He glanced over at Angela who had Lyla's hand in hers, admiring the engagement ring. Was that what her wink had meant? Was she expecting a proposal now too? "Shit," he breathed, eyes wide. He was going to ask Kozik something but found that the blonde had already headed off towards Angela.

Kozik poked Angela's good side, giving her a grin when she slapped his hand away. "Sup, kid?"

Angela caught sight of Juice and raised her eyebrow; he was looking considerably freaked out. "What did you two say to him?"

"Don't worry about it," Happy said, dropping his arm from her shoulders.

Kozik chuckled. "We were talkin' about Crow designs for ya."

Angela's eyes widened as she looked at him. "No you weren't," she said, though her tone lacked the confidence of someone who truly believed what they were saying. She and Juice had _never_ discussed her getting a crow. Hell, they rarely discussed their relationship at all! It only just been weeks before that he admitted she was his girlfriend; how could he be talking about putting a crow on her? She turned her head towards Happy. "Were you?"

Happy shrugged a shoulder; he knew the game Kozik was playing. The Tacoma Sergeant had already succeeded in freaking Juice out and now, he was trying to do the same to Angela. She stared at him, waiting for more information, but he wasn't about to give up his brother's game nor was he going to lie to her. He didn't lie to his little cousin if he could help it.

"Yeah, dude. He wants a big tramp stamp. With his name. In flames," Kozik insisted with a shake of his head. "You better go talk some sense into him, Ang."

Angela swallowed hard as she raked a shaking hand through her hair. All this talk about getting serious had her stomach tied in knots. She wasn't a commitment-phobe, per se, but when things started to move too fast, she tended to get nervous and her nerves always fucked up relationships. "Yeah," she said, heading towards Juice. She shifted nervously in front of him, noting how he too was nervous. "I think we need to talk."

"Do we? I think we're good," he said running a hand over his hair. He didn't want to talk about getting married, especially not with the long stretch of prison time ahead of him. Why couldn't they just let things be?

She rolled her eyes at him and started walking towards the back dorm rooms, expecting him to follow. Juice cursed under his breath and followed after her. He found her standing in front of his dorm room, arms crossed over her chest. He unlocked it, holding the door open for her to step in before him. Closing the door behind him, he let out a long sigh. "What's up?"

She paced the floor in front of him, trying to figure out how to start the conversation. "We haven't been together all that long right? I mean, I know longer than Op and Ly but not by much…"

Juice swallowed hard. "You're not…you're not expecting me to propose, are ya?"

Angela stopped pacing, looking at him slack-jawed. "What? No!" she said on a scowl. "Why would you think that?"

"Koz said somethin' about it and I just…I dunno," he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. "He knows you better so…"

That was all she needed to know. "Fuckin' Kozik. I'm gonna kill him! He's playin' us!"

"What?"

"I don't want to get married," she said on a laugh, her eyes dancing with amusement now. She was used to Kozik playing mind games with her and was relieved it was all this was. She didn't know what she'd do if he'd been serious. "Not right now, anyway. And I'm guessing you didn't mention anything to them about a crow?"

He shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "No, I don't have a death wish," he answered on a scowl. He knew bringing up a crow tattoo in front of Happy was a bad idea at the moment. Especially when it seemed that the killer had just begun to be sort of okay with their relationship.

She let out a sigh of relief, laughing to herself as she relaxed. "That _ass_hole."

Juice chuckled, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. "He had me freakin' out for a minute," he said on a shaky breath as Angela wrapped her arms around his waist. He hugged her tightly to his chest, his fingers trailing up and down her back. "I'd be lyin' if I said I hadn't thought about it, though."

Angela tilted her back to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "Which one?"

"The crow," he clarified quickly. Though the crow was a big step, it wasn't nearly as big as getting married. "I mean, not for you to get anytime soon, but…some designs, placement."

She raised an eyebrow at him. Truth be told, she had thought about it too. "I'm not gettin' a tramp stamp. You want to mark me, do it somewhere more people can see."

Her words started a fire in his veins. Not only did she seem to want a crow, she wanted it somewhere the world could see. She wanted the world to know who she belonged to.

"No, you're not," he said confidently as if it was his decision. He grabbed at the sides of her top, easily tugging it apart so each of the snaps popped open. Slowly, he slid it down her arms. The feel of his rough mechanic's hands on her smooth skin sent shivers down her spine. In one quick movement, he turned her around so her back was too him, bare save for the lacy bra she was wearing. "Right here," he said his hand brushing from one shoulder blade to the other.

She swallowed hard as she felt that familiar warmth spread through her stomach. That was the spot she'd liked too. "Really?" she asked trying hard to keep her voice level and not betray just how much the feel of his hands was effecting her. "What if I don't want it there?"

"Too bad," he murmured, his lips blazing a trail across the area, claiming it as his own. He moved his lips up her neck, nipping lightly at the skin there and smiling when it earned him a gasp from Angela.

One hand moved down her side, gentle over her bruised ribs, before his fingers started to undo the button of her jeans. Leaning her back into his chest, she could feel his hard length against her lower back and smiled to herself. She was aware that most of the club, including her cousin, was just a few feet away, but at the moment, the only thing she can think about was Juice's hand as it traveled lower down the front of her jeans.

* * *

><p>"Where'd Ang go?" Kozik asked, looking around the room suddenly aware that she was missing.<p>

"Lose her again?" Tig taunted, a smirk on his face. He knew Happy had almost killed the blonde biker for letting Angela get kidnapped on his watch and was thankful the blame had fallen on Kozik and not on him. The fact that Koz was having trouble keeping tabs on the girl while she was in the same place as him was just ridiculous, though. At Kozik's scowl, he decided to have a little pity on him. "Saw her head back to the dorms with Juice."

"She look upset?"

"What am I a mindreader? I dunno! She looked the way she looked," Tig answered, his arms thrown out to the side in question. "They're either fightin' or fuckin' back there."

Kozik frowned as he pushed away from the table and headed towards the dorms. With the mind games he'd just played with them, he wouldn't be at all surprised if they were fighting. Maybe he'd step in and straighten things out. He was just a few feet away from the door when he heard it. The creak of a bed. He dismissed it as being a loose floorboard. There was no way they were doing that. Not when the clubhouse was packed with people. Angela was smarter than that. He had his hand over the door when he heard her moan. "Aw fuck no," he said wrinkling his nose in disgust. He turned to find Happy just walking down the hall on his way to the bathroom. The bathroom that was right across from where Juice and Angela were carrying on…very loudly. "Stop. Right there."

Happy stopped, though he didn't look too pleased at being told what to do. "What?" he grunted.

Kozik shook his head. If he wanted to be mean, he could've told Hap exactly what was going on. It certainly would've been entertaining to see Juice's face when Happy broke down the door. He figured he owed the couple not to tell Happy; he'd caused enough trouble for the day. He slung an arm around Hap's shoulders, dragging him back out to the main room. "You don't want to know."

* * *

><p>Angela's phone rang loudly in the quiet workroom just as she pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the biohazard bin. Skeeter had said he'd give her the day off despite the back load of jobs, but Angela had insisted that she could do it. After being tied to a support beam in an attic for almost two days, it felt good to get some sort of normalcy back into her life. She glanced at the screen, unsure of the number that was flashing across it. "Angela Ruiz," she greeted, pulling off her plastic apron and shoving it in the bin too.<p>

"Hey kid," came Happy's rough voice. "You busy?"

"Nope," she answered flicking off the lights in the workroom as she made her way out. "Why? What's up?

"Need you to come by the clubhouse with the Glock."

Angela furrowed her eyebrows together as she headed towards her car. "Why?"

"Club needs your help," he replied vaguely.

She started up the car, putting the phone in the crook of her neck as she drove to her house. She was having trouble wrapping her head around the fact the club needed her help. "Is there a body or something?"

"Nah. Just get over here," he answered before the line went dead.

Angela glared at the phone before tossing it into the passenger's seat. Stepping on the gas, she made it to her house in record time. She changed quickly into a pair of normal jeans, her riding boots, and a black beater with the word "Juicy" scrawled across it in gold. She tucked the knife into her boot before digging through her drawers to find the old holster Happy had given her. She slid on the leather holster, putting her Glock in on the left side. The familiar smell of the leather holster tickled her nose making her smile as memories of her filled her head. She'd insisted he buy it for her the day after he'd gotten her the Glock stating that if he had one, she should too. Ever since then, he'd made her wear it when they went out to practice.

She grabbed Juice's big black zip-up off the hook by the bed and slipped it on over, zipping it up halfway to conceal the gun. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as it always did when she was carrying her gun in its holster. She walked quickly to her car, cranked up the loud rock music, and headed straight for TM.

Happy was waiting for her in the parking lot when she pulled in. He waved her over to where Tara and Opie were standing going over what looked like a map. "You got the Glock?" he asked, looking her over. She unzipped the sweatshirt and opened it a little so he could see it. "That's a dumbass shirt," he commented, shaking his head at her.

"Shut up, Hap," she said on a scowl. She regretted it instantly when he wrapped an arm around her head, pulling her into a headlock as he dragged her towards Tara. He let her go when they were close enough, pushing her towards them.

Opie nodded his greeting to Angela while Tara gave her a quizzical look. "What are you doing here?" the doctor asked.

"I have no idea. But I'm armed and dangerous," she answered, giving Tara a teasing smile.

Tara rolled her eyes before glancing up at Opie, waiting for his explanation. "She's here to protect you," the bearded biker said gesturing to Angela. "Hap and Koz's idea."

"Really?" Angela asked on a surprised laugh as she looked at her cousin.

She glanced at Hap who had that proud look on his face. "Don't make me regret it," he threatened, squeezing her shoulder before heading back towards the clubhouse to tell the rest of them that the girls were there.

"All right. Listen up," Opie said before launching into the plan.

Angela leant over the Cutlass as she listened, trying to picture every step in her mind as he went through them. She knew she didn't really have to be there. Tara would be more than fine on her own, but she was willing to bet Jax didn't want to put the life of his unborn child and girlfriend in jeopardy again. Not when he'd just saved them only the day before.

Her eyes were drawn over to where the boys were slowly coming out of the clubhouse. She stood up as Juice approached, bulletproof vest in hand. "Hey baby."

"Hey you," she greeted, smiling when he took her hand and pulled her away from where Jax and Tara were having their own private moment.

His dark eyes looked her over, taking in the fact that she was wearing his sweatshirt. "You're wearin' somethin' under that, right?" he asked, swallowing hard as he remembered the lingerie set she'd had on the last time he caught her wearing his sweatshirt.

Angela gave him one of her naughty grins as she unzipped it and slid it off. " 'course I am."

Juice took in the sight of his name emblazoned across her chest and chuckled. "Nice," he said, an approving smile on his face. "Where the hell did you get holsters from?"

"Some kids ask for a car for their sixteenth. I asked for a Glock and holster," she explained on a shrug as he helped her put on the bulletproof vest.

He shook his head at her. Her dark eyes were glinting with excitement as she bounced on the balls of her feet as if waiting to pounce. Juice was slowly realizing that his girl like these high adrenaline moments; it was probably the reason why she drove like a maniac. Times like these that made it easier to believe Happy and Angela shared a quarter of their genes. "You sure you're okay with all this?"

Angela slid her arms around his waist, a little relieved to feel the bulk of his own bulletproof vest under his cut. "Yeah. I don't want Tara doing this alone. She doesn't have very good aim."

Juice chuckled as he pulled her in for a tight hug. He loved that she never hesitated to put others before her. He had no doubt that Angela would take a bullet for Tara, and that scared the shit out of him. The fact that she'd never shot someone or even shot at someone also had him worried. What if they got in a situation where she'd need to and she choked? What then? He pressed his forehead to hers. "Please be careful, Angel. I don't want to lose you again."

"I'll be good," she murmured, closing the distance between them with a soft kiss. "You be safe, all right?"

Juice nodded, opening the passenger's door to the Cutlass and waiting for her to get in. She nodded a quick goodbye to Happy and Kozik before getting into the car. He closed the door behind her before heading over to his bike.

Tara started up the Cutlass with a sigh, handing the directions over to Angela. "Thanks for doin' this, Angie."

Angela waved off her thank you as she studied the directions. "That's what friends are for."

"I hardly think suiting up in a bulletproof vest and gun holsters falls under that category," Tara said on a scoff.

She shrugged in response. "That's what the boys are doing for each other, right?" she questioned rhetorically. "Hey, maybe we should start our own club: Daughters of Disorder. Protecting each other from crazy motherfuckers one fake death at a time. We already have matching black sweatshirts."

Tara laughed at the one. She'd pulled on Jax's black sweatshirt over the bulletproof vest to look less conspicuous. Apparently, Angela had done the same thing with Juice's sweatshirt, though hers was a zipup. The black hoodies and jeans made them look like twins. "Well, we got the uniform down. Guess I'll have to improve my aim and we'll be good."

"We'll work on it," the undertaker replied before pointing out a turn. "I already told Lyla I'd teach her."

"What do you make of the whole wedding thing?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. They moved so fast. One day she was givin' him her number, the next they were saying 'I love you', and she got the crow and now their engaged. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm super happy for them and the kids because Lyla's awesome but...it's just too fast for me."

"What, you mean you and Juice aren't looking at engagement rings?" Tara teased. She'd had a few conversations about Juice with Angela and each of them gave her the feeling that the undertaker did _not_ like to rush things. If anything, it seemed she took relationships painfully slow.

"No. Definitely not," she answered with an exaggerated shake of her head. "What about you and Jax? You two have been together for a lot longer than any of us."

Tara shrugged a shoulder as she sighed. "I don't know. Just takin' things one day at a time."

"I feel you on that one." Angela slid down in her seat making herself comfortable for their forty minute ride out to the transfer spot. She'd gotten bits and pieces of what was going down, but she'd be lying if she said she understood it all. Apparently, they were driving some kind of cargo from the point to the garage.

"I'm guessing you know they're going back inside," Tara stated, her eyes on the road before them.

"Yep," she replied, nodding slowly.

The doctor sighed as she shook her head. "I don't know how I'm gonna handle this without him," she admitted, one hand settling on her stomach. "Gemma, the baby…it's going to be…difficult."

Angela gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll help you out. We can go visit the boys together and stuff. I can help with Abel if you need it. It'll all work out. You'll see."

Tara smiled at Angela's optimism. "If you say so."

* * *

><p><strong>What'd you think? Let me know in a review! :) <strong>

**Coming up next: more of Episode 13. Woot! :D**

**~Love Ink**


	37. Staying Strong

**Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to review, favorite, or follow! :D You all make my day brighter with your kind words! **

**This chapter takes place at the end of Season 3, Episode 13 "NS". :) **

**I'm going to try and upload at least one more chapter before the Season 5 premiere (which is only 8 days away! YAY!).**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 37: Staying Strong_

_By Love Ink_

Angela lay back against the bonnet of the Cutlass, fighting to keep her eyes open underneath her sunglasses. She and Tara had been waiting at the transfer spot for at least an hour, the hot sun beating down on them. She could feel Tara's nerves as the doctor shifted from foot to foot, her eyes constantly checking the turn point. "Relax, T. We'll hear them long before we see them," Angela assured her, kicking at the tire with the heel of her boot.

"I just…don't want to mess this up," Tara murmured, fidgeting with her hair nervously.

"What's to mess up? We're just drivin'," she replied around a yawn.

Tara looked back at Angela once again impressed by her calm demeanor. She'd given off the same nonchalant attitude when they'd been kidnapped by Salazar. She wondered if it was just an act or if Angela just really didn't care. "How do you remain so calm all the time?"

She shrugged in response. "Nervous people make mistakes. I don't get anxious 'til I have a good reason for it," she explained. "It's easy to do when you've had it instilled in you since you were a kid. Just breathe, think of your heartbeat slowin' down. Relax."

"Easier said than done," Tara muttered, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She sighed when it did nothing to calm her.

"That _is_ true," Angela agreed on a sigh. She moved to sit up, hissing when the movement pulled at her sore ribs. "Nope, that's not gonna happen," she groaned to herself as she lay back down.

Tara's brows furrowed in concern. They'd just shared a forty minute car ride, and she hadn't once asked Angela about her injuries. Suddenly, she felt like a terrible friend. "I didn't even ask how you were feeling. Did you break anything?"

"Cracked ribs and one hell of a concussion," Angela replied as though it was no big deal. "My whole side is a lovely shade purple."

"Are you in a lot of pain?"

She contemplated whether to answer that or not. She'd been trying to hide just how much pain she was really in from Juice and the other guys and had apparently succeeded since no one asked her about it. But she _was_ in pain and her head was still throbbing. "Yeah, actually," she answered honestly.

Tara frowned, trying to think of what she could do to help. "I think I have some pain meds at home if you want to come by and pick 'em up later."

"That'd be awesome. Thanks, T," Angela said with a grateful smile. "I used up all the ones I got for my wrist."

"Thought you didn't see a doctor for that."

"Don't worry about it," the undertaker said confidently.

Tara rolled her eyes in response, the comment she was about to make cut off by the sound of motorcycles in the distance. "Here they come," she said, moving around the car to open the trunk.

Angela grinned widely as she somehow managed to sit up. "Showtime."

The boys whizzed past them, pulling in to park in an orderly line in front of the Cutlass. The big black van pulled up next to them and Happy jumped out. He rushed around the van and opened the backdoors. Angela nodded her greeting to Juice as he walked by, slapping her ass when he was close enough. She rolled her eyes at him as she watched them pull out a squirming person from the back of the van and dump them in the trunk. That, she had not been expecting.

"Stay safe, Angel," Juice murmured as he walked by, catching her hand in his and giving it a quick squeeze before heading to his Dyna.

Angela sucked in a deep breath as she crawled into the back of the Cutlass, giving Phil the front since he was considerably larger than she was. Miles got in next to her, nodding a greeting to her. Tara waited for Phil to get in before she made her way down the road. The car was relatively quiet for a few moments before Miles cleared his throat. "You're lookin' good, Ang. You know, for someone who was just kidnapped and stuff."

Tara caught the 'you have got to be kidding me' look on Angela's face in the rearview mirror and bit back a laugh just as Phil turned around and glared at his fellow prospect. "_Dude_," he chastised.

"What? It's a compliment! I mean, I'd expect you to be a mess or somethin', but you look hot," Miles said, digging the hole deeper. "As always."

"Thanks. Amazing the difference makeup can make," Angela said, trying her best to be polite.

He nodded in agreement before looking at Tara. "You're looking good too, Tara."

"Thank you, Miles," Tara said on a light laugh.

"Of course you two always look good otherwise Jax and Juice wouldn't…I mean, I wish I could find a hot girl like you all. Ang, you got sisters? I'm more into brown girls myself."

Angela snorted at the comment, shaking her head at him. "No."

"Cousins?"

"Dude," Phil repeated looking at Miles over his shoulder. He'd caught on to the familial relationship between Angela and the Tacoma Killer, though it was obvious Miles hadn't.

Angela smirked at Miles, deciding to play with him a little. After all, the car ride was a long one, and she needed something to entertain her. "Just one."

"Nice. She hot?"

She actually laughed at that one. "Oh, you wouldn't want to touch my cousin," she stated confidently.

"Why's that?"

"He'll put a bullet through ya," she answered, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

"Happy's her cousin, Miles," Phil finally explained with a sigh.

Miles' eyes widened as he looked at Angela in a whole new light. "_Jesus_, you don't think that's something you shoulda _told _me? How the fuck does Juice handle _that_ pile of crazy?"

Angela laughed humorlessly as she shook her head at him. "I think it'd be a very good idea if you stopped talking Miles. Just for a little bit."

"Good call," Phil agreed on a chuckle.

Miles nodded, falling silent for a few minutes. "He's really your cousin though?"

"Yes!" Both Phil and Angela shouted at him as Tara laughed from her place at the wheel.

"_Damn_. Got more respect for Juice now," he muttered to himself. Angela punched his arm as hard as she possibly could, her rings biting into his skin. He rubbed at the spot a scowl on his face. "Ow! Shit, I get it, I get it. I'll shut up."

* * *

><p>The boys' motorcycles were all lined up in their usual spot when Tara pulled the Cutlass into the Clubhouse compound. Apparently, they knew a faster way back since Angela hadn't seen them once on the way over. Juice and Tig were waiting by the garage bay, gesturing for Tara to pull in there. As soon as the engine was off, Tig had Tara's door open. "Let's go, doc. C'mon," he said gesturing for her to get out. "Good job, girls."<p>

Tara stepped out of the car, holding the seat back so Miles and Angela could slide out too. Juice held out a hand to help Angela out of the car. She gladly took it, holding onto it tightly as she almost tripped out of the low slung vehicle. He chuckled as he caught her against his chest. "You all right there, Angel?"

Angela nodded, letting go of his hand and awkwardly standing in front of him. Juice could see the worry in her eyes, her hands tugging nervously at the end of her braid. Instinctively, he pulled her into his arms, dropping a quick kiss to her forehead. "It's gonna be okay, baby," he whispered in her ear. "I'm gonna be okay."

"Promise?" she asked on a sigh as she leant into his embrace. Pulling away, she glanced up at him and gave him a small smile. He brushed a hair away from her face, his warm hand settling on the back of her neck as he caught her lips in a soft kiss. She savored the kiss, trying to commit the feel of it to memory. Though she knew she could visit him in prison, she didn't know how much physical contact they allowed there. Even then, kissing him out in the open where they were both free was likely to feel different than kissing him in the confines of a prison visiting room where all eyes were on them.

"Yeah," he answered, his thumb gently swiping over her lower lip. He glanced over her shoulder when he heard a motorcycle in the distance. "Shit's about to go down, Angel. I need you to stay on the sidelines for this, all right? No matter what."

"Got it," she repeated, starting to feel anxious. This was it. The last time she was going to see him without a guard standing there. The tears filled her eyes before she could stop them. She knew he saw them, could tell by the way his face fell. "Juice, I…"

He knew what followed, knew she was about to say those three big words that had been taboo for them for such a long time. As much as he wanted to hear her say them, he knew it wasn't the right time for them. Hearing the actual confirmation of what he already suspected would make being apart from her even harder. ""Don't do that. Not now," Juice cut her off quickly. "It'll just make things harder."

She smiled slightly, nodding in understanding as she leant forward to kiss him. "That's what he said."

Juice grinned at her, relieved that she wasn't hurt over his interruption. He grabbed her chin in his hand and gave her one last, hard kiss. "Be good, Angel. I'll see you on the other side."

Angela nodded, sucking in a shaky breath as she tried to pull herself together. She headed over to where Happy was standing seeing that it was where Tara and Gemma were heading. Happy set a hand on her shoulder. "Stay strong, kid," he muttered, squeezing her shoulder.

She nodded again. "Right," she said, sucking in a deep breath as she pushed away her worry and fear for the time being. She knew those feelings would resurface eventually, but as long as she maintained a calm composure at that moment, she really didn't give a shit. She needed to be strong now for her boys. Lifting her chin, she regained her composure and stood strong among the other Old Ladies.

Lyla came out of nowhere, linking her arm with Angela's as they watched Juice and Tig bring out the infamous "Jimmy" she'd been hearing so much about. Angela didn't know who the man was, but he sounded Irish which led her to believe he had something to do with Abel's kidnapping.

Then Stahl announced that she'd received the information from Jax and all hell broke loose. This was the "shit" Juice had been talking about. Angela forced herself to stay back as she watched the boys start to surround Jax, screaming and yelling at him as the feds started to cuff them. She watched as Tara threw her arms around Jax, giving him one last hug before the feds pushed him against the cop car.

Slowly, Angela walked past Gemma and Lyla, going to stand next to Tara. She set a hand on the doctor's back as a silent show of support. Tara nodded to her, surprisingly calm with everything that was going on. Angela wondered how much she knew of the club's plan, if she knew that Jax wasn't a true rat. That the club had planned it all along.

"Your clients will be out in three years. If they don't kill anyone, parole in fourteen months," Stahl said, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear as she handed the blue folder off to the club's lawyer.

Angela locked eyes with Juice as he chanced a glance at her over his shoulder. He gave her a reassuring nod, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. She nodded back wishing like hell she could have given him one last hug, one last kiss.

One by one, the feds shoved them into the big black transport van. Her heart sunk low in her chest as she watched load Juice in last. Tears blurred her vision, distorting the image of the feds putting latching his cuffs on. As they closed the doors behind them, she managed to meet his eyes one more time. Pressing her hand to her lips, she discreetly blew him a kiss. He nodded once in return and then he was gone.

* * *

><p>Angela knocked on the door of Jax and Tara's house. It took a minute before Tara answered the door, a laundry basket balanced on her hip. "Hey Ang," she greeted, stepping aside to let her in. "You all right?"<p>

She shrugged a shoulder in answer. "I'm dealin'. You?"

"Trying to keep myself busy," Tara replied, gesturing to the laundry basket in her hand. "Need some drugs?"

Angela smirked as she nodded. "Yes please," she said, following Tara back towards the bathroom.

Opening the medicine cabinet, Tara handed Angela her small bottle of Vicodin. "Knock yourself out," the doctor said. Angela raised an eyebrow, an amused expression on her face which quickly had Tara backpedaling. "Not literally, Angie. You know what I mean."

"Got it, doc," Angela said taking the bottle and shaking out two of the white pills. Tara left to finish gathering the laundry leaving Angela standing there in front of the little mirror. She studied her tired reflection wondering if she really looked that haggard, that tired. "Shit," she murmured, tossing back the pills and swallowing them with some water from the sink. She splashed some water in her face before pulling out her braid and redoing it trying to look somewhat normal. It didn't help very much.

Sighing, she headed out of the bathroom and into the hallway. "Tara?" she called, wondering which direction she should head.

"In here," the doctor's voice called back from Abel's room.

Angela made her way into the room where Tara was sitting with a bundle of letters in her lap. "What're those?" she asked, lying down on the futon next to the rocking chair.

Tara showed her the envelopes. "Just…letters. From Jax's dad to his Irish mistress."

The undertaker propped herself up on her elbows, looking at the closed envelopes that looked yellow with age. "Ooh scandalous," Angela teased, wiggling her eyebrows at Tara who laughed in response.

"I found them in Jax's bag," she explained, rifling through them curiously. "Not sure if I should read them or not."

"Up to you," Angela said around a yawn as she set her head down on her arms. The pills were making her a little sleepy and combined with her lack of sleep and how comfortable she was lying stretched out on the futon; she was struggling to stay awake.

"Gemma would."

"Did you just ask yourself what would Gemma do?" Angela asked around a sleepy laugh. "I thought it was supposed to be what would _Jesus_ do?"

Tara shrugged a shoulder as she carefully opened the envelope. "I think in this case, Gemma's more appropriate."

She nodded. "Agreed."

"You want to listen?" the doctor asked, an eyebrow raised.

Angela remembered Happy's warning to stay out of "Old Lady shit" and shook her head. Whatever was in those letters was private stuff for only the Teller family to know about, but she was so comfortable on that futon, she didn't want to move. "I'm good, thanks. I'll keep you company though. You can give me the Cliffnotes version after."

"You just want to hear the juicy stuff, huh?"

"Big fan of the Juice," Angela murmured, smiling slightly at the double meaning. She groaned as the doorbell rang. "I got it."

Tara gave her a confused look. "Ang, it's my house."

The undertaker shook her head, standing up slowly and reaching into her sweatshirt to pull the Glock free from its holster. "Yeah, but I got a gun."

"Fair enough."

Angela checked the door and smirked when she saw the prospects standing outside. Undoing the locks, she opened it quickly, leveling the gun at Miles' chest. Miles' eyes widened as he held his hands up. "Woah! Easy there, Angie! We just…need to talk to Tara."

She laughed, lowering the gun and tucking it back into its holster. "I figured. She's in Abel's room," she said moving inside so they could walk past her. "Hi Phil!" she chirped, biting back a laugh at his nervous nod. Phil was a little nervous around the club's girlfriends and Old Ladies. He hadn't really gotten a handle on what was appropriate and what wasn't.

"Hey Angie," he replied softly as he followed Miles over to the bedroom.

They both hesitated at the closed door; Angela had closed it on instinct when she walked out. Good thing too because she was sure the boys would be better off not knowing about the letters Tara had. She knocked on the door. "T, the prospects are here to see you," she shouted through the wood.

There was some ruffling noises before Tara shouted for them to come in. Angela opened the door, going over to the futon again and laying down across it on a sigh. She could feel the letters hidden under the blanket and made sure to cover them with her body. "What do you need boys?" Tara asked them.

"Jax wanted us to give this to you," Miles stated pulling a letter from his cut and handing it over to Tara.

"Thank you," Tara said, smiling at the familiar handwriting. The boys stood awkwardly by the door as if they were waiting to be dismissed. "Is that all?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Unless you need us for something."

"You know, I think we're good here," she replied, eager to get back to the other, older letters.

"All right. See you later," Miles said on a nod as he backed out of the room. "Bye, Ang."

Angela gave him a two fingered wave before burying her head back into her crossed arms. Once she heard the front door closed, she lifted herself off the letters and handed them over to Tara. "Nice hiding spot," she said before sinking back down into the futon.

"I improvised," Tara said on a shrug. Her fingers traced over her name on the envelope she'd just been given. "I miss him already."

Angela sighed. She knew exactly how the other woman was feeling. Juice had only been gone for a few hours, but she already felt his absence. "Yeah," she agreed on a sigh. "We'll be all right though. We're strong women."

"Daughters of Disorder, right?" Tara teased as she slid her finger under the envelope to open it.

She smiled at that one as she nodded. "Hell yeah," she agreed around another yawn. "Staying strong while our boys are gone."

* * *

><p><strong>So? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! :) <strong>

**I'm going to do one or two chapters of their time in jail using a some of the information given in the app and on the Season 3 DVD and just some fun things that my crazy brain thinks of. If there's something specific you'd like to see, let me know and I can try to work it in if I think it'll gel well with the story! ;) **

**Coming up next: Jail time!**

**~Love Ink**


	38. Tagalong

**As always, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review! You all make me so happy! :) Thanks to Jean, Katana, and the Guests who left unsigned reviews! :) **

**Sorry this post is a little late! I wanted to post it earlier, but I couldn't figure out what little snippets I wanted to put where. :( Fail. Anyways, I tried to write this like little appisodes so each little snip isn't too long but that chapter as a whole it pretty damn long. ;)**

**Also, I'm thinking of posting a better picture of the way I see Angela, the ring Juice gave her, etc on my profile, if that's something you all are interested in... Let me know in a review ;) ***

**ANYWAYS...there are just _TWO_ days left until Season 5! TWO! YES! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 38: Tag-along_

_By Love Ink_

Juice waited anxiously in line for the payphone. The dark hallway made him nervous as did the lack of any real supervision. Memories of his prison shivving from a few months before flooded into his head putting him even more on edge. The only thing keeping him from bolting out of there was the number he kept reciting to himself. Her number.

Once it was his turn, he almost sprinted towards the payphone at the end. He quickly punched in the number before planting his back against the wall so he could see all the other prisoners around him. His heart was beating fast in his chest as he listened to the phone ring. Once, twice…shit, if she didn't answer, he didn't know what he'd do.

"Hey you," her voice finally answered over the phone. "How are you?"

He let out a sigh of relief. "Hey baby," he replied, tilting his head back against the cold wall behind him as he relaxed. It'd been ten days since he'd last seen her, since he'd last heard her voice. "I'm all right," he answered vaguely. "How about you?"

"I am just finishing up preparing Mr. Wilson."

Juice chuckled. "Sexy," he commented, picturing her in her scrubs and protective gear. The bejeweled Bluetooth headset he'd gotten her in her ear. "Guess who my cellmate it?"

"Who?"

"Your cousin."

Her laugh had his heart doing flip flops. _God_, he missed her. "Shut up. No he's not," she said, trying to hold in her laughter.

"Oh yeah. He most definitely is," Juice replied, laughing himself. He couldn't believe his luck when the Tacoma Killer walked into the cell, kicked him out of the bottom bunk, and told him to shut the fuck up.

"Guess that means I shouldn't send you dirty pictures, huh?" she teased. "Too bad. El got a sexy bikini shot the other day when we went to the pool."

He swallowed hard at the thought of Angela in her silver bikini. Now that was an image he loved. He didn't need a photograph to picture it; that image would forever stay in his head. "Damn," he said under his breath. "You been keepin' busy without me?"

"Too busy," she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "I'm sorry I haven't been to visit, Juice. With my job and dealin' with my Ma and Aunt…something always comes up. Now with your damn weed shop, I barely have time to think. But that's what you want, isn't it? For me to be busy?"

Juice chuckled, of course she saw through him. When the guys from the dispensary he usually went to for his weed told them they were thinking of opening a dispensary and colonic shop in Charming, he'd jumped at the chance to get a piece of it. He'd worked hard on the planning, scouting locations, etc. but had gone inside before anything really started happening. Now the set up was left in Angela's hands, and he was glad for it. Keeping her busy meant he didn't have to worry as much about other things. "Maybe," he answered, smirking to himself. "Don't worry about visitin'. Got a few more days before we can have a contact visit anyways. I don't like the idea of seein' you through glass."

"Fair enough. Hap doesn't want me and Elena visiting either," Angela commented. The line went quiet for a few moments, and Juice wondered if she'd hung up. Then he heard her sad sigh. "I miss you, Juice."

The soft sound of her voice just about broke his heart. He wished he could be there right now, wrap his arms around her and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. "Yeah. Miss you too, Angel," he murmured back because he really did. He missed her more than he ever thought he would. Not just because of the physical stuff either. He missed their conversations that lasted long into the night, he missed playing video games with her, and the way she looked when she was cooking him breakfast. Everything.

She sighed as she heard the tell tale beep that they were reaching the end of their time. "You gotta go," she stated, her voice sad.

"Yeah," he said, sucking in a deep breath. "Thanks for answering."

She laughed lightly. "Of course I'm gonna answer, Juice. Don't be ridiculous. I practically tripped over my feet trying to get to my phone…then I remembered I had this handy-dandy Bluetooth."

"Toldja it'd come in handy," he teased, remembering her swearing she'd never use it because it was a pain in the ass.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You were right," she replied begrudgingly. Another beep sounded. "Shit. I gotta go, Angel. I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

Angela sighed. "You better. I'm not wearing this stupid headset for no reason," she said, a threat in her voice. He liked that she was always ready and waiting for him. "Be good in there, Juice."

"Always. Stay safe, baby."

"I'll do my best."

"Bye Angel."

Angela heard the line go dead and sighed, slowly stripping off her protective gear and tossing it into the biohazard bin. She ripped the Bluetooth out of her ear and headed up the stairs to the small apartment she once inhabited. It was now just used for storage until Skeeter could find someone willing to live above a funeral home. She headed to the bedroom and opened the drawer she'd purposefully left workout clothes in.

Changing quickly, she put on her headphones, cranked up the music as loud as she could and headed out to the cemetery to run. Since he'd been gone, running had been her only escape. There were no memories of Juice on the Veteran's side of the cemetery and so, she found she could run there in relative peace as long as her music was loud enough to drown out her thoughts.

She was finding it hard to pay attention to the music with his voice still ringing in her ears. _Miss you too, Angel. _She could hear it over and over again with every stride. His voice had been low and rough like it had been when they were lying there together in the bed that last night.

God, she hated this. This whole terrible situation that left her feeling like a part of her was missing, left her avoiding places out of fear she might break down like some kind of sissy. She was stronger than this. She had to be.

She slowed her pace when she saw the familiar Reaper standing in front of one of the stark white headstones. This Reaper was different than the others; it was framed in denim, not the usual black leather. She was going to leave Piney be when he turned and saw her standing there. "Hey there, Angie," he greeted, a sad smile on his face. "Out for a run?"

It wasn't the first time they'd met in the cemetery. She'd seen him there a few times. Sometimes they'd just give each other that silent nod of acknowledgement, other times, he'd spark up a conversation. She always left that option up to him. "Yeah," she said slowing to a stop next to him.

"Everythin' all right? You seem a bit…" he trailed off, his blue-green eyes looking her over as he tried to find the right word. "Upset."

She sighed, wiping at the sweat on her forehead with her arm. Looking at the headstone in front of them, she frowned. It was John Teller's. She'd heard bits and pieces of his affair from Tara and was having trouble tying the man Tara told her about to the man who founded the Sons. It just didn't make sense. "Just got off the phone with Juice," she explained, pulling herself from her previous thoughts.

"Ah. You haven't gotten used to him being inside yet, huh?"

Angela smiled guiltily as she nodded. "I don't remember it being this difficult the last time Hap went in for a stretch."

"Different situation, ain't it?" he pointed out. At her nod, he clapped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, trying to reassure her that it'd all be okay. "You get used to it, sweetheart."

She sighed in response, letting Piney pull her into a side hug as they both stared at John Teller's headstone. She leant her head against his shoulder. Piney had become somewhat of an uncle figure to her ever since she started taking the kids out and about. He was always there when she needed to talk, ready with some good advice and even better tequila. Even now, she could smell the liquor on his breath. "Got tequila?" she asked, turning to face him.

He smirked at down her, dropping his arm from around her shoulders and gently patting her cheek. "Don't I always?" he said, already heading towards the tow truck he'd driven over. "C'mon darlin', I'll get you your very own straw."

* * *

><p>The cell block was relatively quiet save for a few rattling coughs and some murmured conversation. Juice lay on his bunk staring up at the ceiling. He heard Hap shift on the bunk beneath him before he felt his own bunk shake as Happy kicked it. " 'ey! You talk to Ang today?" his rough voice barked in question.<p>

"Yeah. All of fifteen minutes."

Happy grunted in response. He hated that damn fifteen minute rule. "How's she doin'?"

"Busy," Juice answered, running a hand over her face. "Said she's been takin' care of your Ma and Aunt though."

"Good."

They both lay there in silence for awhile before Juice asked, "She's going to be all right, right? I mean, last time we went away she got…kidnapped."

"Ain't gonna happen again," Happy said confidently. "Nothin's gonna happen to her."

"Yeah but…"

Happy sighed, a little frustrated. "Only reason she didn't get the fuck out when that asshole had her is 'cause she's selfless as hell and didn't want to leave the doc and that redheaded bitch behind. Girl can take care of herself. I made damn sure of that."

"I guess that's true," Juice said, though his voice still held doubt.

The fact that Juice had never seen her in action was a good sign. It meant that either she was staying out of trouble or that he was protecting her well enough that she didn't need to use the skills she had. "It is," Hap insisted.

"The selfless part is kind of worrisome. Makes me think she'd take a bullet for someone."

"She would."

"Shit."

Happy smirked as a memory came to him. "She told me to shoot at her once," he said softly, a hint of pride in his voice.

Juice rolled over on his bunk, leaning his head over the edge so he could see Happy. "What?"

"Yeah. She was eight, visitin' me in Tacoma. Guy broke into the apartment to steal some shit the club had there. She went with a bat to go and investigate."

"A bat?" Juice repeated, his voice shocked.

"Yeah. You gonna let me tell the fuckin' story?"

"Yeah, sorry. It's just…she was _eight_."

Happy looked up at him like he was an idiot. "Yeah. So?" he questioned rhetorically. "Kid went with a bat, saw the guy, hit him before screaming her fuckin' head off for me. When I got out in the hall, asshole was using her as a shield. As soon as I started to lower my piece, she told me to shoot."

Juice let out a long breath, knowing the story was over then. Anymore and Happy could be swimming in some serious shit. He had no doubt that Happy took the shot and, since Angela was still alive, apparently he'd hit his mark. "Damn," he murmured, rolling back onto his back and staring at the ceiling. If he was faced with the same situation, there was no way in hell he'd be able to take that shot. He'd give up the guns in a heartbeat if it meant keeping Angela safe. "Why'd she tell you to shoot?"

"Kid thought the club would hurt me if their stuff went missin'," he explained on a chuckle. He would never understand where his little cousin got her selfless streak. Maybe from his mother, definitely not from hers. "Dumbass."

The small cell fell into silence again as both men thought about the same woman in very different ways. Happy was thinking of how proud he'd been of Angela that day. That night as he was cleaning the blood out of the carpet, Angela had sat at the kitchen table with his drawing tools drawing smiley face after smiley face because her therapist had told her that sometimes drawing happy things made you feel happier. Happy never understood why Graciela had made Angela go to a therapist; the kid was fine. Apparently, fighting bullies off in school was a sign that she was lashing out because of her father's death. When Hap had asked her about it, Angela had told him she'd hit the bully because he was teasing the new kid, and she didn't tell the teacher that the bully was teasing the new kid because she 'was no rat'. Kid was too smart for her own good sometimes.

That night, Happy had chosen the best smiley face of the bunch, edited it a bit so it was a little cleaner, and got it tattooed on his hip. His first smiley face tattoo for a hit that was as much for Angela as it had been for his club.

Juice's mind was, frankly, in the gutter. Thinking of Angela as a closet badass turned him on like no other. He pictured her decked out Lara Croft style with her braid and little short-shorts, fingerless gloves, gun holster around her thigh. He wondered aimlessly if she'd say no to dressing up like that for him. Maybe for Halloween.

He was brought out of his dirty thoughts as his cot shook again as Happy kicked him yet again. "Best not be thinkin' nasty shit about my cousin," Happy growled up at him.

His eyes widened in response. How could Happy possibly know what he was thinking? "No…no. 'course not. I'm not…I just…" he stammered out. "I just miss her."

Happy smirked. That he could handle. "Good. You should."

* * *

><p>Angela sat with Abel, on the floor of Tara's living room watching as the little boy played with his toy farm set. Tara had asked Angela for help with Abel since his usual babysitter was busy and she needed to go into surgery. Her surgery had finished early, and she'd come home to find them playing on the ground. Every so often, he'd hold an animal up to Angela, and she'd make the sound for him making him giggle. Tara was relaxing on the couch behind them, her hand settled on her belly as she enjoyed some much needed downtime. "Hey Ang, you remember those letters?" she asked.<p>

"The scandalous ones?" Angela asked, glancing back at Tara. It had been a few weeks since Tara had found those letters in Jax's pack. "Did you finish reading them?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah."

Abel had noticed that he did not have Angela's full attention and crawled into her lap, shoving a cow into her cheek as he grunted at her. "So?" she asked, the word coming out distorted because of the farm animal being pushed into her cheek. "Moo, Abie baby. The cow goes _moo_."

Tara bit back a laugh. Only Angela would have the patience to put up with that; she let Abel use her as his own jungle gym. "There's a lot of hard truths in there," she replied vaguely. "Stuff about JT and his mistrust for Clay."

"Probably because Clay was sleeping with his wife," Angela pointed out, ducking out of the way of a chicken Abel threw at her.

Tara sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "It's a little more than that. He was worried for his life, Ang."

Abel now had both of his hands pressed to each of Angela's cheeks, pushing her lips together. Angela continued the conversation undeterred. "Why's that?"

"I don't know," she lied, knowing full well why. The letters painted a very pretty picture of it. JT never wanted to get involved with the guns and power-hungry Clay did.

The undertaker managed to pry Abel's hands from her cheeks and handed him a toy dog. "Look! What's the dog say, Abie?"

"Woof, woof," the little boy filled in. He'd started talking now, saying simple things like "Mama" and "Gam-ma".

"I'm thinking of talking to Piney about it. Seeing what he thinks."

Angela sighed as she helped Abel crawl out of her lap. "If anyone can help you sort through it, it's Piney. I caught up with him in the cemetery the other day."

"What'd he say to you?"

"Nothin' too deep, but after a few shots of tequila, I was feelin' much better," she replied on a shrug.

Tara chuckled, shaking her head at her friend. Her house phone ran, and she stood with a grunt, gently brushing her fingertips over Abel's head as she made her way over to it. Angela turned back to Abel. He looked at her with his big blue eyes. "What's my name, Abie baby?" she cooed at him, tickling his tummy. "Can you say _An-_gie? An-_gie_?"

"Gee! Gee!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Angela smiled. "Close enough," she decided, tickling his little feet.

She heard Tara gasp and was on her feet in minutes. Scooping Abel off the ground, she headed towards the kitchen table where Tara was currently sitting, her face as white as a sheet. "Yes…thank you…Goodbye," she mumbled before hanging up the phone. She looked at Angela, her green eyes shiny with tears. "It's Jax. He's…they…they stabbed him."

* * *

><p>After Jax's stabbing, Angela was even more desperate to go visit Juice. Though Chibs and Kozik had repeatedly assured her that he and Happy were fine, she wouldn't believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. She'd had to wait two weeks first because, apparently, the boys had gone a little overboard retaliation wise and had cause quite a stir in the cafeteria which earned them each two weeks in lockdown.<p>

Now those longs two weeks were over and she'd called her aunt to offer to drive her down so that she could visit Happy while she visited with Juice since Elena already knew about their relationship. Elena agreed without a moment's hesitation; she was desperate to see her son as well.

"Ready to go _Tia_?" she asked as she strode into the house.

Elena smiled, grabbing her purse off the counter. "Let's go see our boy."

"_Un momentito_," Graciela called from upstairs. "I'm going too." (_One moment._)

Angela stopped dead in her tracks. No. This wasn't happening. No way was her mother going to tagalong. "What? Why? You hate going to visit him!"

"He's my nephew, _mija_," Graciela said, clicking her tongue at her daughter as she walked into the room, a flurry of color and strongly smelling perfume. "I have to support him."

"Graci, don't be ridiculous," Elena said, shaking her head slowly. She knew what the plan was and felt awful when she saw the panicked look on her niece's face. "He doesn't expect you to visit."

She scowled in response to that. "That just makes me a terrible aunt! How can he not expect me to visit?"

Angela didn't know whether to cry or punch a hole in the wall. She couldn't visit Juice with her mother there. That was a first impression she wanted to avoid at all costs. It seemed like it just wasn't in the cards for her to visit Juice. First, she'd been incredibly busy, then he got put into lockdown, and now this. She couldn't catch a break! Sighing, she raked a hand through her hair. "Fine. Let me just…make a call," she said on a soft sigh as she headed back outside. She quickly dialed Chibs' number.

" 'ello?" the Scot answered, cheery as always.

"Hey Chibs," Angela said dejectedly. "Remember when you told me you were gonna visit Juice today and I said you couldn't 'cause today was my day?"

Chibs chuckled; he'd gotten a kick out of that one. He'd told Angela that he needed to ask Juice something about the Sons' computer systems, so he was planning on visiting and the undertaker had all but threatened his life if he tried to get to the prison before her and sucked up all Juice's time. "I do."

"Go ahead and visit."

"Wha' happened, love? Unexpected client at the morgue?"

"Not unless I kill my mother," she murmured, only half joking. "I was gonna take my aunt to visit Hap while I visit Juice since my aunt knows about all this craziness, and in a stroke of awful bad luck, my Ma decided to tagalong."

Chibs hearty laugh did not make her feel any better. "And I'm guessin' you'd rather your Ma didn't know 'bout Juicy boy yet."

"I'd rather not introduce him while he's inside. I want to give him the chance to bolt if he needs to," she answered honestly.

"Fair enough, love. I'll see you there then."

"See you," she said, hanging up the phone just as her mom and aunt walked out the front door. "Guess we're goin' then."

Graciela gave her a wide smile. "_Vamonos_! It'll be fun!"

Angela rolled her eyes as she headed towards the driver's side. She seriously doubted that.

* * *

><p>Angela studied the Reaper that was facing her, only half listening to the conversation between her cousin, her aunt, and her mother. When she'd seen Chibs walk in and take a seat at the table just a few in front of the one they were sitting at, she felt her heartbeat kick up a notch. She might not be able to talk to him, but at least she'd get to see him.<p>

"You been keepin' your nose clean, kid?" Happy asked, drawing her attention for a brief moment.

She rolled her eyes and nodded at him. "Of course."

"Koz stayin' close?"

Angela sent a heated glare his way. Bringing up Kozik in front of her mother was a surefire way to start her nagging. "Yes," she ground out between clenched teeth. "Sleeps on the couch most nights."

"Kozik is sleeping at your _house_! Oh, Angela, that's so good!" Graciela exclaimed, her dark eyes glittering with happiness. "Is he single, Hap?"

The buzzer sounded, alerting the room that a new prisoner was entering. Her eyes snapped to the entrance as she held her breath, waiting to see who rounded the corner. She kept a white knuckled grip on the table as she watched Juice walk in, knowing that if she let go, she'd run over there not only exposing them to her mother, but also violating half of the visiting rules she'd just signed off on. His eyes met hers and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Juice fought against every instinct in his body that told him to walk right past Chibs and go to her. He barely noticed the other people at the table; all he saw was her. She looked absolutely beautiful in her simple blue jeans and conservative top. Slowly, he sat down on the stool across from Chibs, angling himself so he could see Angela better. He may not be able to talk to her, but he was sure as hell was going to look at her as long as he possibly could. He'd missed her face and the range of emotions that played across it as she talked.

She smiled at him, giving him a discreet wink that set his blood on fire. God, he missed her. He grinned back, nodding his head in acknowledgement. Chibs looked over his shoulder at the young undertaker before rolling his eyes; he knew nothing would be accomplished now. Not when Juice had such a fine distraction just tables away. He'd been hoping the idiot wouldn't notice her until he'd answered a question or two.

"How's she doin' with the shop I got her?" Juice asked, his eyes still on Angela.

Chibs shook his head at his brother. Normal guys gave their girls something easier to deal with when they left; a dog, maybe. Juice had invested in weed and herbal colonic shop for her to work on while he was away. "Doin' well. Always got a good story to tell," he said on a chuckle. "Can't believe you got her a shop."

"We only got fifteen percent of it," he justified on a shrug. "Plus, her job at the funeral home is on an on-call basis. She gets bored. Figured it'd keep her busy."

"Figured it'd keep her outta the arms of another man, eh?"

Juice nodded slowly. "That too," he admitted on a chuckle.

"She was goin' to come visit you," Chibs told him, knowing the fact that Angela had come to visit Happy first was bothering his brother. "Had her little finger in my face, tellin' me I better stay away 'cause today was her day."

He smiled at that one, picturing Angela with her arms waving about as she talked. "What happened?"

"Her old lady decided to tag-along," the Scot replied, gesturing towards the older women sitting in front of Happy. "She said she'd rather not tell her Ma about yeh."

"I wholeheartedly agree with that decision," Juice said, nodding his head enthusiastically. He'd heard many a story about her mother and meeting her in prison was not on his top ten to do lists. He knew he'd have to meet her eventually, but now was not a good time. "I don't want to meet her mother."

Chibs chuckled at that one; he hadn't been expecting that answer. He thought Juice might be hurt that she was too ashamed of him to introduce him to her mother. "And she don't want to embarrass herself showin' her Ma some idiot, eh?"

Juice shook his head slowly. "Nah. Angel told me she's more embarrassed of her mother than she'd ever be of me."

* * *

><p>Graciela wasn't stupid. She knew the reason why her daughter hadn't wanted her to go to prison with them. She'd suspected for some time that Angela was hiding a boy from her. The signs were all there: Angela's constant good mood, her increase in patience, the way she stopped making those "independent woman, don't need a man" speeches whenever it was brought up that she was still single. All of them were clues that there was something going on that Graciela didn't know about.<p>

After what Happy said about Kozik staying over, Graciela had hoped it was the blonde biker who had stolen her daughter's heart. That hope was dashed when the young man with tattoos barely hidden by his short hair walked into the visitor's center. Angela had straight up, a huge smile spreading across her face as her eyes fell on the young man. It was like there was no one else in the room. She'd never seen her daughter react in that way to someone's presence. And they way that young man was looking back at her with those pretty brown eyes…Graciela had only seen that look of pure adoration on her husband's face when he was still alive.

Angela felt a brief pressure on her knee and pulled her eyes away from Juice to see where it'd come from. Elena's wrinkled hand lay across it. Looking back at her Aunt, she saw a stern look cross her face. Angela frowned, it was obvious the small squeeze had been a warning; she was being too obvious. Sighing, she turned a little so she could at least pretend to be part of the conversation. No matter how much she wished she was sitting a few tables away instead.

As their time ended, Elena rushed Graciela out with the urgent demand to use the restroom leaving behind Happy and Angela. Her leg bounced up and down nervously as Hap rolled his eyes. "Go ahead," he muttered, waving towards where Juice and Chibs were still talking.

Angela gave him a quick hug and a kiss. "You're the best, Hap."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered, gesturing for the guard to come. "Kid knows Juice. Can she go say hi?"

The guard, who had only been on the job for a few weeks, looked Angela over. "She on his list?"

"She's his girl," Hap explained, though it looked as though the mere explanation pained him. "She better be on his damn list."

"I just want to say 'hi'. That's all," Angela blurted out, her heart hammering in her chest. "Please."

The guard sucked in a breath before nodding. "No contact."

Angela's face fell as she nodded. "Fine," she agreed; it was better than nothing.

"Go," Happy said, pushing her discreetly. Actions like that weren't technically allowed on visits, but no one was going to tell Hap differently.

She almost tripped over her feet on the way over. Carefully, she positioned herself behind Chibs, setting one hand on the Scot's shoulder. Chibs tilted his head back to look up at her. "Oh look who it is!" he exclaimed, getting up to hug her. "Angie-girl! What are you doin' here?"

"Just thought I'd come say 'hi'," she explained before quickly gesturing to Juice to sit down. "No contact today. Rookie's orders."

Juice glared at the rookie prison guard but stayed seated. "I hate this," he muttered, his hands clenched into fists atop the table.

"Forbidden fruit, you are, eh love?" Chibs teased, patting Angela's shoulder.

She sighed and nodded, her eyes flicking over to the entrance where Elena was frantically waving at her. "Shit," she murmured, raking a hand through her hair.

Juice's eyes followed hers and his heart sunk in his chest. She'd only just gotten over there. He hadn't even gotten to talk to her. Her eyes met his, and he sighed. "Go."

"Juice, I…"

"Next week, Angel. We'll do it up right," he assured her, trying for a smile.

She swallowed hard and nodded before pressing her fingers to her lips and blowing him a quick kiss; the ring he gave her glinted in the florescent light of the visiting hall. "See you then."

"Bye, Angel," he murmured, his eyes following her ass as she headed out.

Chibs smiled as he watched Juice's big puppy dog eyes follow Angela out the room. "Good girl yeh got yourself there, Juicy-boy."

"I know." Juice nodded, a sad smile on his face. He wished he could be there for her like a good man would be, that he didn't have to spend time away from her for doing stupid things. This time apart was slowly killing him. "Hope she sticks around."

"She will," Chibs stated confidently. "She definitely will."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all liked it! :) Just little clips of what they're all doing during those long 14 months they're all in prison! One more chapter of this in between business and then onto season 4! YAY! :) <strong>

**Coming up next: Angie visits Juice, Thomas is born, and more fun stuff... If there's anything you'd like to see, let me know! I'll try and right a quick blurb about it!**


	39. Time Goes By

**Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! I know I thanked all the signed in reviewers individually, but thanks also to **GuestTFunny (I'm happy I kept you entertained at work! :]), dannygirl, and the 2 Guests! **Ya'll are awesome! :D **

**I don't want to spoil the first episode of Season 5 too much, but it was CRAZY! :) I am always shocked by the twists and turns Sutter takes! :) **

**Regrettably this chapter is a bit scattered time line wise because it's the last in-betweener. I had more little side ideas, but I don't want to bore ya'll with little snippets. ;) I want to get onto Season 4 already! :) [Unless you guys want more that is...]**

**Also for those of you interested in how I picture Angela, I posted a picture on my profile! :) It's Missy Peregrym who is amazing on _Rookie Blue_! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 39: Time Goes By_

_By Love Ink_

"You busy, Ang?" Skeeter questioned as he poked his head into their new shared office. The office had originally been too big for just his small desk, so he added a new one for her to use across from it. So far, he liked the set up, and the fact that she could have her own computer to work on while he was using his desk for other things.

She looked up from her computer screen where she was looking at a few pictures Ellie had e-mailed her. "Nope. What's up, Skeet?"

Skeeter tossed her the newspaper, pointing out an ad. "New flower shop opened up downtown. Think you could go check it out? Thinkin' of makin' a deal with the owner, but I'm not good at all that flowery shit. Can you see if that'd be a good move?"

Angela laughed as she pushed away from the table. "You got it, boss."

The flower shop wasn't that far away which was awesome considering the place they usually got flowers from was in the next town over. This option would save a lot of money on gas in the long run. Pulling to a stop in front, she hitched up her black slacks and walked into the shop. It was a small place, but the arrangements in the fridge were spectacular. Whoever was the florist was definitely skilled at their job.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked from the counter.

Angela turned around on her heel and smiled at the woman behind the counter. "Oh hi," she greeted, approaching the counter. She extended a hand for the woman to shake. "Angela Ruiz. I work at Dubrowski's funeral home."

"Rita Roosevelt," the woman replied, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Ruiz. What can I do for you?"

"Angela's fine," she corrected with a wave of her hand. "My boss was interested in forming some kind of deal with you. We usually get our flower arrangements at Dario's over in Lodi. He was hoping we could change that."

Rita smiled at her as she nodded. "I'm assuming you're referring to funeral arrangements?"

"Yes. It looks like you've got a good eye for them, Mrs. Roosevelt," Angela replied, her eyes glancing over at the pretty wreath hanging in one of the fridges.

"Rita is fine and thank you," she said, an enthusiastic smile on her face. " Do you get a lot of business over at the funeral home?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "It varies on a day to day basis. Our biggest clients are older spouses who always want the biggest and best in arrangements. Other than that, we have a ton of people who just visit. Once we start directing people your way, you'll get quite a few who just want simple arrangements to put on a loved one's grave."

"I like the sound of that. Not many people have come into the shop. I was beginning to worry."

"They're used to the crappy flowers from the market. When they see these, you'll get more customers, trust me," Angela said, gesturing at the brightly colored roses.

Rita smiled as she nodded. "I'm all for setting up some kind of business deal then."

Angela dug around in her pocket for the card she'd taken from Skeeter's desk. "Here's my boss's card. Give him a call, and I'm sure you can work something out."

"There a reason he didn't come himself?" Rita asked, a teasing look in her eyes.

"Skeeter said he needed a woman's eye for all that 'flowery stuff," Angela explained on a laugh. "He's basically colorblind."

Rita laughed in response, already liking the young woman. Angela had a warmth to her that she hadn't been expecting when she first caught a glimpse of her serious face. "How about I make you an arrangement to show off? Do you think your boss would like that?"

"That would be great! Thanks!" Angela exclaimed with a wide smile. "Skeet's always looking for something to brighten the place up."

"No problem. I'll go see what I can do for you." Rita disappeared in back just as the bell over the door chimed just and the new Sheriff strode in.

He looked Angela up and down, his head cocked to the side. He'd seen the woman around town once or twice. Usually she was with Doctor Knowles or one of the Winston children; names he only knew because of his study on the Sons. Her name had never come up, but he was willing to bet she had ties with the outlaw MC. "Good morning," he said nodding to her.

"Morning Sheriff," she greeted politely as she stood up straight. "How are you today?"

Roosevelt was a bit taken aback by her politeness. He'd never met someone associated with an outlaw MC that was so friendly with law enforcement. "I'm good. Thank you," he replied on a smile. "And you are?"

"Angela Ruiz," she said extending her hand to shake his. She knew he was planning to come down hard on the Sons, that he was there to help "solve" the crime problem, but she saw no use in giving him attitude; that would only hurt her in the long run. "I'm an undertaker over at Dubrowski's."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Ruiz," he said on a nod. "Are you buying flowers for the funeral home?"

"Angela's fine," she corrected with a wave of her hand. She hated being called 'Ms. Ruiz'; it reminded her of her mother, and that was one woman she did _not_ want to be associated with. "And yes, I'm getting some flowers for the home. Good for business. Both businesses, actually."

Roosevelt nodded, smiling at Rita as she walked back out with a huge bouquet. "Hey sweetheart," he greeted as his wife set the vase down on the counter.

"Hey honey," she replied with a bright smile. "Have you met Angela?"

"Just did," he answered on a nod.

"These all right?" she asked gesturing to the flowers.

Angela looked over the modest arrangement, smiling as she touched a very pretty pink lily; her favorite flower. "Perfect. Thanks." Her phone rang, filling the room with the sounds of Jimi Hendrix's _Purple Haze_, the ringtone for the weed shop. She grimaced, mentally smacking herself for not putting her phone on vibrate. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she hastily hit reject. "Sorry about that."

"Never apologize for some Hendrix," Roosevelt said, smirking at her. "Important call?"

She shook her head. "Nope," she answered because she seriously doubted it was. The two other men who were helping start up the shop in Charming only called her for idiotic questions. The last one was to settle a dispute over the decorations for the waiting room. The man in charge of the weed half was insisting on a Bob Marley poster, the doctor in charge of colonics wanted something that looked like an ass. Angela had vetoed both and put a more kosher waterfall picture instead. "I should go, though. Nice meeting you two. Thanks for the flowers, Rita. Give Skeeter a call to set something up."

As she walked out of the shop and toward her car, she dialed the weed shop. "What's up, Angie?" the slow voice answered.

"Hey Hazer! You rang?" she asked as she strapped the flowers into the front seat. The fact that the man's last name was Hazer and he was a self-proclaimed marijuana connoisseur never ceased to amuse her.

"Yeah, yeah. Can you come down to the shop? Me and Sergeant Butthole are having problems," he explained. She could hear their other partner, Simon, make a sound of protest at the rude nickname.

Angela sighed, pinching at her nose as she sucked in a deep breath. Sometimes the weed shop was more trouble than it was worth. "All right. I'll be right over."

* * *

><p>Angela stared at the swatches of fabric in front of her. All of them in varying shades of green. She looked up from them to the two men sitting around her, both of them part owners of the Clear Passages. The problem they were having was what color green they wanted for the scrubs the employees would wear. "I can't believe you called me over here for this," she murmured, fingering a particularly ugly looking swatch.<p>

"_I_ told him it wasn't necessary," Simon pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest, a smug look on his face. He was retired doctor who specialized in colons and such. Though he looked like a sensible old man with his stark white hair and little glasses, Angela was almost positive he'd been a hippy in the seventies; he knew way too much about weed for that not to be the case. "I like the mint green. Stoner likes the neon. "

"Mint reminds me of babies," Hazer explained, his hazel eyes red and hooded. He was only a few years older than she was, yet his dark hair was peppered with gray. "No one wants to think of babies when they're gettin' a tube up their ass."

"That's because it's the color the doctors wear in the maternity ward at St. Thomas," Angela explained with a smile. "The neon's a little…bright, Haze. Might hurt some peoples' eyes. How about the hunter green? It'll look good on everyone."

"Nice choice, Angela," Simon said with a satisfied smile. "How's Juice doing, by the way?"

She smiled back. "I'm going to visit him tomorrow, actually. Last time we spoke on the phone, he was doing well, though. Asked about the shop and stuff."

"Tell him we got some Crimea Blue in. He loves that shit," Hazer said with a big grin. "We also got some of that Lavender shit for you, if you're interested. Juice said you might like it. It's particularly girly."

Angela rolled her eyes, leave it to Juice to order a strain of weed he thought she might like. "I'm good, guys. I only smoke with him, to be honest," she said politely. Though she _was _interested as to what a "particularly girly" weed strain entailed. "Thanks anyway. We all good here?"

"Yeah, Angie. Thanks for comin' over," Simon said, standing up from his chair and shaking her hand. "Thought I was going to have to kick that kid's ass. Neon green. Ridiculous"

"No worries. Anytime Si. I'd rather have you call me than kill him," she assured him.

Hazer rolled his eyes and pulled her into a half hug as he led her back to the front door. He slipped a little baggy and a plastic card into her hand. She raised her eyebrow as she studied the medicinal marijuana card. "I didn't ask for one of these."

"Juice did. Just in case," he said, winking at her. "Guy wants to make sure you don't get in trouble."

She smiled at him, slipping the weed baggy and the card into her pocket. She loved the little things Juice did for her while he was inside. He'd even managed to send her flowers the other day; a beautiful bouquet of stargazer and tiger lilies. "Thanks, Haze."

* * *

><p>Angela waited at the table in the cold visiting room. She made eye contact with Tara who was waiting at her own empty table a few rows down and smiled at her friend. They'd decided to visit together since the drive was long and there was no reason that both of them should drive separately. Jax had come in just moments before which left Angela anxious to see her own man. She drummed her nails on the metal table top, her knee bouncing up and down with nervous energy. The buzzer went off and her heart lurched in her chest as she glanced towards the entryway.<p>

Juice paused at the doorway when he saw her standing there. He couldn't believe she was actually there. It seemed that everything had been against this moment happening. She was busy, he had his privileged revoked, her Mom had butted in. But now, there she was looking stunningly beautiful in her simple black tank top and dark jeans, her dark hair falling over her shoulders in waves. Shorter than usual, but not enough for most people to notice. He didn't start walking until the guard nudged him, pulling him out of his study.

Their eyes met and for a brief moment, she couldn't breathe. She wanted to run to him, throw her arms around his neck and just hold him tight, but she was pretty sure the guards would have a problem with that. Instead, she stood and waited for him to get close enough. They stood in front of each other for a brief moment, both just looking at the other in disbelief.

Then his lips were on hers, one hand tangled into her hair while the other arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer to him. She melted into him, her knees going weak as they usually did when he kissed her. He deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into her mouth. She tasted like she always did, like that hazelnut coffee she loved, and he couldn't get enough of it. Out of habit, his hand had just slipped lower down her torso, fingers barely brushing her ass when one of the guards cleared his throat.

Angela pulled away first, a frown on her face. She had expected the interruption, but that didn't mean she liked it. Apparently, Juice shared her feelings because he was sending death glares at the guard. She laughed, grabbing his hand and tugging on it so he'd sit down with her. He took a seat, still holding her hand in his, his thumb dragging back and forth over the ring he'd given her. "How are things?" he asked, studying her face, trying to note any changes.

"Good," she answered on a shrug. "Busy. Not a day goes by that I don't get a call from Si or Hazer asking me questions. I swear I play referee more than anything over there. But, it's slowly getting off the ground. We've been getting a surprising amount of buzz for a shop that sells weed and colonics."

He chuckled, proud of her for taking on his business endeavor in his absence. "I knew it'd be a good idea."

"Goof," she accused with a roll of her eyes. She reached out a hand to brush over the scruff on his jaw, smiling slightly. He was usually pretty clean shaven from his mowhawked head to his face, but it seemed he'd given up while inside. Not only had his hair grown in, but he was rocking the beginnings of a mustache. It made him look different, older and harder. "How are you? How are things in here?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder, looking back down at her hands. "Y'know…boring. Nothin'…nothin' too crazy," he lied. He wasn't about to tell her about the way he was constantly on his toes, afraid that the second he turned his back he'd get shivved again. Yeah, they had protection, but that hadn't stopped the Russians from stabbing Jax. His nerves were shot, and he barely slept. "Lots of basketball."

"Oh yeah? Your shot gettin' any better?" she asked, remembering playing an intense midnight game of strip "HORSE" with him in the back parking lot of the funeral home. It'd ended up with him in just his boxers and boots and her in her bra and jeans. She'd suspected he let her win because he knew the next piece of clothing she had to take off was her jeans, and he wasn't about to risk letting the rest of the world see the panties _he'd_ spent so much money on.

"Actually it has," he said confidently, his thoughts drifting back to the same moment. He'd let her win, but only because he knew it'd help him get lucky later on. Angela always got turned on when she won. He suspected it was a dominance thing, and it didn't bother him one bit. He was no sore loser, especially when he got his prize in the bedroom. "I kick ass in here."

Angela grinned at him, leaning over to peck his lips. "That's my man."

He reached a hand over to cup the side of her face, swiping his thumb over the bag that was under her eye. Despite her bright smile, his girl looked thoroughly exhausted. "You sleep at all?"

"Not really," she answered, an embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks as she looked down at their fingers that were still entwined. "The house…it's too…quiet."

"Hap told me Koz stays the night every so often."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah. He loves that whole arrangement. Have sex in the clubhouse and then bounce on the poor Croweater to crash on our couch. He says it keeps them from clinging."

Juice chuckled at that one, shaking his head slowly. "Nice," he said, smirking as she rolled her eyes. "You sleep better when Koz is around?"

"Nah. I don't even notice he's there until I wake up and find him on the couch. I swear to God, he makes absolutely no noise. Just like Hap. I don't know how they _do_ that," she rambled, her free hand gesturing wildly.

"I'm beginning to think it's my snoring you're missin'," he teased, smiling as a guilty blush colored her cheeks.

"Maybe."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, grinning like a fool. "You miss my snoring!"

Angela rolled her eyes as she hung her head in defeat. "Honestly? I do," she admitted on a smirk. "I never thought I would but…I can't sleep without it."

"Yeah, well your cousin's not too fond of it. Said that he didn't care if I was your man or not, he'd tear out my vocal chords if I don't shut the hell up. I can't tell if he's kidding or not."

She laughed lightly at that one. With most people, a comment like that would just be a joke, but coming from Happy, it had to be taken seriously; it wouldn't be the first violent act he ever committed. "You never know with Hap," she said on a smirk. She knew Happy wouldn't touch him because he knew how much it would hurt he if something ever happened to Juice. "How's the food in here?"

With that simple question, they slipped into a normal conversation. They talked for hours about the stupidest shit. As they talked, the walls of the prison seemed to fall away, and Juice felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Being with her, talking to her as if nothing had changed made him feel like he was home again.

It felt like no time had passed when the guard finally made his way over to them. "Visiting hours are over," he said curtly, taking a step back.

Angela was surprised to find the visiting center was completely empty save for the two of them and Jax and Tara. Juice glared at the guard as he got to his feet, holding out his hands to help her up. He brushed a stray hair from her face before leaning in to kiss her. He took comfort in her kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in just a little closer.

"Stay safe, Angel," he whispered into her ear before he let her go.

She nodded in response, swallowing hard at the lump in her throat. She didn't want to leave him. "Be good, Juice. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay, baby. See you soon," he murmured kissing her forehead. She held onto his hand until the last second possible. He squeezed her hand once more before finally letting it go. As he watched her leave, the heaviness of his situation settled back in. It was like a cloud had rolled in front of the sun leaving him feeling cold and lonely.

* * *

><p>"Nice office," Angela said as she walked into Tara's new office. It was a few weeks after her visit with Juice and the doctor had called her to see if she was free to look some things over.<p>

Tara smiled, remembering the last time the undertaker had said that about her old broom closet office. "Thanks," she said, closing the door behind her and locking it.

Angela raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not gonna kill me are you?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No, no, nothing like that. I just don't want…interruptions," she explained before heading towards the desk. She took a seat and gestured to the papers in front of her. "I got JT's police report and death certificate."

"No shit," she commented, moving to stand next to Tara. Placing a hand on the edge of the desk, she braced herself with it as she looked down at the papers.

"I get most of it. There's just some lingo that I don't understand," Tara said, pointing out a few acronyms. "I would've looked online, but the hospital monitors its internet usage."

"And the club won't hesitate to check your history either," Angela said, nodding in understanding. "Even _with_ Juice inside."

Tara nodded. "Can never be too careful."

She looked it over, her finger dragging over the path the truck made, the path that JT was going before looking over at the death certificate. "Looks pretty standard. Coroner's have five manners of death to put on a death certificate: homicide, suicide, accident, natural, and undetermined. They ruled JT's as an accident, obviously."

"Based on what exactly?"

"The coroner looks at the police report and the pathologist's autopsy report before making his final decision," she explained, gesturing to the reports. "What you're missing here is the autopsy report, which is confidential. I don't think even family gets to see that."

"Can an autopsy reveal if it was an accident and not a homicide?"

Angela thought about it before shrugging. "Depends on how good the pathologist is. If they took into account how fast he was going and whether he was accelerating or not, what state his shoes were in, his helmet, all these little details."

"His shoes?"

"If he was trying to slow down to avoid the truck, the rubber on his shoes would be significantly altered. If he was accelerating to avoid it, you could see by the RPMs. If he'd already laid down his bike in front of the truck, you wouldn't find either."

Tara nodded, a little surprised by all her knowledge on the subject matter. She was an undertaker, not a forensic investigator. "Is it standard for you to know this stuff?"

"Don't worry about it," Angela said on a shrug. It wasn't standard, but she was always interested in stuff like that. Mostly because, if it came down to it, she'd like to have simple ways to cover up any of Happy's kills. So far, she hadn't had to use her knowledge, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Okay," the doctor drawled out, looking back down at the papers. "How easy are these to manipulate?"

She thought about it a little as she looked at the police report. "If anything was altered, it was the police report and that's easy to do if you have someone working inside the department. In this case, the coroner would probably base his choice off of that."

"Huh," Tara said, her thoughts on Unser and how he'd been on the Sons payroll for some time now. Could he have had a hand in John Teller's death as well? He owned a trucking company...a knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. "Oh shit!" she exclaimed, sliding the papers into the file cabinet and closing it up.

"Tara?" Gemma's voice came through the door. "The door's locked."

"We good?" Angela whispered. Tara nodded quickly, locking up the drawer. Sucking in a deep breath, the undertaker opened the door. "Hey Gemma."

Gemma gave her a weird look. "Wasn't expecting to see you here, Ang," she commented holding Abel in her arms.

"Oh, I had a pick up, figured I'd say hi to Tara," Angela lied nonchalantly. She grinned as Abel reached for her and easily took the little boy in her arms. "Hi Abie baby!"

"And you locked the door?" Gemma asked, looking between the girls in silent question.

Tara shrugged a shoulder. "Door locks on its own most times. I put in a call to maintenance; they said they'll take a look at it."

"Right," Gemma said, unconvinced. "Elyda had to leave early, so I brought him over. That okay?"

"Sure. Yeah, of course," she answered a little too quickly. "Thanks for bringing him."

Gemma nodded. "Heard you two went to visit the boys a few weeks back."

Angela's smile widened as she nodded enthusiastically. "It was really, really nice to see him."

The queen smiled at the young undertaker, recalling visiting JT the first time he went inside for a long stretch. She remembered the feel of butterflies in her stomach, how her heart raced when they brought him out. "You're still in that lovey-dovey honeymoon stage, aren'tcha Little Miss Undertaker? Enjoy it while it lasts…it'll fade."

Tara hid a smile as Angela made a face at Gemma's back; clearly, the undertaker didn't appreciate that comment. "I don't think it will with them," Tara commented, smiling at Angela. Both Angela and Juice were so young at heart, so carefree that she doubted anything really heavy could ever touch them. A slight feeling of jealousy twisted at her stomach; she wished her relationship with Jax could be that easy.

"That's because they both act like goddamn five year olds," Gemma commented.

"I can hear you, you know," Angela said with a roll of her eyes.

The Queen turned and smiled at her. "Oh, I know, sweetheart."

Angela sighed as she set Abel down on the floor. "Glad that got cleared up. I got to go get the dead dude," she stated standing up straight. "As a five year old would say, 'see ya later, alligator'."

Gemma smirked at the undertaker's back as she sauntered out. Though she'd been skeptical about the undertaker at first, Angela had yet to make a wrong move. The girl was smarter than she'd given her credit for originally, and it was clear as day that she loved Juice and only Juice. She looked over at Tara. "She grows on ya, don't she?"

Tara chuckled as she nodded. "That she does."

* * *

><p>A few months later...<p>

Kozik moved the boxing pads around, waiting each time for Angela to hit them. Since she had the day off, and things at TM were slow, he'd called her over so they could hang out. As usual, it ended up in a training session. After what happened with Salazar and with the boys being away, Kozik wanted to make sure she was in tip top condition should something happen again. "Harder, Ang! C'mon," he encouraged, grinning when she glared at him and punched just a little harder. " 'ey, you talk to any of the guys recently?"

Angela swung a hook at the pad, though her heart wasn't really in it. She loved Kozik to death, but he wasn't as good of a motivator as Happy was during training. Happy didn't do the little chit chat therapy session; he just yelled encouraging words and advice. The whole situation made her miss her cousin. "Yeah. I talked to Juice last night."

"Jab combo! Let's go!" he ordered, holding the pads up in the right position and meeting her punches. "How you holding up with him being gone?"

She scowled at him, getting in two quick jabs before brushing a hair away from her face with a gloved hand. "I really hate that question. I am perfectly capable of keeping myself together while he's away. I'm my _own_ person who has my _own_ life that's separate from his, and I am holding up just _fine_."

Kozik chuckled, shaking his head at Angela's little Ms. Independent speech. "Except for the whole not being able to sleep without him thing."

This time she moved on her own, aiming for his stomach. Koz knew it was coming and caught her punch with the pad before it could get to him; she always went for an actual hit when she was pissed. "Fuck you, Kozik," she murmured indignantly. "I sleep."

"Yeah, sure," he scoffed in response.

Angela swung for his face, but he easily blocked it. "Saw you patched in while the guys were in slide. Smooth move, slick. Thought you told Tig you weren't going to do that."

" 'ey, I can't help it if SAMCRO needed more bodies," Kozik answered nonchalantly. He'd patched in _months_ before, and she hadn't said anything about it. He knew she was only bringing it up to piss him off so they could talk about something else, and he wasn't about to let her get away with that. "Don't change the subject."

"Well look who it is," Chibs' thickly accented voice came from the doorway of the clubhouse. He climbed onto the side of the ring, just in time to distract Kozik so Angela actually landed a punch to his cheek.

"Oh shit!" she exclaimed, eyes wide as the blonde biker cursed at her. She never thought she'd actually hit him despite her attempts. "Sorry, Kozi!"

"_Jesus_, Ang! _Really_?" Kozik whined, blinking his eye as he tried to get it to stop tearing up.

"You usually block it!" she justified, trying her best to keep a straight face.

The Scottish man was laughing heartily at Kozik's expense. "She gotcha good there! Girl's got a nasty hook!"

Kozik glared at her with his good eye. "Don't you fuckin' laugh, Ang."

But she couldn't help herself. As soon as the first laugh left her mouth, Kozik had her in a tight headlock against his side. She struggled against him, trying to get him off of her. "Ow, ow! I'm sorry! Jeez!"

"Aw, c'mon, Koz. I bet yeh deserved it," Chibs put in. "Ope needs a word with yeh anyways."

Kozik let her go, ruffling her hair lightly as he pushed her away and effortlessly climbed out of the ring. "See ya later, kid," he called over his shoulder.

"Koz! You forgot to help me out of these damn gloves!" she shouted at his back, scowling when she heard the door slam loudly behind him. "Asshole," she muttered looking down at the beat up old gloves. If they hadn't been on loan from the club, she would've used her teeth to untie them but seeing as they weren't hers and she didn't know whose mouth had been on them last, she wasn't about to risk catching something from the boxing glove's ties.

Chibs chuckled as he tucked under the ropes. "Give 'em here, love." With a sigh, she put one glove in his outstretched hand. He got to work untying the gloves. "Didn't know you boxed."

"Only to entertain Kozik," she said on a laugh. "It's part of my self-defense 'training' because the first thing I think of when I get in a fight is if my feet are in the right position."

"I don't think that's what Koz cares about," he commented with a small smile. "The man cares that yeh can hit, and yeh can by the looks of it. Juicy boy better watch out if he ever thinks of layin' a hand on yeh."

Angela rolled her eyes. She knew that would never happen. Juice was no woman beater. "I'd be the least of his worries, trust me."

He chuckled in response, knowing that if the idiot ever hurt her he'd have Happy and Kozik to answer to. "I'd have to agree with yeh on that one," he said, watching as she picked up her jewelry from the ground. As she slipped on the rings, one in particular caught his eye. "Quite some bling yeh got there," he said, catching her wrist in his hands.

She laughed as she nodded. It had been a ring kind of day, and she was currently sporting a ring from each of her boys on the fingers of her right hand: a simple ring with the Harley Davidson logo outline that Kozik had given her on her pointer, the skull with wings from Happy on her middle, and Juice's claddagh ring on her ring finger. "Oh yeah. I usually only wear the two, but Koz was whinin' that I never wear the one he gave me so…"

Chibs nodded as he studied the Claddagh ring. "Who gave yeh that one?"

"Juice. He said your daughter's friend helped him get when you guys were in Belfast."

A look of surprise passed over the Scot's face as he let go of her hand. He wondered if Juice understood the meaning behind the ring when he gave it to her. Besides being a blatant claim on the wearer if it was worn right, each of the little symbols on that ring meant something different. "He tell yeh what that whole design means?"

"Nah. He couldn't even pronounce it," she admitted on a small smile.

He smiled at her, a faraway look in his eyes as if he was reliving a memory. "Gave one of those to my Old Lady a long time ago," he said, leaning back against the ropes. "Hands mean friendship, crown means loyalty, and the heart means love. But somethin' tells me you two haven't said those wee lil' words to each other yet?"

Angela shook her head. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Dunno," she answered on a shrug. "Just haven't."

He studied her face for a brief moment. "It's there, yeh know. We can all see it. Hell, a blind man could see it. What's the hold up?"

She shrugged again. "He went to Belfast, I got kidnapped, he went inside. We got shit timing."

Chibs went to say something else when Kozik came bursting out of the clubhouse. "Let's go, Ang! Doc's poppin' out the kid!"

* * *

><p>Angela ran to keep up with Kozik's long strides as they headed towards the waiting room in St. Thomas. She glanced around the waiting room at all the SAMCRO members who looked very uncomfortable. "Hey guys," she greeted, taking a seat between Piney and Kozik.<p>

"Hey sweetheart," Piney replied, nodding to her.

"How long have you all been here?"

"Went into labor 'bout an hour ago," Opie answered curtly. "Gemma's with her."

Angela grimaced. "Poor Tara," she muttered before she could help herself earning a few chuckles from the men around her. Her eyes followed Chucky as he paced back and forth. She'd seen him at the cemetery on more than one occasion, always visiting the oldest, loneliest headstones and laying flowers before them. He was kind of sweet in his own, odd way.

Tara screams from down the hall were audible, only succeeding to make Chucky pace faster. Chibs threw an opened can of soda at him. "Stop it!" he shouted in frustration. Kozik laughed as Chucky scuttled out of the room to find another corridor to pace.

"Holy crap," Angela cursed, wincing at the awful sound.

Kozik chuckled, slapping his hand on her thigh. "Don't have kids, kiddo. Hap'll kill someone if he hears you screamin' like that."

She rolled her eyes at him, pushing herself up into a standing position. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. Anyone want any?"

As soon as she stepped into the hallway, she was spotted Lyla with Abel in her arms. "Gee! Gee!" Abel exclaimed, stretching his arms out to Angela.

"I was wonderin' where big brother was," Angela said easily taking Abel from Lyla's arms. "How's it goin', Ly?"

Lyla smiled at her and shrugged a shoulder. "Good. Got Gemma on my ass about planning the wedding. I swear she shoots down every choice I make!"

"Like what?"

"I want to have a few bridesmaids, but she said I should just have one because if I have a few bridesmaids, Ope has to have a few groomsmen and that gets complicated with the club," she explained, looking frustrated. "I want to have Tara and you and maybe one of the other girls from the studio…"

Angela smiled, touched that Lyla would want her in the wedding. "Don't worry about me, Ly. I'm totally fine watching from the sidelines. I don't need to be a bridesmaid."

"Yeah? You won't be offended if I just have Tara?"

She shook her head slowly. "Not at all. Honestly," she assured the blonde with a wide smile. Another one of Tara's screams came from down the hall. "Is she supposed to sound like that?"

Lyla nodded, frowning slightly. "Having a kid hurt likes a bitch."

"No kidding."

They saw a nurse walk out of Tara's room towards the waiting room and headed that way. The nurse let them into the room before announcing, "It's a boy!"

The room erupted into shouts of joy and laughter as Opie handed out cigars to all the men; he'd even though ahead to get Abel a chocolate cigar from See's. Angela watched the men slap each other on the back and comment on the whole affair from her place at the doorway with Abel perched on her hip. The little boy was contently eating the chocolate cigar, his fingers, lips, and cheeks covered in chocolate.

"Where daddy?" Abel asked, his gaze going from all of his pseudo-uncles up to Angela.

She gave him a small smile; the boy had to be confused. All of his uncles were here celebrating his new brother while his own dad was nowhere to be found. "Daddy's gonna come home really soon, Abie. Don't you worry about it. He wants to meet your new brother too."

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Gemma standing there. "Wanted to make sure Abel got in before they do," she said pulling her into the hallway. She looked over her grandson, briefly debating on whether to take him from Angela's arms or not. The undertaker already had two chocolate handprints on her white tank top. "How 'bout _you _bring him?"

"Chocolate doesn't go with your outfit, does it?" Angela asked teasingly.

Gemma smirked and shook her head. "Not this one, sweetheart."

With a laugh, Angela followed Gemma down the hallway and into the room where the doctors had just finished cleaning up after the procedure. As soon as he saw his mother, Abel squirmed in Angela's arms, reaching out for her. Tara smiled back at him. "Abel, meet your new brother, Thomas."

Angela managed to pry the rest of the now slobbery chocolate cigar from the boy's hands while Gemma cleaned each off gently with a wipey before taking the little boy into her arms. "Now you gotta be real careful with him, Abel. He's fragile," Gemma whispered to him as she set him on the bed next to Tara.

With a small wave to Tara, Angela excused herself from the room. This was a moment better left to family, and she didn't want to intrude. She found Chucky in the hallway and smiled at him; he was still pacing. "It's a boy, Chucky," she told him, just in case he didn't know.

"Is he okay?" Chucky asked with a wide eyed stare. "I mean, all that screamin'…sounds like somethin' went wrong."

Angela smiled and nodded. "Nah, he's fine. Got all ten fingers and toes."

"Lucky kid," Chucky said, wiggling his remaining two fingers. "You got handprints on your shirt, ya know."

She looked down to find one small chocolate handprint just over her breast and grimaced. "Awesome."

"It's kind of hot, actually. In a weird way. I mean…" he stammered out, fumbling for the right explanation.

Angela raised an eyebrow at him. "Just stop. You don't have to explain yourself to me, Chucky. I really would rather not hear it."

He grinned at her and nodded, "I accept that."

* * *

><p><strong><span>**Disclaimer<span> 2: some of the last part came from one of the "appisodes" on the SOA app. The little bit about Chucky visiting old graves also came from a tumblr post the Michael Marisi Ornstein tweeted. I just love that whole story, so I decided to incorporate it a little. I'm not sure if the post was deleted, but I can't find it anywhere...Just wanted to give the writer credit because it really is a beautiful story!**

**Coming up next...Season 4! YAY! :D**

**As always, your comments, suggestions, opinions, etc. are very much appreciated! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	40. Welcome Home

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, or follow! Its the awesome feedback I get from you all that gives me the drive to write so _thank you _and keep it up! ;) ****I know I replied to the signed in ones via PM but also thank you to the two Guests, dannygirl, and Leon's Angel for their reviews! :) **

**Season 5 has been crazy so far! I'm not going to say much about it because I know some readers may not have seen the episode yet but...damn, this season is crazy!**

**Also inspiration hit again, and I made a new cover photo thingy. I like it a little better than the previous one. Also, I have a link to pics of how I picture Angela on my profile if you're curious. ;) **

**This chapter is the beginning of Season 4! Yay! It takes place during Season 4, Episode 1: "Out". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 40: Welcome Home_

_By Love Ink_

Angela looked up at the clock then back down to the body she was working on. The long hand of the clock was getting dangerously close to the six meaning she should be at TM, she _should_ be waiting for the boys to get back from San Joa _not_ halfway through embalming someone. "Shit," she murmured, increasing her speed.

"Go," Skeeter's voice said from the doorway.

She jumped slightly, startled by his voice; she hadn't seen him standing there. "I'm almost done," she told him, focusing back on the task at hand.

"I can handle the rest. I did your job before you came, I can do it again just once," he insisted. She didn't need to be told twice. In seconds, she had ripped off all her protective gear and thrown it in the biohazard bin. On her way out the door, she hesitated briefly, feeling guilty for leaving him behind to do her job. He scoffed at her, "Angela, I'm fine. Get outta here!"

"Thanks Skeet," she said pressing a kiss to his cheek before sprinting out the door and to her Mazda. She sped down the boulevard, driving with her knee as she fixed her makeup in the mirror before tugging out her hair tie.

She glanced at the clock. "Shit," she muttered as another minute passed. She pulled into the TM parking lot, stopping the car with a jerk before practically jumping out of it, sprinting towards where Gemma, Tara, and the whole TM crew were waiting. "I made it," she breathed.

Gemma gave her a small smile. "Busy morning?" she asked as she got up from the picnic table where she'd been coloring with Abel.

Angela nodded exaggeratedly. "I swear we've been slow for days, and the one day I have something to do, there's like five bodies that all need to be embalmed!"

She patted the undertaker's shoulder. "Relax. They're not gonna be here for a few minutes."

"Right," she said, nodding as she sucked in a deep breath and blew it back out trying to slow down her heart rate.

"Gee! Gee!" Abel cooed, waving his hands up at her.

She smiled back at him, grabbing one little hand in hers. "Hey Abie!" she exclaimed, sitting down in the spot Gemma had vacated.

Lyla grinned at her from across the table where she was coloring in one of Abel's coloring books. "You get the goods?"

She smiled as she tugged down the front of her black wife beater revealing the top of her dark blue bra with Swarovski crystals dotted across the center of it. It'd cost more than she usually paid for underwear, but she knew it'd be worth it. "Victoria's Secret, Bombshell bling."

"Nice. He's going to be all over that," the blonde said, her blue eyes glinting mischievously. The love of lingerie was something she shared with Angela, though she got to show it off more often than the undertaker.

The sound of Harleys in the distance sent Angela's heart into her throat. She clenched her jaw to keep an excited squeal from escaping her lips. Taking note of what Gemma and Tara were doing, she didn't run to them; just made her way through the other Croweaters, surprised when a lot of them stepped aside to let her through.

She went straight to Happy, since he got there first. He let her hug him for a brief moment, smoothing his ringed fingers over her long hair. "Hey kid," he said, kissing her temple before gently pushing her away. "Good to see ya."

"You too, Hap," she replied with a wide smile. "Welcome home."

Happy smirked at her, ruffling her hair as he looked over her shoulder to where Juice had just pulled in. He had to give her credit; as much as he knew she was waiting for Juice, the fact that she went to him first made him happy. He'd always put his family first, be it his real family or his club family, and he was glad to see Angela do the same. "Yeah. Thanks," he muttered before pushing her towards her man. "Go 'head."

Angela turned, grinning when she saw Juice there. Her heart felt like his was going to bust out of her chest when she saw that big goofy smile spread across his lips as he swung his leg off the bike.

"There's my girl," Juice said, his dark eyes raking over her figure hungrily as he slid a hand around her waist pulling her into his chest.

"Told ya I'd be waiting," she said, a bright smile on her face as she looped her arms around his neck.

"Never doubted ya," he murmured before his lips crashed down upon hers. For the first time in fourteen months, Juice really kissed his girl. One of those passionate, weak in the knees kisses that was sure to leave the both of them wanting more. His hand slid down the plane of her back, not stopping until he found his favorite spot in the back pocket of her jeans.

She laughed as he squeezed her ass, breaking their kiss for all of a second before his lips were on hers again, tongue sliding into her mouth to deepen the kiss. Her hands reached up to rake through his hair, tugging gently as she tested out the longer length. Juice broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to hers as he tried to control his breathing. She looked beautiful with that huge smile on her face; her dark eyes alight with happiness. "Missed you, Angel," he whispered in her ear as he pulled her into a tight hug. He loved the way she melted into him, every inch of her body fitting perfectly into his.

She tilted her head to look up at him. "Missed you too, goof," she said, rolling up on the balls of her feet to kiss him once again. It'd been too long since she could kiss him whenever she wanted, and she was taking full advantage of it now.

"Chapel! Ten minutes," Clay reminded the boys as he headed inside the clubhouse.

Juice groaned, hanging his head down in defeat. If he had it his way, he'd have swept her off her feet and taken her straight into his dorm room. It'd been way too long since he'd had a massage from his girl, and he was ready to have her hands all over him. She laughed at his reaction, pulling away slightly and setting her palms on his chest. "Go," she insisted, a smile playing on her lips. "I'll see you back at home."

_Home_. _God, that sounds good, _he thought as he kissed her once more before smacking her ass. "I'll see you at home. Twenty minutes! Tops!" he shouted as he backpedaled towards the clubhouse door.

"Just go, goof!" she called after him, unable to wipe the smile off of her face. Her boy was finally home.

* * *

><p>Juice parked his Dyna in the driveway hastily, not wanting to waste any more time than he already had. He opened the front door, stepping in and taking a deep breath. His house smelled like freshly baked cookies. His stomach grumbled hungrily as he made his way to the kitchen. He found her standing there in another of his black hoodies, her dark hair hanging down her back in loose waves just like he liked it. He watched as she dipped a finger into the mixing bowl before putting it in her mouth and tasting the batter. And that was the end of his self control.<p>

He grabbed her around the waist, turning her so her back hit the counter as he pressed himself against her body. Her hands slid under his cut, pulling it expertly down his arms and off his shoulders. She didn't let it hit the ground though, instead, tossing it towards the clean counter. His hands found the zipper of the hoodie, and in one swift tug, he pulled it down. He took a minute to drink in what she was wearing. A dark blue bra embellished with lace and crystals that glittered in the light of the kitchen and a matching pair of barely there panties. "Damn, Angel," he said reverently, his eyes meeting hers as he slid the fabric off her shoulders.

Angela smiled up at him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Welcome home, baby." He chuckled as her hands slid under his shirt, slowly inching it up. Grabbing the hem, he helped her out, pulling it off in one quick motion. Her dark eyes widened when she saw his bare chest. "Is that _real_?" she asked.

He nodded. "Surprise."

She shook her head. There was no way. She licked her finger, rubbing it over the new ink etched right over his heart. It didn't smudge. She stared up at him, her fingers tracing over the letters of his nickname for her inked across his pec in beautiful calligraphy. "Holy shit. It's real."

"I know," he said on another nod. He was slightly amused to see how fascinated she was by his new tattoo. "You like it?"

Her eyes lifted from his skin and met his, dark with lust as she nodded. In seconds, she was throwing herself at him. He caught her easily, lifting her off the ground so she could wrap her legs around his waist as her lips crashed down on his. He carried her over to the couch, laying her down on the soft leather without breaking the kiss. His hands moved down her sides until he got to her skimpy little panties.

"Knew you'd like it," he murmured, his lips trailing down her neck as he ripped off her panties. He grinned as she gasped, knowing she'd be pissed about it later. At that moment, he didn't care though. It'd been fourteen months since he had gotten to be with her, and he was going to take full advantage of it now before they got interrupted.

* * *

><p>Juice had never felt more at peace than he did laying there naked in bed with Angela pressed up against his side. They'd gotten reacquainted with each other over and over again on practically every surface of their house, and he'd loved every minute of it. He watched the light catch the ring he'd given her as her fingers traced over the new ink across his chest. "I can't believe you did this," she whispered, glancing up at him. "Did it hurt?"<p>

"Nah," he lied, his hands playing with the strands of her long hair. She raised an eyebrow at him, a doubtful look on her face, and he smiled. "All right, maybe a little bit, but it was worth it. You like it right?"

She laughed lightly, tilting her head back to kiss him before laying back down on his chest. "I love it," she answered. It felt so good to have him close again, to feel his skin against hers. "I missed this," she admitted, her voice sleepy. "I missed you."

"Missed you too," he murmured. His fingers trailed lightly up and down her back as he turned his head to press a sweet kiss to her forehead. "I'm not gonna leave you again, Angel. I promise."

"I hope not," she murmured before suddenly sitting up in bed. "Shit, I forgot," she said, rolling out of bed and to her feet.

"Where are you going?" he asked, sitting up slightly, an amused look on his face as he watched her pull one of the blankets off the bed and wrap it around herself. He shook his head as he watched her speed walk out of the room.

"Just hold on!" she called out. He could hear her rummaging around in the kitchen.

He chuckled to himself as he heard something crash followed by a long string of expletives. "You all right, baby?"

"Fine!" she called back, her voice closer than before.

He smiled as she appeared in the doorway. She had an awful case of bed hair. His fault for running his hands through the silky dark strands every opportunity he got. In her hand was a little white stick that looked pinched at the edges; a joint. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Whatcha got there?"

"Hazer insisted I take it. Apparently, it's one of your favorite strands or something," she explained, handing it over to him then crawling back into bed.

Juice lifted his arm to let her settle in against his side before reaching over to his bedside table and digging out a lighter and ashtray. He usually didn't smoke in bed given that it could leave behind a mess, but he was too comfortable to move. "Awesome," he said, lighting it up and taking a long drag on it. He sighed contently, letting out the smoke with it. This was just an added joy to his already perfect day. "Remind me to thank Hazer later."

"Will do. Is it any good?" she asked, laying flat on her stomach just a little ways away from him to avoid getting smoke blown directly in her face. He handed over the joint to her, but she waved it off. "You enjoy it. I'm good right now."

He nodded slowly, his hand trailing up and down her bareback as he smoked. "You get a colonic yet?" he asked as he exhaled.

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Not gonna happen. It creeps me out, reminds me too much of embalming with the tubes and stuff."

Juice could see how that would bother her. He'd never thought about it like that before. "Thinkin' of givin' a certificate for them to Ope and Ly for their wedding."

Angela rolled her eyes at him, wondering why on Earth he would think that was a good present. She knew for a face that Lyla would never use it, no matter how used to taking things up the ass she was. "Classy, Juice."

"What? They're good for you," he explained, an innocent look on his face. "What'd you get 'em?"

"Ly wanted a pair of lingerie that was a little overpriced, so I got 'em for her," Angela explained on a shrug. "Figure she _and_ Ope would enjoy those."

"Classy, Angel," he said, throwing her own words back at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him, wrinkling her nose as he deliberately blew smoke in her face in response. "_Juice_," she whined, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the smoke; he knew she hated when he did that. She didn't mind smoking but wasn't a big fan of having the smoke blown in her face when she wasn't actually smoking.

He kissed her nose, right on the little wrinkles. "You're cute when you're mad," he said giving her one of his charming smiles.

Angela sighed and rolled her eyes, it was hard to be mad at him when he was smiling at her like that. "Goof," she said in defeat, lying her cheek against his chest. She felt her eyes start to droop closed as his heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

Juice felt her breathing even out and looked down to find her sound asleep. He smiled, turning his head to press a kiss to her forehead. He stubbed out the joint before wrapping his arms tighter around her and drifting off into the first restful sleep he'd had in months.

* * *

><p>The familiar sound of her phone woke her up from her little nap, the shrill beeping a sharp change from the soothing sound of Juice's snoring. Rubbing at her eyes, she reached out blindly to her bedside table and picked it up. "Angela Ruiz," she murmured into it sleepily.<p>

"Ang!" Lyla's panicked voice came over the phone. "I'm having a make-up emergency! I can't get it right and I just have black shit all over!"

Angela looked back at Juice's sleeping form and wished like hell she could tell Lyla to take care of it herself so she could rest a few more minutes with him. She sighed tiredly. "You can't fix it?"

"No! I know Juice just came home and you're probably fucking his brains out or whatever, and I'm sorry for bothering you but…you're the only one that can help me, Ang. _Please_."

Guilt twisted in her stomach; Lyla was one of her closest friends. It didn't sit right with her to abandon her friend in her time of need. She begrudgingly threw back the covers and got out of bed. "Yeah, yeah, fine," she muttered, raking a hand through her hair. "Be there in fifteen."

"Thanks, babe. I owe you."

"Hell yeah, you do," she said in response, glaring at the phone as she ended the call. She quickly got dressed into some comfy clothes before pulling a brush through her awful bed hair. As she glanced into the mirror, something caught her eye. A patch of raw, red skin just by her collar bone. _Mustache burn_, she thought with a laugh as she carefully rubbed some concealer on it.

With another sigh, she headed around the bed to where Juice was still snoring away. She sat down next to his hip, leaning over to press her lips to cheek, as she settled one hand on his muscular stomach and shook him gently. He groaned as he woke up, blinking at her sleepily. "Why are you wearing clothes?" he asked, his voice slow with sleep. "I'm not done with you yet."

She laughed slightly. "Because I have to go do the bride's make up," she explained, smiling at the disappointed look on his face. She gave him a sound kiss on the mouth before standing up. "I'll be back soon, though. I need to shower."

"Me too," he mumbled catching her hand in his as she turned to move away.

Angela gave him that naughty smirk that he loved so much. "What a coincidence! Too bad we only have one shower.

He pulled her in closer. "I'm willing to share," he said, one finger hooking around the belt loop of her jeans.

He tried tugging her down to the bed again, but she stood firm. "Juice, I got to go, baby. I'll be back soon, I swear," she insisted, kissing him quickly before stepping far out of his reach. "Twenty minutes, tops!"

Juice rolled his eyes as she threw his own words back at him. He lay back down with a groan. When he'd told her twenty minutes earlier in the day, it'd taken him more like an hour and a half to get home. "That's a lie," he said around a yawn.

Angela laughed as she slung her makeup pack over her shoulders. "Time me."

Always up for a challenge, he sat up on his elbows, reaching out a hand for his phone. He flicked it open and got to the stop watch application. "Ready?"

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Start when you hear the door close."

He nodded in agreement. "What do I get if you're late?"

"I'm sure you can think of something," she said winking at him as she headed out the bedroom.

As soon as he heard the doorknob turning, he called out, "Time's starting in three…two…one…Go!"

"Bye Juice!" she shouted, slamming the door behind her and sprinting to her car.

* * *

><p>Angela walked up to Opie's front door and rang the doorbell. She grinned when Ellie opened the door. The young girl had really grown up over the past year. She was a taller now, her hair shorter, and a shade or two darker. The almost thirteen year old looked gorgeous in her teal dress. "Hey, El," Angela greeted, hugging her tightly. "Lookin' good."<p>

Ellie smiled, tucking a hair behind her ear. "Lyla helped straighten my hair."

Lyla seemed to love experimenting with Ellie's hair. It was the blonde's fault that Ellie's hair was now a rust color instead of its natural dirty blonde. "Looks good, kiddo. You excited for tonight?" she asked making her way towards the bedroom where she knew Lyla was waiting.

"Yeah! I get to hold her train while she walks down the aisle," she explained excitedly as she followed Angela. "Are you here to help with her makeup?"

Angela nodded, her eyes widening when she stepped into the master bathroom to find Lyla with black eyeshadow all over her face. "Holy shit, Ly."

"I was going for a smoky eye," Lyla explained, rubbing at the dark makeup with a towel.

"Looks more charred than smoky," she teased in return making Ellie giggle.

Lyla glared at her, not at all amused by the joke. "Can you fix it?"

"Yeah, 'course," Angela said, unzipping her bag and pulling out her makeup remover. "You sure you want a smoky eye? I mean, you're getting married, not going out to a club…"

"I want my eyes to pop."

"With the way you were doing it, they were going to pop right out of your head," she teased, pushing Lyla's hand out of the way and starting to wipe off the makeup.

Lyla laughed this time, a little more at ease now that Angela was there. "Look at you, Ms. Smiley. Looks like someone got some."

"_Ly_la!" Angela said, her eyes wide as she looked over at Ellie who was standing in the doorway.

Ellie shrugged a shoulder. "What? I'm almost thir_teen_ now. I know what sex is."

The undertaker rolled her eyes as she tossed the rag off to the side, finally done cleaning Lyla's face. "Of course you do," she mumbled, shaking her head to herself. It wasn't a surprise Ellie knew what sex was; the girl was living with a porn star after all.

"So?" Lyla pushed. At Angela's hesitance, she glanced at Ellie. "El, not that we don't love your company, but…"

Ellie sighed as she nodded. "I get it, I get it," she said, holding up her hands in defeat. She wasn't at all surprised that Angela didn't want to talk about sex in front of her. It was a subject Ellie had asked her about many times, and she always got the same reaction. Angela would turn a bright shade of red and tell her to ask Lyla. She headed out into the hallway and sat down there, leaning her head against the doorjamb so she could hear her pseudo-aunt and soon-to-be stepmother talking.

"So? Did he like your bombshell bra?" Lyla pushed, closing her eyes as Angela started brushing eyeshadow onto the lids.

"Mm-hmm," she answered, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Totally destroyed the panties though. Ripped 'em right off."

Lyla frowned. "God, I hate it when they do that."

Angela laughed, nodding in agreement. "And I've got these marks from his damn mustache all _over_. Do you get that with Ope?"

She nodded slowly. "The beard isn't the part that does it, it's the short hair. Put a little moisturizer on it and you should be good. You'll get used to it," Lyla advised with a small smile. "How are you liking all that hair? He looks so handsome, I hardly recognized him."

"He's always been handsome," Angela said softly, a small smile on her face. She knew what Lyla meant though. Juice's longer hair made him look less like an outlaw and more like a normal guy. "I like it, I guess. It's just not…him, you know? I love those tats. Open your eyes, let's do some mascara."

Lyla opened her eyes, grinning at her reflection. Angela had done her eyes just how she wanted them. "Can you put on falsies?"

"Really, Ly?" the undertaker groaned. She wasn't the biggest fan of false eyelashes mostly because they were a pain in the ass to put on and take off. "You're gonna wake up with eyelashes on the side of your face and scare the crap out of poor Ope."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Shut up, Ang," she said on a laugh. "It's my wedding."

"Okay, okay," she said heaving a sigh as she picked up the package of falsies.

"Did he do anything romantic for you? I mean, I know he didn't have much time to get his shit together, but did he grab you flowers or something?"

Angela shook her head as she dabbed some glue onto the fake eyelashes. "No flowers, but he did have a new tattoo of my name right over his heart."

Lyla's eyes widened. "Shut up. Did he really?"

"Well, it says _Angel_, but that's what he calls me so…"

"That's so sweet, Ang! Does that mean you'll be getting a crow sometime soon?"

She smiled softly as she shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. Maybe," she answered. Truthfully, she thought she was ready for it especially now that both Happy and Kozik were also SAMCRO. It took the pressure off the crow being just for Juice and the potential for it to be a huge mistake should anything happen in their relationship.

Lyla rolled her pretty eyes at her friend. "Seriously, Angie? You're still doubting if he'll stick around. Guy's got a tattoo of your name on his chest. That's permanent. _You're_ permanent. Hell, Ope doesn't have one of my name on him. He's got Donna though."

"Ope didn't spend a year in jail with you waitin' for him, either," Angela pointed out. "He's marryin' you though."

Lyla smiled softly as she nodded. "Yeah, he is," she murmured, looking down at the ring on her hand before glancing back up at Angela. "Is that what you want?"

"I don't know. Maybe," she repeated on a shrug. She tried her best not think that far ahead into the future. Thinking like that was sure to lead to disappointment. She checked her watch and grimaced. "Oh shit. I gotta go. I bet Juice I would be back in twenty minutes."

Lyla watched as Angela scrambled to pack all of her makeup before almost sprinting out of the bathroom. She almost tripped over Ellie who had her legs stretched out across the hall. "Jeez, El! How long have you been there?" she exclaimed looking down at the young girl.

"Not long," Ellie lied on a shrug. "I think it's sweet that Juice tattooed your name on him, and he really _is_ handsome. I've always thought so."

She smiled at her, extending a hand to help the girl to her feet. "We have that in common," she said, heading through the living room.

Ellie followed after her. "Did he really rip your underwear off?"

Angela's eyes widened as a blush colored her cheeks as she went to open the door. "Uh…umm…I can't…I just have to go and I have to go so…I'm gonna go," she stammered nervously as she opened the door. She took a step out the door before thinking better of it and turning to the younger girl, one finger pointed in her direction. "Don't have sex until you're old. Really old. Like thirty."

"_You're_ not thirty," Ellie pointed out from her place at the door.

"Yeah, that is very…accurate but…just don't," she said, feeling incredibly flustered as she unlocked her car. "And I'm just gonna go before this hole gets any freakin' deeper. Bye, El."

Ellie giggled and waved at her. "Bye Angie!"

* * *

><p>Angela rushed back into the house, slamming the door behind her and leaning back against it. She wondered if she'd somehow managed to make it on time. Sighing, she leant over to untie her shoes. "You're late," his voice came from the hallway.<p>

She looked up to find Juice leaning against the hallway entrance clad only in his boxers, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. "Dammit," she muttered on a scowl as she straightened up. "I _knew_ that would happen. Damn Ellie and her questions. I love her to death, but sometimes…"

Juice chuckled, watching her as she toed off her shoes and set down her makeup bag. "What was she askin' about?"

"Apparently, she overheard me and Ly talking and she wanted to know some choice things about my sex life that I am not about to share with a thirteen year old."

He unhitched himself from the wall, taking a few steps towards her. "You been spreadin' rumors about me?"

"Not rumors. Lyla asked how you liked my new panties, and I told her you must've liked 'em a lot because you ripped them right off," she said on a frown as she picked what was left of them off the arm of the couch. "I liked these ones too."

He laughed at the forlorn look on her face. "I'll get you another pair. Promise," he said, taking her hips in his hands and pulling her in closer. She slid her hands up his chest before draping her arms over his shoulders. "What'd El say about that?"

"Nothin'. Just wanted to know if it was true," she replied on a shrug, her fingers raking through his hair, nails dragging across his scalp. "She _did_ say that she always thought you were very handsome."

Juice gave her one of his gorgeous smiles that was always accompanied by a stampede of butterflies through her stomach. "Is that so?" he asked, pretending to consider that option. He'd never touch Ellie, not with a ten foot pole. Cradle robbing was not his style.

"Don't even think about it, mister. You're mine," Angela said, one finger pointing at his chest as she made him step back towards the couch. "See? You got my name on ya and everything."

He took a seat on the couch arm, taking her hips in his hands and pulling her to stand between his legs. "I'm all yours, Angel," he said, his face serious as he looked up at her. "Always."

She smiled, brushing her the backs of fingers over the scruff on his cheeks before raking her nails through his hair. "Good," she said, pressing her lips to his.

Juice slid his arms around her waist, falling back onto the couch with her on top of him. She laughed as she fell into him, her hair falling in front of her face. He pushed it away and just looked at her for a brief moment. Her dark eyes were glittering as she beamed at him. "You're beautiful," he said softly. He still couldn't believe his luck. How did he manage to find a girl like her? One that would stay with him through kidnappings, trips overseas, fourteen months of jail, and then still smile at him like he was the best thing she'd ever seen.

"Thank you." Angela kissed him, giggling as his fingers slipped under her shirt, skimming over the warm skin of her hips. "We're going to be late," she reminded him, rolling off of him and getting to her feet. "And I still need a shower."

"Shower sounds good."

"Might take a little longer since you have all that hair now," she said holding out a hand to him. He took it easily and let her help him stand.

Slinging an arm around her shoulders, he led her towards their bathroom. "I'm sure those fingers of yours can work something out."

* * *

><p>Angela pulled her dress out of the closet, smiling to herself as she ran her hands over the lacey black fabric. She knew someone who was going to love this dress. Taking advantage of the fact that Juice was still brushing his teeth in the bathroom, she slipped it on before opening up her makeup bag. They'd taken a little too long in the shower and were both getting ready as fast as they could.<p>

"You're riding with me, right?" Juice asked as he put his toothbrush back. "Gemma said she wanted an aisle of…_woah_." He stopped in the bathroom doorway taking in the sight before him. Angela was leaning over the bureau as she put on some lipstick in a dress that hugged her in all the right places and a pair of high heeled ankle booties decked out with buckles and black rhinestone skulls.

"What?" she asked innocently. Her black-lined eyes gave her away though; she knew exactly what he'd been referring to. That lacy dress was going to be the death of him.

His hands settled on her hips, thumbs stroking over the fabric. He loved the feel of the soft lace against his calloused fingers. "You look hot," he breathed in her ear, smiling when he felt her shiver against him.

The corner of her lips turned up in a sexy smirk as her eyes met his in their reflection. "You don't look too bad yourself," she said turning around and draping her arms over his shoulders. Dressed in his cut, jeans, and a black dress shirt, Juice looked sexy as hell. "You're a regular Don Juan, Juan Carlos."

He grinned at her, dipping his head to catch her lips with his own, his hands sliding around to squeeze her ass. She pulled away, gently wiping her lipstick off his lips with her thumb before stepping away from him to get her clutch. He looked her up and down again, loving the view as she bent over to adjust a buckle on her shoe. The dress was short…very short. "How you gonna ride in that, Angel?"

"Very carefully," she said, winking at him as she pulled on a leather jacket. She knew it wasn't the smartest idea to ride on his bike without protection on her legs, but she trusted Juice's riding skills. He'd never laid down his bike with her on it yet, and she knew he'd be extra careful in this situation. "I might just have to press myself closer to you. Just to make sure I'm all covered. Unless of course you want me to meet you there with the Mazda."

Juice wrapped a possessive arm around her hips, pulling her into his side as they headed out the front door. "Nah, you're ridin' with me. Gotta let everyone know who you belong to. 'specially with that dress on."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the copious amounts of Juice and Angela fluff, but I couldn't stand cutting any of those little scenes out! :\<strong>

**As always let me know what you think! I love hearing from you all! :) **

**Coming up next: The wedding...yay!**

**~Love Ink**


	41. Familia

**Thanks to all those who took the time review, favorite, and follow! I know I PM'ed most of you guys but to thanks to _Jean_ and _dannygirl_ too! :) **

**Yay! It's Tuesday which means a new episode of SOA for those of us in the US! :) I hear its going to be more heartbreaking than the last episode which means I should probably go get a box of tissues... :( This new season has been so crazy! **

**This chapter takes place during Season 4, episode 1 "Out" and is a lot longer than usual! :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

*_Familia_ means 'family' in Spanish... ;)

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 41: Familia_

_By Love Ink_

Juice looked over at Angela from where he was standing along the aisle of bikes; he and the rest of the SAMCRO brothers were greeting the guests as they slowly filtered in. The girls of the club had no such duties, so Angela was standing a little ways away with Marcus Alvarez and his Old Lady, Diana, her hands waving about as she talked to them in rapid Spanish. He'd never heard her have a full blown conversation in Spanish. Sure, he knew she could speak it, and every once in awhile, she'd humor him by saying a sentence or two, but it was always simple shit, never this rapid fire talking. He loved the way the foreign language sounded on her lips and, for the first time ever, he wished he'd listened to his mother when she told him he should learn the language of his ancestors.

He watched as the Mayan president laughed, patting her cheek in a loving, almost fatherly manner while Diana looked at her with pure love in her eyes. Juice wondered if this was a quick peek into Angela's past. The way they were conversing with each other, their smiles, it was like a mini family reunion. For a moment, he hated himself for trying to keep her away from them. She met his eyes, winking at him discreetly as she hugged Marcus and Diana. When they left with the rest of the Mayans went to go find their seats, she stayed there, waiting for him to be done with his greeting duties.

"Your girl looks gorgeous tonight," Kozik teased, elbowing him in the ribs.

" 'course she does," Juice replied, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly. He didn't need another man to point that out to him; he already knew he had one of the most attractive women at the party. "She's beautiful."

Kozik nodded in agreement, a little impressed with his response. He clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "Good answer, dude," he said, grinning as Angela approached. "Idiot's not as dumb as he looks."

"Shut up, Koz," Angela said on a scowl as she walked by.

To both of the men's surprise, she walked right past them and headed towards Happy. The Tacoma killer stretched out an arm, draping it over her shoulders and pulling her into a side hug. "Hey kid," Happy greeted, squeezing her shoulder before dropping his arm.

"Hey Hap," she greeted, looking up at him. "I have a question for ya."

He nodded as stepped away from the aisle, going to lean against his Harley, out of the way of the newcomers so he could give her his full attention. "Don't you always," he teased, smirking down at her.

She gave him a small smile in return."Juice's new ink…was that you?"

Happy nodded slowly. As he smile got bigger, he scowled, knowing where her head was going; she probably thought it was some sort of blessing for Juice. It wasn't. He just liked the idea of having his little cousin's name tattooed on the idiot so other girls didn't get any ideas, so they'd know who he belonged to and stay away. "Don't read into it, kid. Did it 'cause I wasn't about to let some other asshole fuck it up. Spell your name wrong and shit."

"Yeah, okay, sure," she said, her tone one of disbelief. "I'm thinkin' of gettin' new ink myself actually."

He looked down at her, studying her face. Memories of when she was turned eighteen ran through his head. She'd begged him to ink her for weeks, each time coming up with a new idea that was even dumber than the last. He wasn't about to have some dumb butterfly tramp-stamped across his little cousin's back. To him, tattoos were about more than just art; they branded you, told the world who you were. It wasn't until she turned twenty and had approached him with the idea of a koi fish and had explained the meaning of it that he agreed to do it. He knew what tattoo she was hinting at now. The crow. A symbol that would tie her to Juice, to the club for the rest of her life. "You tell him you love him?"

"No."

"Then no," he said softly. Her face fell making him sigh. "A crow ain't just ink, kid. That shit means somethin'. Got to be in this for the long run. Hell, you don't even think of yourself as an Old Lady."

"I'm not," she replied automatically; she'd gotten so used to denying it that it was almost reflexive. A brief look of disappoint passed over her cousin's face. "Am I?"

"Dunno. Not my call," he said, shaking his head. "Idiot talked about you nonstop inside. Asked all kinds of questions and shit. I know where he's at. Ain't got a clue where you are."

Angela pressed her lips together, her eyes focused on her feet. "I'm right here."

"Yeah, ya are," he rasped, turning away from her to get back to the aisle signalling the end of their conversation.

"What does that even mean?" she muttered to herself. She hated when he did that; drop some deep bullshit on her and then turn away before explaining it further or giving her advice. Happy always made her sort through shit like this by herself. Sighing, she raked a hand through her hair, pushing herself off Happy's bike and towards where Gemma was gesturing for her to come over.

"Lookin' good there, Little Miss Undertaker," Gemma said, pulling Angela in for a hug. "Lyla said you got out of bed to go help her makeup emergency. Quite a sacrifice."

Angela sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "You have no idea."

"Well, she looks good," Gemma complimented on a smirk. "A little too much black for a wedding, but I'm guessin' that wasn't your choice."

"She's the bride. It's her wedding, if she wants a smoky eye, she gets a smoky eye," she explained with a grin. "Tried to make it as tasteful as possible."

The Queen smiled at her, reaching to set a hand on her arm. "You did good, undertaker," she said with a proud look on her face. "And not just with this makeup shit, but while the guys were inside. Helpin' out with Abel, the Winstons, Thomas. Stayin' true to your man. Didn't expect that from you."

Angela felt frustration bubble up inside her. When was Gemma going to realize that she was in this for the long run? That when took care of the kids and did things for the club, it was because _she_ wanted to not because she wanted to get in good standing with the club or with its Queen. "Yeah, of course," she said awkwardly. As frustrated as she was with Gemma, she wasn't about to give her any lip; she knew better. "Not much else I could do."

"Yeah there was," Gemma replied. She'd seen the way some of the younger mechanics looked at Angela when she'd drop off the kids at TM. Most weren't discreet about showing their interest; they knew about the prison clause and what it meant for the women of the club. To her credit, Angela never gave them a second glance. "Don't act coy with me, sweetheart. You knew there were other options. Guys weren't being subtle."

She shrugged a shoulder in response, a knowing smile on her face. "Yeah, but they got nothin' on Juice. Trust me, Gemma. He was well worth the wait."

Gemma chuckled, shaking her head at Angela. She looked towards Juice who seemed to be scanning the crowd for his girl. All the guests had arrived and the Sons had started taking their seats. "Well, _he's_ waitin' for _you_ now."

Angela looked over her shoulder, grinning at Juice who looked very confused. "Guess I should go, then," she said, excusing herself from the conversation and heading towards him. She tapped his shoulder, smiling when he spun around. "Lookin' for someone?"

"Not anymore," Juice said, draping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her down the aisle towards their seats.

She took the seat next to Happy, content to be seating between her two favorite men. She felt someone squeeze her shoulder and looked around Juice to where Tig was sitting. The wild haired man grinned at her. "Nice dress, doll."

Angela bit back a laugh at Juice's scowl. "Shoulda never let you outta the house in that," Juice murmured, his warm hand resting on her bared thigh as a silent claim on her.

Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek. "It's yours to take off," she whispered, her lips moving against the skin of his ear.

He swallowed hard as he pictured pushing her up against a wall, his hands sliding over the soft lace, pushing the skirt up. "Damn, baby."

Angela felt shivers slide down her back as he started to move his hand up her thigh, that lustful look in his eyes telling her that he was up to no good. She grabbed at his wrist, pulling his hand off her thigh and slipping her fingers through his. "_Juice_," she scolded , a blush coloring her cheeks; she hoped to God that Happy hadn't seen that little move.

He feigned innocence, the Cheshire cat grin on his face giving away his real intentions. "What?" he asked. At her scowl, he brought her hand up to his lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. "_You_ started it."

Angela rolled her eyes at him about to contest his statement when the soft music started up, signalling the start of the ceremony. He winked at her, squeezing her hand briefly before letting go so he could turn and watch Lyla make her way up the aisle. The ceremony was short and sweet. Everyone cheered, hooting and hollering as Opie and Lyla made their way back down the aisle towards the reception where a delicious feast, a live band, and a large dance floor were waiting. Angela didn't know which of the three she was most excited for.

* * *

><p>Juice watched Angela dance on the stage with Kenny Winston. She was grinning from ear to ear, laughing with Kenny as she made him spin around. The young boy seemed to be having just as good of a time as he awkwardly danced with her. "Got some competition there," Kozik teased, nodding towards the dancing pair. "Those two spent a lot of time together while you were inside."<p>

"Did they now?" Juice asked, playing along. "Maybe I should go cut in."

"You got time," Happy said on a nod of approval. "Might as well."

"Yeah, she'll be happy with ya," Kozik put in, grinning from ear to ear. "Ang likes to dance."

"I know." Juice smiled, pushing away from the table and heading up to the dance floor just as a slow song started up. He hopped up onto the stage easily before setting a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?" he asked the boy.

Kenny looked a little relieved that someone had stepped in since he had no idea what to do on a slow dance. "Yeah, sure," he said stepping away. "See ya, Angie."

"Save me a dance for later, kiddo," she called after him. He gave her a thumbs up in response before jumping off the stage.

Juice took her hand in his and pulled her in close, his other hand finding its place against her lower back. "Thought he was tryin' to steal my girl for a minute there."

"He was close," she teased, setting her hand on his muscular arm. "He's a real cutie."

"I believe it. Seems those Winston men are quite the charmers," he joked, glancing over at Piney who was dancing with a Croweater about half his age. She laughed in response, her whole face lighting up and making his heart do flips. Even after all this time, he was finding little things like that still had an effect on him. He couldn't believe how long it'd been since they'd met that first time at the funeral home, since he first laid eyes on her. "You remember the day we met?"

"How could I forget?" she asked on a laugh. "You guys needed a body. It was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen."

"You said you'd seen weirder," Juice pointed out.

She smiled at him, a mischievous glint in her dark eyes. "I lied."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Trying to play it cool, huh?"

She nodded. "Not every day a bunch of hot bikers and a tattooed goofball walk into a funeral home."

Juice raised an eyebrow at her. "Are the tats the first thing you noticed?"

"About you?" she questioned. At his nod, she shook her head. "Nah, it was your smile. You have the best smile."

He grinned at her in return making her laugh. "Want to know what I first noticed about you?"

Angela rolled her eyes. If memory served her correctly, there was only one place he'd been looking when he'd strolled into the funeral home. "My chest?"

Juice chuckled, looking down her dress for a brief moment as if contemplating his answer before shaking his head. "No, actually. Don't get me wrong, I love your tits, they're…awesome. But it was Chibs that pointed them out actually."

She glanced over at the Scot who was currently smoking a cigar and laughing with some of the other brothers. After getting to know Chibs, it was a little strange to hear that he'd made a comment about her chest; he was always so respectful. "Oh did he now?"

"Yeah, the perv," he joked, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "I, on the other hand, noticed you. Like all of you. From the bubble gum you were smacking to those big shit-kickin' boots…I didn't pick a feature I just saw all of you and thought, '_Da__mn, _can't wait to get my hands on _her'__._"

She laughed, rolling her eyes again thinking how only Juice could go from turning what could've been a romantic comment into a sleazy one."You are _so_ romantic, Juice" she teased, smiling when he pulled her in closer to his chest. "Can you believe that was almost three years ago?"

Juice shook his head. It was crazy to him how long they'd been together, how long she'd stuck by him despite everything that happened. Three years was an unprecedented amount of time for him to be in a relationship, yet he found that he couldn't wait to add more years to it. "That's crazy," he said on a breath.

"Mm-hmm," she agreed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. The scent of jasmine hung in the air, mixing with Juice's usual smell of leather and cologne, the heavenly mix of scents relaxed her and she wished the moment could last forever. "Are you guys workin' tonight?" she asked softly. She felt him nod against her head and sighed lengthily in response. Of course they couldn't enjoy one night in peace; the club always had to interrupt.

He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't stress about it, Ang," he murmured against her skin. "It ain't anythin' big."

She knew he was lying to her to keep her from worrying, and though she appreciated the effort, it didn't help much. "All right," she said, softly as she let go of his hand and draped her arms over his shoulders in an effort to pull him even closer. His hands slid down to her ass, gently squeezing it as he felt her smile against the skin of his neck. "You're gonna get in _trouble_," she teased.

"Worth it," he murmured, turning her to face the back end of the dance floor so they were out of view from her cousin and his brothers. The song ended and Angela pulled back, tilting her head and waiting for the kiss she knew was coming. Juice smiled at her before connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. He took her hand and led her to the edge of the stage, hopping down before reaching up to help her. To her surprise, he grabbed her hips, easily lifting her off her feet as she braced herself on his shoulders. He beamed up at her as he slowly spun her around, sliding her body against his until she was on her feet in front of him. "There you go, beautiful."

Angela reached up and took his face in her hands, her fingers gently brushing over the scruff of his jaw. She wanted to tell him then, wanted to say those three little words right there. Sucking in a deep breath, she was about to say it when a whistle cut her off. She looked to see Chibs gesturing that it was time to go.

"I gotta go, baby," he said, pulling her in for a hug. "If I don't get here in time, Koz'll take you home, all right?"

She nodded, pecking his lips quickly. "Be safe, Juice."

"Of course," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it before heading towards where Chibs, Happy, and Bobby were all standing.

Angela waved at the other three men who gave her nods in return. She watched them all leave with a sigh, the Reapers on their backs slowly disappearing into the night.

* * *

><p>Angela was sitting at one of the tables chatting with Tara when some of the boys came back. She scanned the group for Juice and frowned when she found he wasn't there. The only reason she wasn't freaking out was because the other three he'd left with weren't there either. The DJ called for last dance and Jax interrupted their conversation to take Tara to the dance floor.<p>

She sighed as she watched Tara and Jax dance, wishing that Juice could be there too. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Kozik there, a wide smile on his face. "C'mon, kiddo, can't have you sittin' out the last dance," he said, offering his arm out to her. "Plus, it's our song."

She stood, rolling of her eyes at him as she looped her arm through his. "We don't have a song, Koz."

"So what?" he asked on a shrug as they made their way to the dance floor. "This one sounds good."

Angela laughed, setting a hand on his strong shoulder while he held the other one. "It's very _My Best Friend's Wedding_," she commented when she recognized it as 'The Way You Look Tonight'.

"Never saw that one," he said honestly. He rarely got Angela's movie references, but she never really minded. "Any good?"

"It's got your girl Julia Roberts in it."

Kozik grinned, nodding his head in approval. "Sweet."

"Juice isn't coming back, is he?" she asked after a moment. She'd noticed that the Prospects had loaded his bike along with the others' onto the flatbed.

He shook his head, feeling bad that club business had to ruin her night. "Sorry, kid. I'll take ya to him, though," he assured her. "Idiot gave me a pair of pants for you to slip under that dress just in case. Make you more comfortable on the ride."

She smiled slightly; that was her man, thinking of everything. "Not such an idiot after all."

"I like seein' him take care of ya," he commented honestly. "It's about time you found someone who did, 'sides my kid brother of course. Mel would've treated you real good."

"You have _got _to let that go, man," Angela said with a roll of her eyes. "It's not going to happen!"

He chuckled as he pushed her out to spin her around before pulling her back in. The only reason he teased her about his little brother was because he knew it annoyed her. "I know, I know. I see the way you look at that idiot, way he looks at you."

"Goin' soft on me, Kozi?" she accused with a smirk.

"Shut up, kid. You talk too much," he said though he knew well he was the one who usually monopolized their conversations. Angela, like Happy, was a woman of few words unless she really had something to say or someone asked her a question that favored a longer answer.

Angela grinned up at him. As the song ended, she pressed a sisterly kiss to his cheek. "Love you, Kozi," she said, ruffling his blonde hair.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, swatting her hand away. "Let's go, kid."

* * *

><p>Angela held on tightly to Kozik's hips as he sped down the highway. At the speed they were going, she could just barely make out the landmarks around her, but she knew that they weren't heading back to Charming. They'd have been there by now. "Koz!" she shouted into his ear. "Where are we going?"<p>

"Don't worry about it!" he yelled back at her.

She frowned; she was really starting to hate that sentence. They'd only been riding for a few minutes when she started recognizing their surroundings. They were in Bakersfield. _No_, she thought as she watched him pull up to her mom's house. The flatbed with the guys' bikes on it was already there, Filthy and Miles standing beside it looking nervous. As soon as Kozik got off of his bike, they approached him. "We didn't want to go in 'cause we don't know 'em and shit," Miles explained.

"They're two old ladies who are expectin' you. What the hell do you think they'd do to you?" Kozik asked, aware that Angela was still sitting on his bike staring wide eyed at the house as she slowly started making connections.

"Yeah, but its _Happy's_ mom," Miles stated as if that would explain their hesitance. "She's gotta be nuts!"

Kozik chuckled, shaking his head at what an idiot the newly patched member was. "If I were you, I'd be more scared of Angie's," he quipped before looking at the undertaker. "Am I right?"

"What the hell are we doing here, Koz?" she asked instead, glaring at the simple house.

"Your Ma and Aunt are gonna keep the goods safe for us. The boys are on their way, should be here any second," he replied as if it were no big deal. "You should probably go in first."

Angela felt a sense of dread fill her. Juice was on his way over to her _mother's_ house. Juice was going to meet her mom. She doubted even Juice had made that connection. If she had known that this was where they'd end up, she'd have never have agreed to let Kozik give her a ride home. "I hate you so much right now, _Herman_," she spat at Kozik, swinging her leg off the bike and heading towards the front door.

"Herman," Miles snickered under his breath.

Kozik glared at him. "You got somethin' to say, Miles?"

He straightened up quickly. "No, no, it's a great name. Real strong."

"Moron," Kozik muttered, pushing by him and going to stand by Angela. "I'm sorry, kid," he said, setting a hand on her shoulder.

She pulled a teenager move and slapped it away. "Don't touch me," she ground out between clenched teeth before taking a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face. She turned the doorknob, stepping inside and raising an eyebrow as the smell of coffee assaulted her nose. Neither of the older women drank coffee anymore. "Ma?"

Graciela rounded the corner, a huge smile on her face when she saw her daughter standing there with Kozik of all people. "Angelita! Come in, come in. Hap said you'd be coming," she said practically pushing her daughter inside. "Kozik! How nice to see you!"

Kozik grinned at her, leaning over to hug the older woman. "Good to see you too, Graci. These idiots are Phil and Miles," he introduced waving to each in turn.

"Nice to meet you boys. There's room for your stuff down in the basement. Just push Angela's stuff aside," she explained, gesturing down the hall. "Would you all like some coffee?"

"That'd be great, Graci. Thanks," he replied, answering for all of them.

"Angela, go get them some coffee," Graciela said waving her off to the kitchen before turning back to the attractive blonde biker. "Elena's watching TV over here. Come, I have cookies."

Angela felt her stomach turn at the thought of Juice showing up there with her mother in full matchmaker mode. She headed slowly into the kitchen, serving herself a cup of coffee instead of the boys. She wasn't about to wait on Kozik, not after the stunt he pulled. "Asshole," she muttered to herself as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"No hello for me?" Elena's rough voice asked, making her jump a little.

She smiled at the older woman, unhitching herself from the counter and wrapping her aunt in a tight hug. "Hi _Tia_," she murmured pressing a kiss to her temple. "It's good to see you."

"You look beautiful in that dress, _mi amor_," Elena said, gesturing to the black dress she was wearing. "Those pants ruin it a bit, though." (_My love.)_

"Thanks. Needed the sweats for protection while riding," she explained, grabbing a cookie from a nearby plate. "So Hap and his brothers are coming over…"

Elena nodded. "He wants to keep some things here," she said, wondering why Angela didn't know already. She caught the panicked look on her niece's face and smiled a bit. "Your boy is with them, isn't he? That's why you look like you've seen a ghost."

Angela sighed, raking a hand through her hair as she nodded. "You know how she gets, _Tia_. She goes crazy."

Elena smiled warmly, reaching up a wrinkled hand to gently pat Angela's cheek in a reassuring manner. "You need to tell her, _mija_. She loves you. She wants you to be happy. This Juice boy, from what I hear, he's got a good heart. You'd be surprised by her."

"Mmm," she hummed pensively in response. "We'll see."

"_Ay_, I know that means 'no' with you, _mi Angelita_," Elena said with a roll of her eyes. That response was as good as a 'no' in her book. "Your mother is the same way."

* * *

><p>Juice felt the weight of his first real kill settle heavily on his shoulders as they tossed the bodies of the Russians into the construction site. He felt sick to his stomach as he sat down on one of the crates in the back of the car, tilting his head back against the metal side and trying to keep calm. He couldn't wait to drop the guns off and go back to Angela; she'd know what to say to make him feel better. "Where we droppin' the guns off anyway?" he asked his brothers. He'd been so involved with Angela that day that he'd forgotten to ask about the finer details of the plan.<p>

"Bakersfield," Bobby said, an amused glint in his eyes. "With Hap's mom."

He nodded slowly in response. "Oh, cool," he said, bobbing his head up and down. He wondered what Happy's mother's house would look like before it hit him. "Wait. Happy's mom and _aunt's_ house?"

"That'd be the one."

Juice's eyes widened as the back of the truck grew hot all of a sudden. "_Shit_," he breathed.

Chibs chuckled at the scared look on Juice's face. "Looks like you're finally gonna meet Angie's Mum afterall, ey Juicy-boy?"

"Shit," he repeated, pulling off his beanie and raking a hand through his hair. "I didn't even…does Angel know?"

Bobby shook his head. "Koz said he's gonna meet us there with her. Said it'll make things less awkward."

"How'd he get her to agree to _that_?" Chibs asked no one in particular.

"I don't think he told her," Bobby replied on a chuckle.

Juice didn't find anything funny about the situation. He was already feeling sick, adding on the fact that he was about to meet his girlfriend's monster mother for the first time ever, had him ready to throw up the delicious dinner he'd wolfed down at the wedding. "Shit."

"Oh relax, Juicy-boy," Chibs said on a chuckle as the truck slowed to a stop. "How bad can it be?"

* * *

><p>Once they got to Happy's mom's house, Juice hopped down from the truck, following behind Happy, Bobby, and Chibs as they headed around the truck and up the front walk. Taking in a deep breath, he entered the small house. He glanced briefly around the small living room, taking everything in. As his eyes swept over the couch, he found Angela stretched out across it, her head in the lap of an older woman who was currently raking her long fingers through the younger girl's dark hair as they watched some Spanish telenovela. Juice had a feeling that the woman sitting with his girl was not her mother, mostly because of the easy way the two seemed to be talking. Angela had told him once before that she was a million times more comfortable with Happy's mom than with her own.<p>

Angela glanced at him quickly before going back to the television, a silent signal to play it cool. Happy's mother, however, was looking him over with a knowing smile. He could've sworn she'd even winked at him.

"How you doin', Ma?" Hap asked, catching her attention and affirming Juice's guess. Happy waited until Angela sat up before pecking her cheek quickly, an unusual show of affection in front of his brothers, but he knew that's what his mother expected of him.

"Good, _mijo_," she said, struggling to get up. Angela moved so she could subtly offer her shoulder to give Elena leverage. Both she and Hap knew better than to actually offer to help her stand; Elena was much too proud to accept someone else's help. "Introduce me to your friends."

"Bobby, Chibs, Juice, this is my Ma, Elena."," he said pointing to each one in turn before going to the kitchen to greet his aunt.

"Hello, Ma'am. Angie," Bobby said, shaking Elena's hand before nodding to Angela and heading towards where Happy had gone.

"Good to meet ya. Nice to see you too, Angie-girl," Chibs said, shaking the older woman's hand as well. He gave Angela's shoulder a loving squeeze before following after Bobby.

"So you're Juice?" Elena asked, once the other boys had cleared out. "_Que guapo_! I can see why you like him, Ang." (_How handsome!)_

Angela bit back a laugh as she watched Juice shift uncomfortably in front of her, his hands dug deep into the pockets of his cut. "Thank you, ma'am," he muttered awkwardly, his eyes looking over towards where the other guys had disappeared. "It's nice meeting you."

"You too, _mijo_," she said, patting his cheek lovingly.

Juice glanced at Angela who just shook her head, an amused smile on her face. He relaxed a little when he saw her smile, feeling more comfortable with the whole situation. It was clear her aunt knew of their relationship, so he leaned forward to press a kiss to her cheek. "Hi Angel," he greeted, grinning at her before heading the direction the other boys had gone.

Angela stared after him, her cheek tingling from where he'd kissed it. Even after being with him for so long, his touch still gave her tingles. "Goof," she murmured, gently touching her cheek.

"That smile, _mija_," Elena whispered, squeezing her niece's hand. "_Wow_."

She laughed in response, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as she felt those familiar butterflies flutter in her stomach. "I know."

* * *

><p>Graciela looked over the rough and tumble men her nephew had brought into her house as Happy brushed a kiss to her cheek. "<em>Tia<em>," he said in greeting.

"Happy, so good to see you! I have coffee and snacks for you and your friends," she exclaimed sounding very much like the mother of a five year old rather than the aunt of a grown man.

"Made some good eats," Kozik said around a mouthful of cookie.

"Thanks, _Tia_," Happy said, grabbing a cookie himself. He waited until the other boys had all filtered in before waving towards them. "My Aunt Graci. Graci, this is Bobby, Chibs, and Juice."

Graciela eyes fell on the youngest of the men standing there. He seemed nervous, skittish; she could only imagine the horror stories Angela had filled his head with about her. "Good to meet you all," she said, shaking each one's hand in turn.

Juice gave her a nervous smile. "You too, Mrs. Ruiz," he said on a nod. He hesitantly grabbed a cookie and took a bite before following the guys out towards the backyard.

Once she saw them all disappear out the back door, Angela gravitated in that direction. She leaned against the doorjamb, watching as the men unloaded huge wooden crates from inside. She loved the way the muscles in Juice's arms moved as he worked. They were more defined now than before he'd gone inside.

"Move," Happy grunted, breaking her out of her thoughts. She stepped back, allowing him and Kozik to walk by, a crate held in between them. Bobby and Chibs came after, followed closely by Filthy and Miles who were struggling more than the others. Juice was left outside to guard the cargo.

She smiled as she headed his way, loving the feel of the cool grass underneath her bare feet. "Hey you," she greeted with a small smile.

"Hey baby," he said on a tired sigh, holding out an arm to her.

Angela frowned, he didn't look good. There was something off about him. His shoulders were slumped and his big doe eyes looked sad. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching before she moved closer, reaching a hand up to touch his cheek as his arm snaked around her waist. "You okay?" she asked softly, her thumb stroking over his warm skin.

He sighed again and shrugged, his fingers gently wrapping around her wrist as he turned his face to press a kiss to her palm. He was struck by how well she knew him. It took her just seconds to see that something was off, to get that worried look in her eyes. He loved that she cared so much.

"Juice?" she questioned, her worry increasing with his silence.

His answer was to lean forward and kiss the little worry wrinkle between her brows. "I'm all right, baby," he whispered as he pulled her in close. She nuzzled her face against his neck as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Her hands slipped under his shirt, palms sliding up his back with just a hint of pressure. He knew she could feel all the knots twisting up in his back. She rubbed a little harder at a spot just between his shoulder blades making him groan.

He felt her smile against his neck. "You sure?" she asked, not at all convinced.

"Sorta," he said, groaning again as she added a little more pressure, using her knuckle to really press in. He loved when she worked his muscles like that. Leaning forward, he caught her lips in a quick kiss. "Feelin' a little better now."

"Good," she murmured, happy to at least start making him feel better. She knew once they got home he'd want to vent whatever had happened to her and wondered if she'd be getting the real story or just the bare minimum. She never knew with him.

Juice glanced over her head to where Chibs and Bobby had just appeared. He pressed a kiss to her temple, unwinding his arms from around her and taking her hand instead; he wasn't ready to let her go just yet.

"You plannin' to help us anytime soon?" Bobby asked as he walked by.

"I can't carry one of those things by myself. They're fuckin' heavy. I'm not Superman," he defended, rolling his eyes at them before walking back to the truck.

Bobby chuckled as he watched Juice and Chibs pick up the next crate. "Don't s'pose you'd be willing to help out, 'ey Angie'?"

Angela laughed as she shrugged. "Sure. I'd have to change out of this dress first though."

"Don't worry about it, darlin'. Somethin' tells me Juice was lookin' forward to helpin' you with that and I wouldn't want to spoil his fun. 'preciate the offer, though," he said, grinning at her. "Go on inside. Don't want to look too suspicious out here, do ya?"

She wondered how much Bobby knew about her current situation with her mother and if someone had told him or if he'd just picked it up upon walking in. She wouldn't put it past the club secretary to have a sixth sense about that kind of stuff, he always seemed to know more than he let on. "Can't have that."

* * *

><p>Watching her daughter with the slick-haired biker brought tears to Graciela's eyes. The way they were with each other was so…familiar. It was like she was looking into the past where she was the young woman with the very attractive, dangerous man. Angela's father, Victor, was no saint and her grandfather had hated him, but it never stopped Graciela from loving him with all her heart until his very last breath. She saw that love reflected in her daughter's eyes whenever Angela looked at the dark haired biker. "She's in love," she murmured to Elena who was at her side helping her clean the dishes.<p>

Elena nodded in response. "And you thought it wouldn't happen."

Graciela chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "They look happy, no?"

"_Claro que si_," she replied with a fond smile. "They've been together for some time now." (_Of course.)_

"A few years," Graciela said on a nod, completely surprising her sister. At Elena's surprised look, she smirked. "I'm not as blind as I seem, Lena. The minute she stopped fighting against me, I knew something was off."_  
><em>

"You're not upset?"

Graciela shrugged a shoulder. "How could I be upset when she's smiling like that?" she asked her older sister. "I was at first when I found out she'd told you and not me. _P__ero_…I can't be mad at her. Not when I kept Vic away from our parents for so long. _Lo entiendo_. I haven't been easy on her." (_But…I get it_)

Angela walked in from outside, leaving the boys to pick up the rest of the guns. She stopped when she walked past the kitchen to find both her mom and aunt staring at her, weird looks on their faces. "What?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing, _mija_," Graciela said, giving her a warm smile.

"Okay," Angela murmured, looking a little creeped out by her mother's sweet reply.

"_Que guapo es ese chico_, Juice," her mom stated with a knowing smile. "Nice thick hair. Reminds me of your father. _Lástima que su nombre es medio estúpido_." (_That boy, __Juice, is very handsome...Too bad his name is sort of stupid_.)

She fought the urge to laugh at that. If her mother only knew how Juice usually had his hair, she would be singing quite a different song. "His real name is Juan Carlos," she explained with a roll of her eyes.

"That's much better. Is he single?"

Angela rolled her eyes again. "_Je_sus, Ma. You don't have to set me up with every Son that walks in here," she said incredulously.

"Not every man, _mija_," she said with a small smile. "That Irishman or the fat one would be no good for you. Too old."

"He's Scottish," Angela corrected on a laugh. It was moments like these when she wasn't nagging that made her realize how much she loved her mother.

Graciela rolled her eyes. "Who cares? So what about this Juan Carlos?"

"Don't worry about him," she replied grabbing her mug of coffee and a cookie. She pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek before heading back to the living room.

"That's not an answer, Angela!" Graciela called after her.

"Love you, Ma!" Angela called back, smiling to herself as she stretched across the couch. She turned the channel back to the telenovela she'd been watching with her Aunt and felt her eyes grow heavy as she watched the ridiculous drama on the screen.

* * *

><p>Juice smiled when he found Angela asleep up on the couch while characters from a Spanish soap argued loudly with each other in front of her. Chibs chuckled, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Better wake her," he said, pushing him towards the couch before going over to the kitchen to get one last cookie.<p>

Juice crouched down so his face was even with hers and brushed a hair out of her face, his fingers lingering on her warm cheek for a brief moment. She looked so peaceful, he hated to wake her, but he couldn't carry her all the way to Charming. Quickly, he looked over his shoulder to make sure his brothers were out of the room before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Angela's eyes fluttered open, a sleepy smile spreading across her face and making his heart skip a beat. "Hey you," she murmured around a yawn. "All done?"

He nodded, his thumb brushing across her cheek. "Ready to go?"

"Mm-hmm." She sat up on a sigh, stretching her arms above her head with a groan. He chuckled offering his hands to help her up. She took them with a smile, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "I got to say bye to my family first."

"They went to bed already," he said, keeping hold of one of her hands. "The others are in the kitchen. Phil left with the truck already and Bobby and Chibs are gonna ride back with us. Hap, Koz, and Miles are staying here."

"Mom's gonna love that," she said on a laugh as they headed towards the kitchen. She knew her mother would treat the boys that were staying over like kings.

"Ready to head out then?" Bobby asked the couple. At Juice's nod, he and Chibs said their goodbyes and walked out of the kitchen.

Angela let Kozik swept her up into a tight hug, lifting her off the ground a little. "I'm sorry 'bout not tellin' ya, kid," Kozik said as he set her back down. "You understand why though, right? You'd a never gotten on the bike."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "You're forgiven, asshole."

He ruffled her hair. "Love ya, Ang."

"Whatever," she said, her smile telling him she didn't mean it. She turned to Happy and gave him a quick hug. "I'm glad you're home, cuz." She knew she'd already told him, but she felt the need to say it again because she really was happy he was finally back so she wouldn't have to deal with their crazy family on her own.

Happy hugged her tightly, kissing her temple. "Me too," he answered honestly. He let her go before clapping a hand on Juice's shoulder. "You did good today, brotha," he told him, a proud look on his face.

Angela raised an eyebrow as she looked from her cousin to Juice, wondering what the hell Happy was referring to and if whatever he'd done was troubling him now despite Happy thinking he did a good job. She held back the question, knowing it wasn't wise to ask. If Juice wanted her to know, he'd tell her.

Juice shrugged a shoulder as if it was no big deal. "Yeah, thanks."

"Ride safe. Take care a her."

Juice fought the urge to roll his eyes; he hated that Happy felt the need to repeat his veiled threat over and over again. With a sigh, he nodded and replied in the same way he always did, "Always."

"Bye, kid," Happy said letting her hug him one more time.

Miles stretched out his arms waiting for a hug of his own, but Juice pushed him away. "Don't even think about it, dumbass," he muttered, shaking his head at him. It was one thing for her to hug Happy and Kozik, it was quite another for her to hug Miles. He'd seen the newly patched member checking out Angela more than once at the wedding and had not appreciated it. He held out an arm to Angela. "C'mon, baby."

Angela laughed, winking at Miles as she slid an arm around Juice's back and leaned into his side. "See ya later, Miles," she said, walking with Juice towards the front door. Once they were out of the kitchen, she heard two loud smacks followed by Miles' whine of pain; apparently Juice wasn't the only one who had a problem with Miles' offer.

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing from you! :D<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	42. Kids

**Sorry it took me so long to update! As a huge SF Giants baseball fan, I got a little swept up in the division series! I figured I'd post now before championships start up! ;)**

**Thank you all so much for taking the time to review, follow, favorite, etc. Your comments always make me so happy! :) I'm pretty sure I PM'ed all of you but thanks to _Guest_**(I'm probably not going to change the storyline very drastically. Kurt Sutter's work is so amazing, I don't want to mess with it more than I already do! ;]),** _Jean_**_ (_I'm glad you're excited! I hope I do it justice!),** and _dannygirl_ **(Koz's brother will show up eventually, but don't worry, he won't be an a-hole! ;) He will stir things up a bit though!)**for your unsigned-in reviews! :) Also thanks to _ajkidd_ for making an amazing fan poster on Tumblr! :D**

**I have a Tumblr now! Woot! I don't post very much, but I might start putting pictures of things mentioned throughout the story or add songs and stuff that I listen to while writing. :) The link is on my profile if you're interested! **

**On to the good stuff...this chapter takes place during Season 4, Episode 2: "Booster". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 42: Kids_

_By Love Ink_

Juice looked out over the sleeping town of Charming from his seat at the edge of their mountain. Angela was sitting between his legs wearing his black hoodie, her back leaning against his chest while his chin rested on her shoulder. On the ride back home, he'd been going over and over what had happened with the Russians. The weight of his first kill felt heavy on his shoulders. He'd pulled off as soon as he saw the right turn off knowing he needed a moment to clear his head.

He'd never killed anyone like he'd killed that winced as the image flashed before his eyes again; he could still see the man's body jerk back as he shot him, the pattern of blood spattered on the fabric behind them. He'd only gotten a few shots off before he lowered his gun, all aimed at one man.

Angela waited patiently for him to speak. Her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep and she was fighting like hell to stay awake. Leaning back against him, she turned her head to press a kiss to his cheek, a silent reminder that she was still there.

Her soft kiss pulled him from his thoughts. He sighed lengthily, pressing a quick kiss to her shoulder. "I did something bad tonight, Angel," he stated softly. "And this time…this time I meant to do it."

Her thoughts went back to the first night they sat there, the night after Donna died. It'd been the beginning of their relationship, and they were just starting to get to now each other. She knew him better knew he was faraway in his thoughts now, most likely running through what-if's like he usually did when stuff like this happened. He didn't need an answer, he needed to get this off of his chest and fast. Instead of replying, she set a hand on his, giving it a simple squeeze to urge him on.

"I shot a guy today, Angel. Him and his crew…they weren't even expecting it. One minute we're doing business, the next we shot 'em up. They didn't stand a chance," he explained as he shook his head. "That shit ain't right. Those guys could've had families. They coulda had _kids_ and I…"

This time, she did speak up because if he went down that route, he'd drown himself in his own guilt. "Don't do that, Juice. You're torturing yourself over things you can't possibly know," she interrupted, squeezing his hand again.

She felt his Adam's apple bob against her shoulder as he swallowed hard. His voice was rough with grief as he continued, "They didn't have to die, Angel. I can't…I can't _justify _this shit. I understood the retaliation for Jax but…I just can't…" he was trying his best to explain what he was feeling without giving away too much. The reason they'd killed Putlova was for retaliation, the reason they killed the rest of the Russians was because of their own greed; they no longer wanted to share the gun trade.

She slowly sat up, tucking her legs underneath her as she turned to face him. "There is a reason for this, Juice. You may not be able to see it now, but…there's gotta be some reason why Clay wanted this to happen. He wouldn't put this on you if he didn't have a good reason, right?"

"Right," he answered, nodding a bit. The weight still remained on his shoulders. He'd killed someone. Someone who's name he didn't even know. His stomach churned at the thought. He was a monster.

"Hey," she said, taking his face into her hands and lifting it so their eyes could meet. "You are a good man, Juice. A good, _smart_, loyal, amazing guy with a great heart. What you did...it doesn't change that."

She said the words with such conviction; he was starting to believe her. Without another word, he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer and laying his head down on her chest. He let out a relieved sigh as he listened to the soothing rhythm of her heartbeat. Though he still felt guilty about the kill, confiding in her, listening to her comforting words had lessened the incredible weight that had been on his shoulders. He pulled away, meeting her eyes once again. "How do you do it?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

"What?"

"Know what to say," he clarified, tugging down the zipper of her hoodie and sliding his arms around her waist, his skin sliding against the soft lace of her dress. "Every time."

She gave him a warm smile, resting a hand on his cheek, one thumb trailing over his cheek. "I just tell you what I see."

"You really think all that of me, Angel?"

"I wouldn't have waited fourteen months for you if I didn't," she said, raking her fingers through his hair.

He closed his eyes, relaxing at the feel of her short nails raking across his scalp. "Mmm," he hummed, trying to pull her in closer. She shifted, unfolding her legs and putting one on either side of his hips. A light laugh escaped her lips as he nuzzled his nose against the skin of her chest, moving away the thick fabric of the hoodie before laying his head down, his ear just over her heart.

"Comfy?" she asked, smiling when he nodded.

"Best pillow ever," he said, turning his head to dot kisses across her chest. Angela gasped as he nipped at her skin. His lips trailed up her neck and across her jaw, his scruff scraping against her soft skin as he went. Then his lips found hers, soft and gentle as he kissed them before he place more tender kisses across her cheek. "You're my best friend, Angel," he whispered, his lips moving against her skin and sending shivers down her spine.

"You say that all the time," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Juice smiled, pressing his forehead to hers. "I mean it."

A small smile crossed her face as she kissed him once more before pulling away just a little, leaving just a few centimeters between them. "Take me home, Juan Carlos."

He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

><p>Angela couldn't explain the feeling she got when she woke up in Juice's arms for the first time in fourteen months. She smiled at his snoring as she nuzzled her nose against his warm chest. His mouth was open, which accounted for the snoring, a bit of drool hanging out of the corner of his lips and falling on the pillow beneath him. He wasn't the most attractive sleeper, she thought as she bit back a laugh, but the sight of him lying there -safe and sound-was a welcome one, one that she'd sorely missed.<p>

She carefully maneuvered away from him and out of bed. Stretching her arms over her head, she groaned as the movement pulled at muscles that were still sore from the night before. She picked up his hoodie from the ground, slipping it on over her shoulders and zipping it up before putting on a pair of lacy booty shorts just in case one of his brothers stopped by for a surprise visit. Padding her way into the kitchen, she hit play on her iPod and got to work on breakfast.

The smell of bacon woke Juice up from his sleep. Groaning, he reached out an arm for Angela but found the side of her bed was cold. It made sense; someone had to make the bacon. He threw his legs out of bed, picking up his boxers from the ground and slipping them on.

He chuckled as he saw her dress tossed over her bedside lamp, memories of the night before filling his head. He'd struggled pulling the dress off of her and though the moment had put a screeching halt to their love making, it ended up with both of them laughing, sharing kisses in between. To be honest, he loved those moments. The spontaneous laughs and teasing that made their relationship fun and easy.

He took his time while he made the bed, wondering if Angela had ever done it when he was inside. It was the one thing that he always did because he liked having a made bed to get into at the end of the day while she didn't really care one way or the other. Grabbing the dress off the lampshade, he laid it out neatly on the bedspread before heading to the kitchen.

As soon as he got into the hallway, he could hear her softly singing along with a slower Bon Jovi song and grinned. When he was close enough, he tugged down the hood of the sweatshirt she was wearing. "Whatcha cookin', my little Jawa?" he asked, moving to stand with his back against the counter so he was facing her.

Angela laughed at the Star Wars reference, leaning over to press her lips to his in a quick kiss. "Breakfast," she said, making up a plate of bacon and eggs with enough for both of them to share then handing it over him along with a large glass of orange juice.

He headed to the couch, setting the glass on the light stand and the plate on his lap as he kicked his feet onto the coffee table. She sat down next to him, leaning against his side, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. "Mmm," he said around a bite of bacon. "Much better than the shit we got inside."

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked, stealing a piece off the plate and munching on it pensively. She never really ate much for breakfast and hadn't had bacon since Juice went inside. Her usual breakfast consisted of huge mug of coffee and whatever quick thing she could pop into the toaster. But she knew Juice loved breakfast, especially bacon, so she made an effort to cook for him.

He took a long sip of his orange juice, making a satisfied sound as he set the glass back down. "I missed this," he said on a happy sigh. "Inside, I'd wake up in freezin', your cousin kickin' my bunk, and we'd get this ugly lookin' breakfast that was usually cold by the time we sat down. It was fuckin' _awful_."

"So basically you're saying you missed having me as your blanket, alarm clock, and cook," Angela teased, grinning up at him.

Juice considered her question for a second before nodding. "Pretty much."

She laughed, knowing he was only kidding. He'd not only told her but _showed_ her over and over again just how much he missed her. _All_ of her. "Goof," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't act like you didn't miss having me as your soothing sleep soundtrack and sex slave, Angel," he teased, reaching over her to grab the remote.

Her fingers slowly dragged over the outline of his abs, a triumphant smirk turning up the corners of her lips when she saw him swallow hard, his eyes darkening with lust. "You caught me. How'd you figure it out?" she asked sarcastically.

Juice shook his head at her about to tease right back until he saw the news headline flash across the screen. _Russians_ _found dead in Charming_. He blinked at the lettering as the feeling of guilt came over him. "Shit," he said under his breath, his whole body tensing up as he watched the coroner's loading the bodies up into their van.

Angela sat up a little straighter, her dark eyes focused on him instead of the television screen. One of those Russians had to be the man he'd told her about the night before. It was the only explanation for his reaction, for the way his whole body went rigid as he watched the images on the screen. "Juice," she said, trying to catch his attention. She turned off the TV, but he still stared at the blank screen, no doubt replaying it in his mind. "Hey! Juice!" she shouted, sitting up so her head was level with his.

This time he looked at her, and she felt her heart sink at the worry she found in his eyes, worry and fear. She knew where the fear came from. Besides being his first kill, those Russians had also been the first time he'd violated his parole. If he was caught, he'd be sent back inside. This time for life. His long stretch in San Joa had changed him, broken his spirit just a little. He tried his best to hide it, but she'd noticed. He didn't smile half as much as he used to. If he went inside again, she knew she'd lose that smile completely. "No one knows it was you," she assured him softly. "You guys are too smart for that."

"Yeah but what if…"

"Stop," she said, pressing a finger to his lips. Her eyes met his and she sucked in a deep breath. "How many times do I have to tell you _not _to _do_ that? The 'what-ifs' will kill you."

His shoulders relaxed slightly as he sighed. She was right. "Its just…I've never done this before."

"Yeah, but Hap has. He was with you, right?"

Juice nodded slowly. "Yeah," he answered, remembering how the Tacoma killer had ended up shooting the last Russian left standing with one well aimed shot to the head. Watching Happy land his mark so easily brought back memories of the times he and Angela had gone shooting. Her aim wasn't as spot-on, but it wasn't terrible either; apparently, Happy was good at teaching.

"You think he'd make a mistake?" she asked, her question bringing him back to the conversation at hand.

He shook his head before catching her lips in a quick kiss. "He's not untouchable, Ang."

She rolled her eyes, getting up from her seat on the couch to refill her empty coffee mug. People had been telling her that for years, and she never really bought into the idea. She didn't have any proof telling her differently. "You'd be surprised by the shit he's gotten away with," she commented on her way to the kitchen.

He chuckled, finishing off his breakfast and setting the plate aside as he relaxed again. She was right. Though Happy had just spent a long time in jail, it wasn't because of one of _his_ kills. The club's assassin had murdered at _least_ eleven people and had yet to be caught; Juice doubted this time would be any different.

He ran a hand through his hair, pulling a face at how weird it felt with all that gel in it. He knew it bothered Angela, though she'd never admit it; he'd seen the small wrinkle in her nose when she wiped her hands on her clothes after touching his hair. "Hey Angel!" he called, looking over his shoulder towards the kitchen.

"Hmm?" she replied, appearing with another steaming mug of coffee.

"You like my hair like this?" he asked, pointing to his full head of hair.

She set her mug aside, gently raking her fingers through his dark hair. "Not particularly," she answered honestly, laughing when the hair stuck up awkwardly. "I mean, it's…well, you look like a 70's porn star."

He raised his eyebrows, confused by her description. "That's bad, right?"

"It's not fantastic," she answered on a small smile. "My mother thought you looked very handsome, though."

"Huh," he said pensively. With everything that had happened, it'd slipped his mind that he'd actually met her mother and that it hadn't gone that badly. Of course, Graciela hadn't known about their relationship, but at least it was a step in the right direction. "What do you think?"

She leaned forward to press her lips to his. "I've always thought you were handsome regardless of hairstyle."

He grinned cockily at her, happy for the small ego boost. "Good looks aside…what do I do with it? I mean, putting gel in it every day is a pain in the ass."

"Juice, if it bothers you, just shave it off," she said on a laugh.

Juice nodded slowly. All that hair did make his head a lot hotter, and it did take a lot more effort than his usual hairstyle. At least with the Mowhawk, he could get away with not shaving it every single day. With the longer hair, he had to make sure to style it or it just ended up a big mess. "Will you do it?" he asked, standing up from the couch.

"_You_ want _me_ to shave it?" she questioned in disbelief as he pulled her towards their bathroom. It was a task he'd never trusted her with before.

He nodded, pulling open the drawer and handing over the clippers. "Yeah."

"You sure?" she asked, watching as he plugged them in before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his shoulders. This was a big deal. Juice was more OCD about his hair than he was about anything else. He shaved it daily so that it was perfect; both sides lined up evenly and tapering into a perfect point at the nape of his neck. If she did it wrong, it'd be awhile before he could fix it.

"I trust you," he said on a nod, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror.

Angela sucked in a deep breath as she looked down at his head, mentally mapping out her plan of action. She let out the breath as she started the clippers. "Let's hope I don't screw this up."

"You'll be fine," he said, watching as she got to work. He loved the intensity of her dark eyes as she focused on her task, the way she tilted her head, this way and that, fingernails scraping over his scalp as she tested the length.

He noticed her smile when the hair on the sides finally got short enough for her to see his tattoos and knew then that he'd made the right choice in going back to his old hairstyle. "Found the tats?"

She smiled back at him, nodding slowly. "Yep," she said tracing over one. "Still here."

"Glad your old lady didn't see 'em. I don't think she'd be callin' me handsome if she saw did. She'd probably chase me out with a broom."

Angela laughed at that image. "She liked you," she said with a small smile. "Asked if you were single."

Juice grinned, watching her start to even out the top part of his mowhawk. "She wasn't as scary as I thought she'd be."

"She didn't know we were together," she pointed out. If her mother had known, she would've showered Juice with veiled questions that would hint at things like marriage and babies; things that were sure to have him running for the hills.

"Right," he said on a sigh. "_My_ mom knows about us."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise; he'd never mentioned his mother. "_Your_ mom?"

"Yeah. Lives in Queens," he replied, shrugging a shoulder. He and his mother talked about once a month, sometimes on the phone, once or twice via video chat if there was something she needed to show him. She'd gotten remarried after he'd already left the house and spent more time on her new life than worrying about her son in California. "She wants to meet ya. I offered to fly her out but…she's afraid ta fly."

"I'd like to meet her too," she said, the corner of her lips turning up into a smirk. "We could go there, y'know."

"No, we can't," he said definitively, his dark eyes looking sad for a brief moment. He could see the question in her eyes and sighed. "Got in trouble over there for some hacking when I was young. Moved out here to get away from it. Haven't seen Ma since."

Angela sighed, leaning forward to press a kiss to the top of his newly shaven mowhawk. "I'm sure she understands."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah. Doesn't really matter. She keeps busy with her own shit," he explained before shrugging. "Anyways…you done?"

She brushed off some of the remaining hair, checking it over before nodding. "Yep!" she exclaimed, using the towel around his shoulders to wipe of the sides. "Check it out. What do you think?"

Juice slid his fingers back and forth over the patch of hair going down his head, turning slightly to admire the point in the back. It was different than he usually did it, but he almost liked it better that way. "Looks good," he said giving her a big, proud smile as she carefully took the towel off his shoulders and shook the hair into the trashcan. "Knew you could do it."

"Now you just have to shave off that 'stache and the scruff and you'll be back to normal," she teased, rubbing her fingers over the scruff along his jaw.

"C'mon, Angel," he said, a smooth smile on his lips. "You know you like it."

She shrugged a shoulder. Though the beard burn was a little annoying, she had to admit she liked the way it felt against her soft skin when he kissed her; the roughness of his beard combined with the softness of his lips made her feel hot all over. She smirked up at him. "I think I need to test it out a few more times, just to make sure."

He gave her one of his naughty grins, his eyes darkening with lust as he grabbed her around the waist. "I can handle that," he said before his lips came crashing down on her own.

* * *

><p>Angela knocked on Tara's office door, opening up the door and peeking into the large room. She smiled when she found Tara burping Thomas. "Hey Angie," the doctor greeted, rubbing her hand up and down her son's back. "You can come in."<p>

"How's it going, T?" she asked, saying a quick 'hello' to Thomas before taking a seat on the couch. "You look a little…stressed."

Tara looked her over. The undertaker was wearing her more casual work clothes; a simple white button down and black slacks with her heavy work boots. Her dark hair was tied back in its usual braid, a steaming cup of hot coffee in her hand. "Yeah, well…" Tara trailed off, wondering how much she should tell Angela about what had happened that day. "I found Gemma in here with the door locked."

"So? You said it yourself, the door locks by itself all the time."

She shook her head. "I lied that time. I didn't want her to get suspicious," she said frowning slightly as she handed Thomas to Angela. "The door's lock is fine which means _she_ locked it."

Angela grinned at the baby boy as she bounced him in her arms. "And that stresses you out because…"

Tara walked behind the desk, opening up the locked drawer with a key from her key ring. She pulled out a brown accordion folder and tossed it onto the desk. "I have the letters here."

Angela sat Thomas in her lap, reaching over and grabbing one of his toys with a grunt and handing it to him. "You think she found them? How would she even know they existed?"she asked as Thomas' little fingers reached up for her mouth.

"I don't know," she answered, slowly opening the folder. She carefully pulled out the letters, trying her best to remember if she'd had them in any order. Then she saw it. The accident report was in the middle of the stack instead of in the separate slot where she'd catalogued it. "Shit."

"What?" she asked, playfully mouthing the baby's fingers and making him giggle.

"You remember when I last took these out? I had put the accident report in a different slot, right?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I don't remember," she answered honestly, wincing as Thomas tugged on her braid. "Kind of been busy with other things."

"I swear I did because you teased me about organizing them. You said I should catalog them from most scandalous to least and then sell film rights to the most scandalous ones."

"Oh yeah," she said, laughing at her own joke. "So?"

"I haven't looked at them since then," Tara explained, her voice a bit panicked.

"So?" Angela repeated, not following her train of thought.

"The accident report is in the middle of all the letters, Ang," she said, showing her friend the pile. "Which means…"

"Gemma found them," Angela finished off. "Is that such a bad thing though?"

Tara nodded, swallowing hard as she thought of all the information written in those letters. "Do you have any idea how dangerous these letters are? What they have in them?"

She shook her head in response. "No, and I don't want to know. This is your deal, _your_ family. I'm sorry, Tara. I'll be your friend all you want, but I want to stay far away from all this club stuff."

The doctor looked at Angela and frowned, she couldn't blame her for wanting to be out of the loop on this one; she wished she had never read those letters. "That's fair," she said on a sigh. "I just…what would you do?"

"If Juice had a crazy mother who was digging through all my stuff?" she asked, raising her eyebrows as she contemplated it. "It'd more likely be_ my _mother doing the digging…"

"That's not helpful."

"Okay, okay, sorry," Angela said before breathing in deeply. She tried to think of what Happy would do. "Okay. I got it. I'd copy the letters. Stash 'em somewhere just in case the originals got destroyed. That way if you ever want to show them to Jax, you still have them safe and sound."

Tara nodded. "Would you be willing to hold on to a copy?"

She grimaced in response, instantly regretting telling Tara her idea. "Maybe you should give it to someone who's _outside_ the club. If I keep them at my place, Juice might find 'em. Then you'd be even more screwed."

"Right," she agreed on a breath. "What about Margaret?"

"Can you trust her?" she asked, gently setting Thomas back in his stroller.

Tara nodded again. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, she was with us through that whole Salazar thing and she cooperated when we helped Gemma escape."

"That _is_ true," Angela said on a nod. "Not to mention she's totally separated from the club. I think she's your best bet."

She paused as she mulled over the idea before a thought struck her. "You didn't tell Gemma about the letters…did you?"

The undertaker held up her hands in a slowdown motion. "T, I already told you, I don't want anything to do with those damn letters. I got my own problems, thank you very much."

"What are those? Too much sex?"

Angela laughed, flipping off her friend as she grabbed her coffee again. "Your phone's vibrating," she pointed out instead of answering that question. She finished off what was left of her drink while Tara was on the phone. She tuned out most of the conversation out of respect, though she'd caught on quick that it was Gemma on the other line.

The doctor hung up the phone with a snap, her green eyes wide with fear. "Jax is in trouble," she breathed.

"Go," Angela said, tossing her cup in the trash. "I'll get Thomas."

Tara sprung into action, pulling out her change of clothes. She gave Thomas a quick kiss before heading into the bathroom to change. "Take him home. Elyda's there with Abel," she called through the door.

"Got it!" she shouted back, wheeling the stroller out while cooing to Thomas. "Let's get you home safe, baby boy."

* * *

><p>Angela drove into the TM parking lot to find everyone milling outside waiting for something. She raised an eyebrow as she closed her car door behind her, hitching up her black slacks before heading towards where Lyla was sitting at the picnic table, her perfectly manicured nails beating a nervous beat on the wood. "Hey Ly," she greeted, taking a seat next to her. "Everything all right?"<p>

"I don't know," Lyla said softly. "They won't tell me anything. Just said Ope and Jax were in trouble, but Clay was handlin' it."

Angela nodded in response. "Hell of a honeymoon," she commented, glancing at the new gold band on Lyla's finger.

"No kidding. It's my fault though, I couldn't get off work."

"Bummer."

Lyla sighed as she nodded. "What are you doing here? Is Juice in trouble too?"

She shook her head. "Not that I know of. I was droppin' off Thomas with Elyda when Gemma called and said I should come down."

"Hmm," the blonde hummed pensively. She glanced around at the amount of Croweaters that were standing outside the clubhouse, all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the boys. "You think it's to keep them away?"

Angela smirked, her eyes following Lyla's gaze. The sweetbutts were all volleying for good positions, creeping forward as the soon as they heard the motorcycles in the distance, ready to pounce. "Probably. There's some new ones, huh?"

"Mm-hmm," Lyla said looking at one young one in particular. "I don't know where they all come from."

"Broken homes and broken dreams," she replied on a sad smile. The roar of the motorcycles grew louder as the boys rounded the corner. "Here they come."

Lyla was up and sprinting towards the tow truck in seconds while Angela took her time, watching as one of the newer Croweaters headed towards Juice who was talking to Phil. She smiled as she watched the little blonde try to shove her way into the conversation. Angela wasn't at all angry at the sweetbutt; the girl didn't know any better and Juice wasn't paying attention to her anyway. Had it been one of the older Croweaters, she might've been a little more peeved, they new better. This little high school drop out, didn't.

Juice ignored the sweetbutt who was currently vying for his attention as he looked around the parking lot. He spotted the familiar Mazda and grinned; she was there. He found her leaning against the side of the clubhouse just a few feet away, a small smile on her face. Stepping around the petite blonde, he headed towards her. "Hey baby," he greeted, a bright smile on his face. He didn't question her presence there, figuring it probably had something to do with Gemma. The Queen always liked to gather all the women to greet them when they got home from different things. This time seemed to be no different.

"You okay?" she asked, her dark eyes meeting his, worry crossing her pretty features.

He nodded, dipping his head to catch her lips in a quick kiss. "Totally fine," he said, brushing a stray hair from her face before stepping away. "You see the clubhouse yet?" he asked, waiting for her to follow him.

She shook her head. "Nope. I just got here like five minutes before you guys. Why? What happened?" she asked, smiling as Chibs as he held the door open for them.

"See for yourself," Juice answered, gently pushing her forward with a hand on her lower back.

Her eyes widened as she stepped inside. It looked like a tornado had swept through the clubhouse leaving behind broken furniture and knocking down all the mug shots. Plaques hung crookedly on the walls and the doors to the chapel looked as though someone had chewed through them. "Shit," she whispered, toeing at a piece of debris as she headed back behind the bar with Juice.

The air was thick with tension as they all took in the damage. It would take weeks to clean up the clubhouse, months to restore all the fixtures and patch the walls.

"I have some good news," Tara stated breaking the silence, digging in her pocket for a moment before putting on a ring and holding up her hand. "We're engaged!"

The room erupted into cheers and applause as everyone congratulated the new couple. Booze started flowing freely, everyone picking their own poison. Angela grinned as Piney slid her a shot glass filled with tequila. She held it up, catching Tara's eyes and giving her friend a smile before tossing it back. She grimaced as the tequila burned its way down her throat before settling in her stomach.

Looking back at the shot glass, she found it to be refilled. She raised an eyebrow at Piney who smirked at her in response. "There was a little extra," he explained, lifting the glass beer stein filled with tequila.

Angela picked the shot up and clinked it against Piney's stein. "Waste not," she said taking the shot quickly.

"Atta girl," he said, patting her shoulder.

Juice watched his girl as she talked to Piney, her hands waving wildly about as they chatted. She looked beautiful with her dark eyes glittering with excitement, a bright smile on her face. He thought about the past couple of days. From Ope's wedding to Jax's engagement, it seemed as though all of his brothers with steady girls were settling down. He wondered if that was something he should be considering with Angela; if it was something he wanted.

Hell, he wasn't sure if it was something _she_ wanted. The girl was like a steel vault when it came to talking about her feelings. Not that he was any better. It was like they both had a mutual agreement to not talk about them. And then there were those three little words that loomed over their heads. He knew he loved her, knew that she loved him, yet they both were reluctant to admit it. He didn't know what made him hesitate in telling her, but every time he was about to, something stopped him.

Chibs clapped him on the shoulder, pulling him from his study. "Saw the ring you gave 'er," he stated, smirking at Juice's surprised look. "Claddagh's a strong symbol, y'know. Means friendship, loyalty…_love_."

"Yeah, Kerri told me," Juice said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the way his brother said the last word.

"Ye need to tell her, Juicy-boy," he advised softly. " 'fore it's too late."

Juice looked back over to where Angela was now talking to Tara, their eyes meeting over the doctor's shoulder. She smiled at him, one of those genuine smiles that went all the way to her eyes and made his heart skip a beat. She winked at him as she hugged Tara and then headed down the hallway towards the dorm rooms.

His eyes followed the swing of her hips, distracting him from whatever Chibs was saying. He patted a hand on Chibs' shoulder. "Whatever you say, brotha," he said before following after her. He might be oblivious to most things, but he knew exactly what that wink had meant.

As soon as he was out of sight of the club, he jogged after her down the hallway, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest as his back hit the door. His lips crashed down on hers as she leaned into him, his hands sliding down her body to her ass.

And then the door opened, making him fall backwards. He landed on his back with a _thunk_, Angela held tightly against his chest to keep her from falling. "Ow," he groaned, his eyes closed tight in pain.

He could feel her shaking with laughter against him, obviously trying to hold it in. "Are you okay, goof?" she asked, her dark eyes only slightly worried. It was only after he nodded that she started to laugh. Her laughter was infectious and soon he was laughing along with her, stopping only to press a kiss to her lips.

Gemma raised an eyebrow when she saw the two pairs of legs sticking out of the doorway of one of the dorm rooms. She could hear laughter, cut off only by the smacking sounds that went along with kissing. She walked towards it, rolling her eyes when she realized who it was.

Angela was lying on top of Juice, one of his arms draped over her lower back as they laughed together. Gemma couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed like that with Clay. Totally free, not a care in the world, so wrapped up in each other nothing else mattered. She knew Angela and Juice's relationship was more innocent than those the other men in the club had with their Old Ladies. It wasn't tainted by cheating or abuse. Not yet anyway. They were still in that easy stage before the kids, before the other women, before the drama…Gemma missed those days sometimes. It was all so much easier back then. She cleared her throat, tapping her foot to catch their attention. "You two almost done? We need some help cleanin' up."

The undertaker looked up at her, a blush darkening her cheeks as she scrambled to get to her feet. Juice remained where he was, a wide grin on his face; he'd been caught in worse positions. "Hey Gemma," he greeted, taking the hand Angela had extended to him and letting her help him to his feet. "Sorry, got distracted. I didn't know the door was open and we fell…"

Angela noticed the Queen's uninterested look and started to push him down the hall. "I don't think she cares, Juice."

"Smarter than ya look," Gemma commented, her arms crossed over her chest. When they made no move to go, she waved her hand down the hall. "Go 'head."

She watched them make their way down the hall, playfully arguing in hushed voices as Angela reprimanded him for not wanting to go help earlier while he contested that cleaning was what prospects and Croweaters were for. Angela stuck her tongue out at him before Juice reached down a hand to grab her ass. Gemma rolled her eyes at their childish antics, shaking her head as she murmured, "Dumb kids."

* * *

><p>*<strong>Disclaimer 2: I do <em>not<em> own Star Wars or Bon Jovi, but I'm a HUGE fan of both! :)**

**Also: **Thank you to **locofiend13 **for the very accurate description of Juice looking like a 70's porn star! I hope you don't mind that I used your comment! :D

As always, your thoughts (good and and bad) and ideas are very much appreciated and well loved! :)

~Love Ink


	43. My Rock

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I'm a little bit wrapped up in the World Series as of late since my team is in it (Go Giants!), but I made this chapter extra long to make up for it! :D**

**Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review, favorite, and follow! I'm going to PM you all as soon as possible, I promise, but I wanted to get this up ASAP! Thanks _dannygirl _for your review too! :)  
><strong>

**I posted a few songs on Tumblr that I listen to while writing, if ya'll are interested. The main one I listened to on repeat this time was "A Message" by Coldplay. Good song, great band. ;) **

**This chapter takes place during Season 4 Ep. 3 "Dorylus". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 43: My Rock_

_By Love Ink_

Angela pulled up in front of her mom and aunt's place with a sigh. There had been nothing to do at the funeral home so Skeeter gave her the rest of the afternoon off, and Happy had called to see if she could come down to run some interference since apparently her mother was driving all them all crazy. She'd almost told him 'no', but if he somehow found out that she'd had nothing better to do, he'd be pissed and a pissed Happy was never good.

She opened the door, raising an eyebrow as she smelled something burning. The smell was rare in a household that had two amazing cooks. "Angelita!" Graciela exclaimed, going to hug her daughter. "So good to see you!"

"Hey Mama," she greeted, kissing her cheek. "What smells?"

"Ay, _ese_ Miles tried to make pancakes! He left a mess," the older woman explained, shaking her head in distaste. "Come, sit. How's _Juancito_?" (_Oh! That Miles...__Little Juan_)

Angela followed after her mother to the dining room. "_Juancito_?" she asked, drawing out the name as if it would give her some clue as to who the hell her mom was asking about.

Graciela rolled her eyes at her daughter. "_Si_, _ese chico guapo con todo ese pelo_! Remember? He came to our house yesterday?" (_Yes, that handsome man with all that hair._)

"_Juice_?" she asked, biting back a laugh as she made the connection. She had a feeling Juice wouldn't be too fond of the nickname, especially since he wasn't a big fan of being called, 'Little Rican.'

"_Si_! _Ese_!" (_Yes! That one!)_

"I dunno. I don't see him every day," she lied as she leaned over to kiss her Aunt's cheek in greeting. "Hey Tia."

Elena smiled at her. "_Hola, mi amor_." (_Hi, my love.)_

Graciela scowled at her. "You should!" she exclaimed, continuing her previous conversation with her daughter. "A good looking man like _that _is who you should be after."

Angela smirked, it was funny how quickly her mother's preference had changed. "I thought I should be after someone like Kozik," she said, wondering where him and the other guys were.

"He's too old, _mijita_. That Juan Carlos is right up your alley!" she explained, her eyes alight with excitement at the idea of her daughter getting together with the attractive Son she'd met the night before. "Nice and young and handsome."

"Whatever, Ma," she said, rolling her eyes at her mother. She found it ironic that she was using the one excuse she'd always given her for not dating Kozik as a reason for her to start dating Juice instead.

Graciela threw her hands up in frustration. "Someday you'll listen to me and thank me, _mijita_!" she said, pointing a finger at her.

"Not today," Angela shot back at her on a smirk. "Don't you have work today, Ma?"

She set her daughter with an angry glare, catching on to her change in subject. "I do. I need to get ready first. I expect to see that kitchen clean by the time I leave, Angela Ines."

She scowled in response, feeling like she was a teenager again getting punished by her mom for mouthing off especially since she'd used her first and middle name. "C'mon, Ma. I didn't make that mess."

"Yes, but you can clean it," Graciela said sternly before heading up the stairs to her room.

Angela stuck her tongue out at her mother's back, turning just in time to catch Elena trying to stand. "Sit, _Tia_. I'm going to go get Miles; he can clean up his own damn mess," she said looking around the room. "Where are the boys anyway?"

Elena gave Angela a fond smile, remembering her asking the same question over and over again as she was growing up. Whenever Hap was around, Angela wasn't far behind. Unlike most older brothers, however, he never sent her away. He'd never admit it, but he loved having his little sidekick around. She helped him remain balanced. Elena knew her son had a dark side that was darker and more violent than most, and she like to think that Angela helped bring some much needed light to his life. "Down in the basement doing stuff with those crates," Elena explained gesturing to the door.

"I'll be right back," she said before heading that way. She knew she shouldn't be bothering the boys; whatever they were doing was club business and, therefore, none of her business, but she wasn't about to clean up Miles' disgusting mess of burnt crap.

Lucky for her, the door flung open just as she got close to it, Kozik emerging holding onto the end of one of the wooden crates. "Sup kid?" Kozik greeted on a grunt as he walked by.

Miles followed after, the other end of the crate in his hands. "Hello Miss Angie," he said, nodding to her.

"Hello," she replied awkwardly, giving Happy a curious look as he appeared next. "Miss Angie, huh?"

"Fool needed to learn some respect," Happy replied, letting her kiss his cheek. "You talk to your Ma?"

Angela rolled her eyes as she nodded. "Yeah. She asked how _Juancito_ was."

The smallest trace of a smile crossed Happy's lips as he shook his head in response. He didn't know much Spanish, but he was familiar with most of the slang, cuss words, and nicknames so he knew what the nickname meant. "You know she knows, right?"

"No, she doesn't," she said on a scoff.

"Yeah, she does."

"Why hasn't she said anything yet then? You know my Mom, Hap. If she knew I was serious with a guy, she'd start buying bridal magazines and baby clothes," she pointed out.

Happy just shrugged in response. "Whatever, kid. I'm tellin' ya she knows."

Angela's brows furrowed together in confusion. "But why wouldn't she say something?"

He shrugged again. "Don't know. Your Ma's crazy."

"That's not helpful," she murmured under her breath as she watched him walk back to the dining room. She trailed after him, barely able to catch up with his long strides. "Hey Hap, you know Miles left a mess in the kitchen, right?"

"You clean it?"

Angela wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. "What am I, his maid? I don't think so. Your Mom tried though. Might want to take care of that."

His eyes darkened at the idea of his sick mother doing Miles' dirty work. She watched as he stalked towards the back door to tell off the newest member of SAMCRO. Angela sat down next to her Aunt with a sigh, happy that she didn't have to clean up the awful mess in the kitchen.

"So tell me about this _Juan Carlos_," Elena urged, her dark eyes alight with curiosity. "Where's he from?"

"He's a Puerto Rican from Queens. He's still got a bit of the accent if you listen hard enough. It's…cute." She felt her cheeks heat up when she realized that she'd almost started gushing to her Aunt about how sexy she thought his accent was. As much as she loved and trusted her aunt, there were some things that were still off limits conversation wise. Angela looked down at the ring on her finger, remembering what Chibs had told her about it's meaning as she smiled. "He's smart as hell, Tia. No one gives him credit for that, but he really is. And he makes me laugh, even when I'm mad at him. He listens to me when I need him to…he's just…he's my best friend and I…I...love him, I really do and I don't know why it's so hard for me to tell him that."

Elena gave her a warm smile. "You're just scared, _mija_."

"Of what though? I _know_ he loves me back. I know he'll say it back but I just can't…something always stops me."

"You remember how much it changed things when you said it the last time with that Mayan boy. All of a sudden, he was here all of the time. He expected things from you that you didn't want, and you started to resent him for it. Remember?"

Angela frowned, clenching her jaw as she remembered that time. It was in the last year of their relationship. He'd gotten needy, clingy. Always wanted her at his house, even when he wasn't there. Wanted her to move in with him and start a family. At seventeen, she didn't want any of that. It'd felt like her whole world was spinning out of her own control. "Yeah."

"I think you're scared that'll happen again and you care so much about this one that you don't want to risk saying how you feel."

Angela's dark eyes flitted toward the screen door where Miles just walked in with a scowl on his face, Happy following after him. "Yeah," she agreed softly. She felt her cellphone buzz in her pocket and sighed as she pulled out her phone to look at the text. It was the weed shop. Apparently, Hazer and Simon had gotten into yet another disagreement. She stood up from her seat just as Happy sat down, his chair angled to he could watch Miles clean. "I got to go."

Elena smiled up at her as she kissed her cheek. "Don't be scared, _mija._ _Nunca sabes cuanto tiempo vas a tener,_" she said, her dark eyes looking over her niece's shoulder to the framed photo on the wall of Angela's late father. (_You never know how much time you'll have.) _

She nodded slowly, moving over to kiss Hap. "Problems at the shop," she explained at his questioning look. "I'll talk to you later."

He nodded. "Drive safe, kid."

"Now where's the fun in that?" she teased as she grabbed her keys off the table earning herself a shake of the head from Happy.

Angela waved at both of them before heading towards her car. She took the back roads home, knowing whatever problem Hazer had down at the shop would likely work itself out by the time she got there. As she pulled into a parking spot in front of the small shop, she raised an eyebrow at the two Dynas parked in front of it. If Juice was there, why did they need her?

She walked in, surprised to see a few people sitting in the waiting room. It never ceased to amaze her how many people liked getting a tube shoved up their ass because they thought it'd do them some good. "Afternoon, Ms. Ruiz," the young girl behind the front desk greeted, an eager smile on her face.

"Beth, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Angela?" Angela replied with a smile. Hiring Beth had been another fight between Hazer and Simon. Simon was convinced Hazer only wanted her because she was Southern belle with "curves in all the right places" while Hazer insisted she was better qualified than the "crazy old hippie chick". It turned out that Hazer had been right. Not only was Beth gorgeous, but she was also very organized and an excellent secretary.

Beth blushed a little in response. This was her first real job, and she didn't want to screw things up. "Sorry! It's a habit. Way I was raised and all."

"No worries," she said on a shrug. "The boys work out their problems?"

Beth sighed and handed her a clipboard. "Not really. I really hope they didn't pull you from anything. It's not that important. I told them not to bother you, but Mr. Hazer insisted."

"Don't worry about it. Lay it on me," she said looking down at the clipboard. It was covered in purple and green writing. "What am I looking at?"

"Just some order forms that need to be signed off on. Doctor Smith and Mr. Hazer circled the stuff they don't think we need. Mr. Hazer's is purple, the doctor's in green. They've been waiting on you to say who's right," she explained on a frown.

Angela sighed, looking over the messy sheets of paper. "Is Juice here?" she asked, wondering why she hadn't asked him for help with this instead. Juice was more than capable of handling this kind of stuff.

"Mr. Ortiz came in with a very sick friend. Went right by to get a colonic for him. I didn't have a chance to ask. Sorry again, Angela."

"Don't worry about it," she insisted again. "Nothin' you could do. Got another pen color?"

Beth handed her a cup filled with different colored pens. Angela raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged, "I like to make things pretty."

Angela chuckled as she grabbed an orange pen and started crossing things out. She'd only been there a few minutes when she felt an arm slide around her hip. "Hey baby," Juice's voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

She leaned back into his embrace, smiling slightly. "Hey you," she said, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "What are you up to?"

"Chibs needed some help workin' stuff out. Too much processed food."

Angela wrinkled her nose; there were some things she just didn't need to know. "Gross."

He chuckled. It was rare that Angela was grossed out by anything -she worked with dead people after all—but colonics seemed to be the one thing that she really didn't like talking about...which of course made him love talking about them. "Doc's taking care of him right now. Got him that green tea and mint. He was a little uncomfortable at first but…"

"Stop! Juice, _please_," she cut him off quickly. "I'm glad Chibs is going to be okay, but I really, _really_ don't need to know the details."

He laughed again, giving her a little squeeze. "What are you here for?"

"Domestic dispute. Seems Doc and Haze can't agree on anything," she said gesturing to the order form. She'd already crossed off two things: an indoor waterfall and an overpriced incense set that she knew she could get cheaper. "You see anything else we don't need?"

Juice scanned over the list as he let one of his hands slide across her hips, dipping under the waist of her jeans. Her eyes slowly lifted off the list as she turned her head to look at him. She knew exactly what he was doing; he was checking to see what kind of panties she was wearing. It was something he did whenever he could get away with it and since the high counter of the front desk covered her from the chest up, he was definitely getting away with it. He played it off like nothing was going on, like he didn't have his hands down her pants in front of everyone. "Looks good to me," he said, pressing himself closer against her.

She smirked when she felt his hard length pressed up against her back. A familiar warmth spread through her stomach as his intentions became quite clear. "Beth, would you excuse us? I want to show Juice that problem we had with the sink in the back."

Beth looked confused but nodded anyway. "Yeah, of course," she said, taking back the clipboard. She watched with wide eyes as Juice smacked Angela's ass as he playfully pushed her down the hallway.

Angela turned, grabbing the front of his cut as she pulled him into one of the colonic rooms. He shut the door behind them, spinning her around and pressing her against it, his lips claiming hers in a hot, passionate kiss. "We're going to christen this room, aren't we?" she asked as his lips trailed down her neck, his mustache tickling her and sending chills down her spine. She ran a hand over his Mowhawk while his teeth scraped against the smooth skin of her throat.

He pulled away, giving her a wolfish grin at her labored breathing, that dark lustful look in her eyes. He loved that he could do that to her. "We do own twenty percent. Might as well get our money's worth."

* * *

><p>Chibs walked out of the colonic room feeling like a new man. As weird as it was to get a colonic, he had to hand it to Juice, it felt great afterwards. Maybe the idiot wasn't so crazy after all. He headed into the waiting room, expecting to find the mowhawked intelligence officer waiting for him there, but the room was empty save for a few women waiting for their appointments. He raised an eyebrow, heading towards the receptionist. "You seen Juice?" he asked the attractive young lady.<p>

"Oh, Miss Angie wanted to show him a problem we have with a sink in the back," Beth explained innocently. "Room four, I think. We've been meaning to get a plumber over there."

The Scot nodded slowly. "Thanks, love," he said, pushing away from the counter and heading back the way he came. He counted down the numbers before stopping in front of the fourth room. He could hear a Angela's soft giggling and rolled his eyes. "Jay-sus," he muttered before raising a hand and pounding on the door. "Juicey-boy! Get out of there ye horny bastard!"

Angela lifted her head up from Juice's chest, her eyes wide as she looked at the door. They were both lying on the bed used for colonics, semi clothed. He had his legs draped over the little bump in the table with her lying between them. "Shit," she cursed, pushing herself off of him.

He chuckled as he watched her slide on her jeans before picking up her torn panties off the ground. "Again, Juice. Really?" she asked, frowning at the destroyed lace.

"I didn't mean to. It was just easier that way," he said on an innocent smile as he got up and pulled up his boxers and pants. "Don't throw 'em away. C'mon." He held out his hand for them.

She raised an eyebrow at him and handed them to him. "What are you going to do with them?"

He shrugged, shoving the electric blue colored panty into his pocket. "Make sure I can buy the right ones offline. I liked them a lot. Looked hot with that bra," he explained, gesturing to the matching bra she was currently hooking on.

Angela laughed as she pulled her shirt on over her head. "Goof."

"What can I say? I like my girl in blue," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "C'mon, let's go." He lifted her off her feet, walking with her to the door as she laughed, her hands clasping his arms out of fear of falling.

He set her on her feet and she opened the door, giving Chibs as innocent a smile as she could muster. Maybe she could convince him they hadn't just had a quickie in the colonic room. "Hey Chibbies," she greeted, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Fancy seein' you here, Angie-girl," he said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Did ye have a good session?"

"Oh I didn't…" she began, but a knowing grin spread across the Scot's scarred face making her blush like a school girl. "Y'know what? I'm gonna go and…finish that paper work. I'll see you boys out there."

"Ye go do that, love," he said, chuckling at her stammering. Once she had rounded the corner to the front desk, Chibs slung an arm around Juice's shoulders. "You lucky bastard! No wonder ye like this damn place!"

Juice chuckled in response. "It certainly has its perks," he said on a grin as headed to the front desk where Angela was talking with Beth. He'd taken her hair out of its braid during their little session and the still half wet tresses hung down her back in small waves. He reached over and tugged on the end of it, catching her attention. "You on your way out, Angel?"

"Yep! I'll be there in a minute," she said, glancing back down at the paperwork as the boys started to make their way outside. She signed off on them and wrote a quick note to Hazer and Simon before handing it back to Beth. "Thanks Beth. Call me if anything else comes up."

"Yes, Miss Angie," she replied on a nod.

Angela smiled at her as she made her way out the door; she could handle 'Miss Angie' a lot better than Ms. Ruiz. At least the first didn't remind her of her mother. She spotted Chibs on the phone while Juice was laughing quietly to himself while he put on his gloves, probably about something the Scot had said. She loved seeing him laugh, loved the rough sound of it. His smiling face was such a change from the one she'd seen that night after the wedding that it gave her hope that things just might go back to normal after all. "Hey you," she said, alerting him of her presence.

Juice grinned at her, reaching out a gloved hand to grab her wrist and pull her into his side, his arms snaking around her waist. He stole a quick kiss from her, still relishing the fact that he could kiss her anytime he wanted now that he was no longer behind bars. "Goin' to work?"

She shook her head. "Was gonna go for a run. Feelin' a little tired now, though. Maybe I'll take a nap instead."

He was about to reply when a cop car backed in with a screech, their lights flashing, siren blaring. She watched as his smile melted away, a dark, protective look taking its place as he moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from view. "If you guys are headin' in, I recommend the green tea and mint," he said flatly as he stared down the cops.

"Hands on the wall," one of the officers ordered. Angela waited quietly to see if that order included her. The officers moved quickly, pushing both men to the wall. "You too, Miss."

She nodded, moving on her own to stand by Juice, her legs spread apart, hands pressed against the ugly tan stucco. Juice stared down the shorter officer as he quickly patted her down, his eyes darkening as the man's hands patted over her torso and hips. She caught his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile; she'd gone through this before. At least this time, the officer was being respectful. The last time, the cop had lingered a little too long on her hips and ass.

Satisfied with his job, he moved onto Juice. Patting him down until he found the baggie of weed in his pocket. Angela grimaced as the officer not only tossed the bag but her lacy panties along with it. "He's got a card for that," Chibs stated while Angela tried desperately to hide the fallen panties underneath her shoe.

"Congratulations. The federal government doesn't give a shit," the taller officer said as the other one tossed his card and pulled his arms behind his back.

Angela could barely hear the back and forth between Juice and the cop as she watched them load Juice inside the police car. Her stomach churned at the all too familiar sight. She wasn't going to lose him again, she couldn't. His worry filled eyes met hers and her heart sunk in her chest. "Stop! He didn't do anything!" she blurted out before she could stop herself, taking a step forward.

Chibs stuck out an arm, holding her back and reminding her of her place."Easy there, love," he murmured, as they closed the car door and drove away. Once the car was out of sight, he turned to her. "You all righ'?"

She nodded, swallowing hard as she tried to process what just happened. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…I shouldn't have said anything. I just…"

Chibs smiled at her, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into his side. He understood her emotional outburst; he was king when it came to those. " 's all right, love. Can't help it sometimes. I get it."

Angela sighed, raking a shaking hand through her hair. "What do I do now?"

"Ye wait. He'll call ye when he's done," he answered, squeezing her shoulder. "Whatever it is, it won't take long. Sheriff's just showin' off."

"Okay," she said, reluctant to believe him. Getting arrested was not something to take lightly. Juice was on parole, a stunt like that could get him sent right back inside. What could he have possibly done? They couldn't get him on possession. He had a card; it was legal. The only reason she could think of was that the police had somehow found out about the Russians. "Shit."

"Ye worry too much, love. He'll be jus' fine," he assured her. He glanced down at the ground and smirked at her. "Ye might want to pick those lovely panties off the floor though. Can't imagine that'd be good for business."

Angela turned red as she quickly picked both the panties and Juice's weed card up, burying the lacy fabric deep into her pocket. "I don't know where those came from."

"Uh-huh, _sure_ ye don't. Can't imagine Happy would be very happy when he hears abou' this," he teased, laughing at her scared look. "Don't ye worry, Angie. I won't say nothin'. Don't want to get Juicy-boy into any more trouble."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said as she looked at the card in her hand. In the picture, Juice had that grin on his face that told her he was hiding something, probably the fact that he didn't really need a medicinal marijuana card.

Chibs pulled her into a quick hug and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Yer a good girl, Angie. Everythin's gonna turn out okay. Trust me. Just go about yer day. Keep yer cell close so you'll know when to get 'im."

Angela managed to smile as she nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later, Chibbies."

"Bye, Angie." He gave her a quick wave, waiting for her to get into her car before heading to his bike.

* * *

><p>Angela didn't go home though. She couldn't. The whole situation left her feeling restless, and she wasn't about to sit at home waiting for a phone call. It'd drive her nuts. Instead, she chose to wait in front of the police department. For some reason it made her feel more at ease to be so close to him. She tilted her seat back, flipping open her glove compartment and pulling out the book she had stashed there. She'd only just gotten comfortable when her phone went off, an unknown number flashing across the screen. "Angela Ruiz," she greeted, kicking open the car door and stepping out.<p>

"Hey baby," Juice replied on the other line, a hint of defeat in his voice. "You busy?"

"Nah," she answered, leaning against the back of her car. "I'm outside the station, actually."

His sigh of relief was audible on the other end. "Be right out."

She watched him walk down the front steps, shoulders slumped, head hanging down. Her heart felt like it would break when his eyes met hers and she saw that sad, defeated look in them. As soon as he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her into his chest as he buried his face into her neck. She hugged him tightly, one of her hands sliding up and down his back. The hug was brief but spoke volumes. While wrapped in his arms, she could feel his quick heartbeat, the knots in his back; something wasn't right.

He pulled away, reaching out a hand to brush a stray hair out of her face before kissing her. Walking out of Roosevelt's office, he'd felt suffocated by the weight of what the Lieutenant knew. As soon as he saw Angela standing there, he found it just a little easier to breathe. "You been here the whole time?" he asked.

"I don't mind waiting if it's for you, Juice," she said, knowing how corny it sounded. It was true though. She'd waited fourteen months for him. A few minutes outside the police station in her car was nothing compared to that.

Juice gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Angel."

She waved off his thanks, it wasn't needed. "Want to drive?" she asked, holding out the keys to him.

He shook his head slowly, knowing there were far too many things buzzing in his brain for him focus on the road. "Nah, I'm good."

Angela nodded, watching worriedly as he trudged towards the passenger door and got in. She got in the car just as he was adjusting his seat, sliding the seat backwards before tilting it back just a bit. "You want me to take you back to your bike?"

Juice shook his head again. He wasn't ready to go back to the clubhouse just yet. He needed a moment to himself. "Can we just…drive?"

"Yeah. Definitely." She smiled softly, pulling out of her parking spot and heading for the mountains.

He rolled down the window as she drove, letting the wind rush at his face as he thought about what had just happened. He was angry, frustrated, and scared as hell. He didn't know what the cop was planning to do with the information he had; what he'd try to make him do by using it as blackmail. He knew it had to be something though; Roosevelt wouldn't have pulled him in otherwise. This was no show of power; this was a warning. Something big was about to go down, and Juice had a feeling he was going to be stuck in the middle of it.

Angela pulled the car to a stop and silently got out, disappearing somewhere behind it. Juice looked over his shoulder to see where she went, smiling when he realized she'd pulled over on their mountain. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed. With a sigh, he got out of the car and opened up the hatchback door, taking a seat on the bumper, his eyes on her back.

After a moment, she turned around and walked towards him, letting him grab her hands and pull her between his legs. She was silent, as she usually was when she knew something was wrong. He wondered how she did it. How she remained so patient and quiet when he knew if she was acting the way he was, he'd be asking her questions left and right. "I'm all right, Angel," he lied, looking up at her.

Her dark eyes looked him over, filled with worry. "Are you?" she asked, doubt lacing her words as she reached up a hand to trace her fingers over one of his lightning bolt tattoos.

Juice shrugged a shoulder in response. Of course she'd seen right through him. "I don't know. I _was_ for a minute. These past few days…the shit that's gone down…makes me feel like somethin' bad's gonna happen. Y'know?"

Angela didn't understand what would make him feel like that. She wasn't privy to half the information he was, but she had sensed that there was a major decision looming over the club. She'd heard Koz and Hap arguing briefly over something at her Mom's. Out of context, she didn't get what it was, but there was definitely something going on. "I guess," she said for lack of a better answer.

He looked down at their hands, rubbing a thumb over the Claddagh ring on her finger. It was no engagement ring, but it was still something that tied her to him. A trinket she wore willingly as a sign of their friendship, her loyalty to him, and her love. He thought about telling her exactly what happened with Roosevelt, but he hesitated. Though he trusted her with his life, that secret was one he was ashamed of. One he wanted to forget all about. It'd hurt enough to hear Roosevelt's description about what would happen to him should the club find out; he wasn't ready to say it himself. Saying it would make it real.

She used her other hand to lift his chin so that their eyes could meet. "Juice, I don't know what's going on in your head right now or what to say to make it all better, but…I'm here for you. You know that, right? Whatever it is you need…I'm here."

"I know," Juice nodded, giving her smallest hint of a smile as he let go of her hand and moving an arm around her waist, pulling her into him and laying his cheek on her chest, his ear over her heart. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his head, one hand gently rubbing up and down his upper back.

They stayed wrapped up in each other for awhile, both lost in their own thoughts. Angela was busy worrying about Juice, different situations playing through her head. A part of her was relieved that the police hadn't kept him for long, but another part of her was suspicious as to what that meant, especially with the way Juice was acting now. It had to be something serious if he didn't want to tell her.

His phone rang loudly in his pocket, breaking the silence. She dropped her arms from around him and took a step away, sitting down next to him. He dug through his pockets before retrieving his cell phone. "Yeah?...Nah, I'm good...Yeah, I'll be there," he said shutting the phone. He'd completely forgotten about the vote that night. Sure, it was a couple of hours away, but Chibs was just checking in to make sure everything was all right. "It was Chibs."

"You got to go?"

"Not yet. Wanna go home? Get a pizza or somethin'?" he asked, craving some sense of normalcy. A dinner spent watching a movie with Angela curled up on the couch next to him seemed normal enough. Maybe it would help take his mind off things.

Angela smiled as she nodded, leaning over to peck his lips quickly. "Sounds great," she said standing up and heading for the front.

"Hey Angel," he said, catching her attention before she got in the car. She looked at him, eyebrows raised, over the roof of the car. A small trace of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Thanks."

She smiled at him in response, shrugging a shoulder. "You're my best friend. It's what we do."

* * *

><p>Juice headed to the clubhouse earlier than usual leaving Angela behind playing a video game by herself. She wasn't alone long, though. After just a few minutes, she heard a key slide into the lock before the door opened and Happy stepped in. "I have <em>got<em> to hide that key better," she mumbled to herself as she got up off the couch and went over to greet him. "Hey Hap."

Happy nodded to her, letting her hug him quickly before he scratched at the back of his neck. "Need an ear."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Literally?"

He smirked at her, knowing that if he really needed a human ear, Angela wouldn't hesitate getting him one; she'd already gotten him a severed thumb and forefinger to use for fake prints. He had them carefully preserved in his locker back at the clubhouse. "Nah, kid. Just need ya to listen."

She looked a little relieved as she nodded. "Beer?"

"Yeah," he said, taking a seat on the couch. "Where's the idiot?"

"Went to the clubhouse already. Said he wanted to do somethin' on the computer," she explained from the kitchen. Grabbing two bottles of beer, she handed him one before taking a seat next to him, taking a long sip as she waited for him to start. Hap was weird when it came to talking about the club with her. He either came to get stuff off his chest or to talk things out. She was expected to sit there quietly and listen, only speaking if he asked her a question.

Happy nodded, slowly taking a pull from the beer. "He tell you about the vote we got tonight?"

"No. We don't really talk about the club. Sometimes he'll tell me bits and pieces, but…I never get the full story. Just what I need to know," she answered as she picked at the label on her beer.

"You okay with that?"

Angela smirked. "I'm used to it."

His lips twitched briefly, almost forming a smile. He knew she was implying the way he'd share information with her. Always letting her in just a little but never telling her all of it. "Good," he said on a nod. "What you think about drugs?"

"Drugs are bad," she repeated awkwardly. She felt stupid for her answer, but it was the first thing that came to her mind.

"Lotta money though."

Angela frowned. The Sons didn't deal with drugs. That's why Happy had joined them in the first place. Though he enjoyed his cigarettes, Happy stayed far away from hard drugs; they were what killed his father. "Money we don't need," she pointed out. "We don't pay for meds anymore, you got a lot of money when you got out, and I got a pay raise. We're fine with money, Hap. Everything's handled."

"You got a raise?"

She nodded, looking down at her hands. "While you guys were inside, Skeet and I went to a conference down in San Diego. Showed a few people my portfolio and got a few offers. A lot of them right in front of the poor guy, made him nervous."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "How much you get offered?"

"Enough for me to consider movin'," she answered honestly. "But they were all really far away. Texas, Michigan, New York."

Happy narrowed his eyes at her, cocking his head to the side. He really hoped her choice not to move on from this small town weren't because of the idiot. The idea that Juice was holding her back pissed him off a little. "So?"

"I'm not going to just leave, Hap. My _family _is here."

"You mean the idiot," he clarified, disapproval written all over his face.

Her dark eyes snapped to his face, anger flashing through them briefly. Yes, she'd thought about Juice, but, honestly, he hadn't been her main concern. There were charters in other places, if it really came down to it, he could switch. "No, I mean my sick aunt, my overbearing mother, and my crazy ass cousin."

Happy shook his head at her, fighting back a smile. "Ma's fine. She's got a lot more time. Not like you visit every day."

"But I _could_ if I wanted to," she pointed out. "It doesn't matter anyway. We're good with money. Drug free's the way to be."

He smirked at his cousin's use of the cheesy slogan. Though what she'd said before about the finances put him at ease. He would've been fine voting in the cartel if his mom needed the money, the fact that they were okay without it made the decision a hell of a lot easier. "Yeah."

Angela bit her lip, wondering if she should ask her next question. She never knew what was crossing the line when she talked to Hap. "Hap, what about Koz?" she asked after a moment. "If you're doin' something with drugs...he could relapse."

Happy knew what she was getting at. Kozik had been clean for five years now, but Angela had seen him at his worst. She'd been there the night they'd all forced him into rehab and watched as he slowly recovered. He drained the rest of his beer before setting the empty bottle on the table and standing. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said, leaning over and kissing her forehead.

She frowned knowing that the conversation was officially over. His avoidance of her question about Kozik made her uneasy. It meant that he was worried about his friend too. "Hap…" she started, standing up and following him to the front door.

"Gotta head over," he interrupted. He knew she had more questions for him. Girl could ask him questions for days and still not be done with them, but he'd hinted at too much already and wasn't about to tell her more.

Her shoulders sagged in defeat as she nodded. "All right. Bye," she said, kissing his cheek briefly before locking the door behind him. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking about what getting into the drug business would mean for the club. Maybe this was what Juice had a bad feeling about. She knew she certainly did.

* * *

><p>Juice walked out of the chapel feeling like shit again. He couldn't believe the deal with the cartel had passed. Couldn't believe that <em>Jax<em> of all people voted it in. He was no stranger to dealing drugs. He'd done it before in New York for the mob, and it'd gotten him in a lot of trouble. So much so that he could never go back there. They'd kill him, his family, anyone they could their hands on. His only stroke of luck had come from the fact that he hadn't lived at home and his mother wasn't talking to him at the time. The cartel would be no different. Big organizations like that didn't bother hurting smaller ones by killing off members; they went for the heart…for their families. In his case, it'd be for Angela.

He looked over the clubhouse. On one side of the room sat the Croweaters, draped over couches, sitting on tables, waiting for one of the Sons to give them that look that meant they'd earned themselves a place to stay for the night. On the other side, at the bar, sat the Old Ladies. Gemma, Tara, and Lyla, all waiting anxiously for their Old Men. As if unsure of her position, Angela was leaning against where they kept the bats, halfway between the Croweaters and the Old Ladies. Kozik and Happy stood on either side of her, Koz with his arm draped over her shoulders, Hap leaning on the support next to her. He wondered how much they were telling her, how much she already knew. The concern in her eyes as she looked up at Kozik told him, she knew more than he'd told her.

As he approached, Happy took a step back, clapping a hand on his shoulder and nodding, a look of approval in his eyes. Most people expected him to go the same way as Tig, but Juice couldn't justify starting a deal with a cartel. He was even less inclined to vote it in now that he knew Roosevelt was on his ass. He couldn't believe it had passed, especially since it was Kozik's vote that tipped the scales in favor. That was something no one had counted on.

He stepped in just in time to see Kozik pull Angela into a tight hug. "Stop lookin' at me like that," the blonde said, ruffling her hair. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Angela let out a lengthy sigh; Kozik didn't know that she knew about the drugs. That Hap's brief shake of his head had told her whatever it was that tied the Sons to drugs had passed. "Nothin'. I just worry, that's all."

"Well stop it, Angie-pie. 'Causes wrinkles," he teased, giving her a wink before heading off to the Croweaters.

She scowled at his back, muttering something unintelligible under her breath about the stupid nickname as Hap squeezed her shoulder and headed after him leaving her alone with Juice. "You drive over?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"No. I walked actually," she answered softly. His brown eyes got that fierce, protective look to them, making her stomach flip flop. She squeezed his hand, smiling slightly. "It's just a few blocks, Juice. I had a lot on my mind, needed some air to figure stuff out."

Juice understood where she was coming from, though he hated the thought of her walking around town alone. "Oh."

"You okay?" she questioned, a troubled look in her dark eyes

She'd asked him that question more in those past couple of days than he had in the two years they'd been together, he noticed with a frown. He shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah. Fine," he lied, raising an eyebrow as the little blonde sweetbutt from the day before stepped in front of him, putting herself between him and Angela.

"Hey Juicy," she said grabbing onto the front of his cut. She looked proud that she'd learned his name. "How 'bout you take _me_ back this time? We can have some fun. I can bet I'm a lot more fun than her."

Angela smirked at him over the petite girl's shoulder, an eyebrow raised. "How 'bout it, _Juicy_?" she teased, arms crossed over her chest.

Juice loved the way Angela dealt with the Croweaters. She always left it up to him to deflect them, never once getting in their faces or going to hit them. She trusted him. At a moment like this, when all he wanted to do was go home, he was thankful that she wasn't causing a scene. "I got a girl, thanks," he said moving around the blonde before slinging an arm around Angela's neck and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Let's go, baby."

Angela slid an arm around his waist before looking at the little blonde over his shoulders. "Sorry," she mouthed at her as they headed outside.

Juice rode home at a fast pace, his mind on overdrive. The only thing keeping him from crashing were Angela's arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her body pressed up against his. Once home, he waited for her to get off the motorcycle before getting off himself, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked towards the front door.

They both stood inside, Angela waiting for some cue from Juice as to what to do. He stood there silently, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his cut, his eyes on the ground. After a moment, she sighed and grabbed his arm. "C'mon."

He let her pull him out to the backyard where a hammock was lazily swinging back and forth in the light breeze. He raised an eyebrow, that hadn't been there before he went inside. She pointed to it. "Lay down."

Juice did as he was told, carefully balancing himself on it and looking at her as if to ask what next. She went back inside for a few seconds, re-emerging with a little white stick in her hand. He gave her a small smile as she handed the little joint to him. "Thanks," he murmured, putting it between his lips and lighting it up with the lighter from his pocket.

After a moment, she climbed on with him, her head on his shoulder, arm draped over his stomach. He wrapped his free arm around her, trailing his fingers up and down the bare skin of her arm. Setting a booted foot on the ground, he rocked the hammock back and forth as he smoked. After a few minutes, he felt her head get just a little heavier and looked down to find her sound asleep. The mix of having her close while being alone with his thoughts was just what he needed at that moment. He kissed her forehead, thinking of all the things she'd done for him in the past, all the ways she took care of him. She was his rock, the one thing that never changed while the rest of the world was turned upside. He didn't deserve her, but he wasn't about to let her go. Not now. Not ever.

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><p><strong>So? What'd you think? :) A bit of a sad chapter, but this whole season is just so darn sad. :( <strong>

**Coming up next: _Una Venta _and maybe a bit of _With an X_ depending on how long I make the chapter...which makes me wonder, do you readers prefer longer chapters or more frequent updates?...just wondering ;)**

**~Love Ink**


	44. In Too Deep

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review, follow, and favorite! I PM'ed most of the reviewers but thanks to: _Guest 1, dannygirl, Jean,_ _Guest 2_,and _brat_**(Glad it saved you from a few boring days at work! :])_  
><em>

**This chapter is medium length but only because I didn't want to mix episode 4 and 5 together since quite a bit happens in 5. ;) So this chapter encompasses all of Season 4, episode 4, "_Una Venta_."**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 44: In Too Deep_

_By Love Ink_

Angela watched from her place on the bed as Juice shoved things into his pack. It was way too early in the morning for both of them, but he had to go to Arizona and she wanted to say goodbye. She loved watching him pack. He was so OCD about everything. Making sure his clothes were all folded a certain way so that his pack wasn't lumpy and that his beloved laptop was safely secured in it's sleeve. He was softly murmuring different things he had to remember to himself, every so often cursing when he forgot something. He looked into his backpack and frowned. "I'm missin' something. What am I missing?" he asked, looking up at her as if she would know.

"Toothbrush?" she offered on a shrug.

He clapped his hands, grinning at her. "That's it!" he exclaimed before disappearing into the bathroom to grab it. "What would I do without you?" he asked, leaning over to brush a kiss to her head on his way back to his pack.

She laughed, hooking her arms around her legs and resting her chin atop her knees. "Have a lot of cavities?"

He smirked, already armed with a line for her. "Sweetheart, I get enough of those from you 'cause you're so sweet."

Angela groaned at the cheesy line as she fell back on the bed with a small _thump_."Goof!" she exclaimed as she looked up at the ceiling.

He chuckled, climbing onto the bed and holding himself over her. Dipping his head, he caught her lips in a long kiss. Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, thumb brushing over his lips. He could see that small little wrinkle between her eyebrows, the one that told him she was worrying. "Be safe, Juice. Please," she said, her voice soft, worried.

He kissed her once more, enjoying the feel of her lips on his and knowing he'd miss it on his short trip down south. "Roger that."

She smiled at him, that troubled look never leaving her eyes as he pushed himself off her and continued packing. "Hap going with you to AZ?"

Juice shook his head. "Nah. He'll be around. Koz and Op went up to Tacoma so they'll be back early too."

"Bet Koz is mad about missing the bike show. He always picks up a few sweetbutts there," she mused, sitting back up and pulling her knees into her chest.

Something told him she wasn't entirely convinced that the only reason they were going to Arizona was for a bike show. "How much did they tell you?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Hap mentioned something about drugs. That's all."

"We're not dealin'," he explained flat out. "Just mulin'. The Mayans are doin' the dealing."

She sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. She was no stranger to the Mayan's drug trade. She'd seen the ugly side of it one too many times while she was with Esai. "Heroin?"

"Coke," he corrected.

She nodded slowly, letting the information sink in. She honestly didn't have a problem with it mostly because she knew she couldn't change it. Her boys would do what the club wanted them to do regardless of her opinion. The least she could do was support them despite how wrong she thought it was.

"You think you could…keep an eye on Koz? He's been clean for awhile, but still…shit happens," she said looking down at the sheet and feeling stupid for asking. "I mean, you don't have to _baby_sit, I don't want to burden you or anything just…if you see him with it, will you let me know? I'm kind of his…sponsor or whatever. If you can't, it's no big…I get it. No one wants to be a baby sitter."

Juice smiled at her rambling. Angela had such a big heart when it came to the people she loved. He had no doubt that she was one kickass sponsor, and if it meant so much to her, he'd be more than willing help. He hooked a finger under her chin, lifting it up so their eyes could meet. "I'll keep an eye out," he promised.

"Thanks," she said on a soft smile. "Where you guys stayin' over there?"

"SAMTAZ clubhouse," he explained, zipping up his pack. He saw her pull a face and chuckled. "Don't worry about the sweetbutts, Angel. I know we're on a run and shit but…if you can last fourteen months without using the prison clause, I think I can last a few days."

Angela laughed as she nodded her head in agreement. To be honest, she hadn't really been worried about it; Juice had never given her cause to worry before. That and she planned on sending him some dirty pictures just to remind him what he was missing while he was away. She leaned forward and hooked a finger around his belt loop, tugging on it to bring him closer again.

He grinned at her as he leaned over to catch her lips in a quick kiss, not at all surprised when she grabbed the front of his cut to pull him in closer. "How much time do you have?" she asked, her lips just inches from his own.

"Enough," he murmured as he slowly pushed her back on the bed, pressing his lips to hers in a hot kiss.

* * *

><p>Gemma was surprised when she walked into the new flower shop and found Angela leaning against the counter, cell phone in hand, no doubt playing some game or other as she usually was when she was bored. "Hey there, Little Miss Undertaker," she stated, catching the younger woman's attention.<p>

Angela jumped a little, almost dropping her phone in the process. "Hey Gemma! How's it goin'?"

"Good, good," she answered, looking her over. She was dressed in her formal work pants and a nice blue blouse, her dark hair tied back in a tight braid as it usually was when she was working. Gemma could just barely make out a dark mark on her neck, one that she'd obviously tried to cover up since there was a bit of make up along the collar of her blouse. "Nice mark."

Her cheeks darkened in a blush as she reached up a hand to cover the spot. "Damn it, Juice," she muttered under her breath. "Is it that bad?"

"You're fine, sweetheart. Just button up a bit," Gemma suggested, watching as Angela did as she was told. With the few extra buttons done up, the collar effectively covered the mark. "See? All covered."

"Thanks."

"Hello Angie," Chucky said, waving his fake-fingered hands at her.

Angela grinned at him and waved right back. "Hey Chucky."

"Buying new flowers for the home?" he asked, picking out a particularly pretty one and handing it to her. "This one would look great on Leah's headstone."

Angela took the flower from him and nodded in agreement. "I'll make sure it gets there."

"Thanks," Chucky said before turning to look for more flowers.

"Leah is…" Gemma questioned casting Chucky a weird glance.

"Just someone he visits some times," she replied vaguely as she shrugged a shoulder. She grabbed her coffee cup off the counter and took a long sip before glancing back down at the phone to check the time. Skeeter had wanted her to be back by now to start work on a new body that he'd picked up.

Gemma recognized the cup as one from the hospital and raised an eyebrow. "You swing by the hospital already?"

Angela grinned as she nodded. "Tara and I had a coffee date."

"Here are your flowers, Angie," Rita said as she brought out a large bouquet. "I put in a lily or two for you."

"Thanks Rita," Angela replied grabbing a brown accordion folder off the counter and tucking it under her arm before going for the flower bouquet.

Chucky stepped in, easily lifting the bouquet up for her. "I got it. To the van?"

She nodded in response. "Thanks, Chucky. Rita, can you put that and this flower on Skeeter's tab, please? He forgot to give me the credit card."

"Sure thing, Ang," Rita said, scribbling it down. "I'll send him the bill."

"Thanks. See you later, Gemma," Angela said, nodding to her before heading out the door after Chucky.

Gemma watched her leave, her eyes on the brown folder under her arm. It was the same one she'd found in Tara's desk, the one with the letters in it. Angela had said she'd stopped by the hospital on her way in; could Tara have given her the letters? The girls were getting awfully close to one another, Gemma wouldn't be surprised if the doctor roped the undertaker in to help her out. With a sigh, she decided she'd have to "check in" with Angela just to make sure she didn't know more than she was supposed to, and if she did, to make sure she kept her mouth shut. The information in those letters was dangerous, not only to her family, but also to the entire club. Even if someone as inconsequential as Juice found out about them, it could set off a chain reaction that she would definitely not be on the right side of.

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><p>Gemma pulled up in front of the funeral home and headed straight for the front doors, Chucky muttered something about going to visit someone before disappearing into the cemetery. That was fine by her, she needed some alone time anyway. Pushing open the big wooden doors, she took a look around the place. It was simple with a few very well done flower arrangements on the entry tables. One she recognized as the one Angela had picked up just a few hours before. "How can I hel…Gemma? What are you doing here?" Skeeter asked as he walked in, his eyebrows raised in surprised.<p>

Gemma nodded to him in greeting. "Came to talk to the undertaker. She in?"

"Yeah, yeah," he answered a little over eagerly. "Finishing up an embalming. I'll go get her for ya. Go ahead into the office, I'll send her right over."

"Thanks," she said walking past him in the direction he'd nodded. She walked into the office, surprised by its large were two antique wooden desks facing each other with a wide space in between. Each desk had two matching chairs in front of them. One had an old PC that had seen better days on top, the other had a flat screen monitor. Gemma didn't have to guess which one was Angela's.

She was assured of her decision when she walked around it to find three framed photos. One was a close up of Juice making a stupid face, his nose wrinkled, lip curled as if he hadn't wanted her to take the picture. The other was an older photograph of two women Gemma assumed were her mother and aunt only because of their resemblance to both Angela and Happy. The last one made her smile as she picked it up. It was of Angela when she was about four or five sitting on a much younger Happy's lap. The young girl had a very large baseball hat sitting atop her head and covering her eyes. Happy was grinning behind her, sporting a head full of hair that looked like it just been shoved under the hat seconds before. "Cute," she murmured, setting it back down.

Scanning the desk, she found the brown accordion folder sitting on top of a few papers. Frantically, she pulled it open, fingers sliding into the folder and pulling out…pictures. Before and after pictures of some pretty gruesome shit along with a resume or two, brochures, and some paper work. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized the letters were nowhere in sight. Moving the folder aside, she picked up the simple folder underneath it. Curiously, she picked it up and opened it, a curse leaving her lips when she saw what was inside.

It was an autopsy report complete with crime scene pictures that she would recognize anywhere. Her hands shook as she read the name on the top of the file: _John Thomas Teller_. "Shit," she muttered, flipping through it. It was filled with medical things she didn't really understand. That wasn't what worried her. What worried her the most was the neon yellow post-it stuck to copies of the entire report that read: _"T, Got this for you. Let me know if you have any questions. -A."_

"Jesus," Gemma whispered, raking a hand through her hair.

Angela walked in to her office to find Gemma sitting at her desk, a folder opened in front of her. She swallowed hard as she realized what the older woman had found. _Shit_, she thought, her stomach in knots. "Gemma?"

Gemma closed the folder with a snap, her dark green eyes narrowed as they looked up at her. "Where'd this come from?"

"The city morgue," she replied honestly, trying her best to remain calm. There was a valid reason she had the file on her desk other than the fact that Tara had asked for it. She just had to make sure Gemma believed her when she said it.

"Why do you have it?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Thought it'd be interesting. I pull files out all the time so I can see different injuries and think about how to make them look good. This time I got a stack of T's. Look underneath it, they're all there. Not my fault that one happened to be there."

Gemma frowned as she lifted the file and found four or five more files with last names that began with 'TE'. At least the undertaker was telling her some of the truth. "Doesn't explain this," she said, pointing out the post-it and the copies. "What's Tara want with it?"

"Dunno," she lied, shrugging her shoulders again. "She asked for it as a favor."

The Queen pressed her lips together as she looked her over. Something in Angela's tone told her that what she'd said was a lie. If Tara had asked her for the report, she was willing to bet that she'd explained why she wanted it. She wondered if Angela also had a hand in getting her other information "You get her that police report too?"

"Police reports are public domain, Gemma. If she has one, I didn't get it for her," Angela explained, trying her best to steer the conversation away from her. "Why does it matter?"

"I think you know exactly why it matters, _undertaker." _

"Is there a reason you came here, Gemma?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Or did you just want to look through my stuff?"

Gemma gave her a trite smile as she stood from her seat and walked over to Angela. The way the girl answered her question with another question was similar to the way Tara had avoided her questions as well. Both girls were incredibly smart, too smart for their own good, it seemed. "Just wanted to invite you to the Garden Benefit this week. Thought you might like to donate."

"I already have, thanks," Angela replied, seeing right through Gemma's lie. "That all?"

The queen nodded, picking up the folder from her desk and holding it out to her. When she went to grab it, Gemma pulled her in close. "Whatever you know, you best keep it to yourself, undertaker. And this," she said, invading the girl's personal space. "Doesn't get into Tara's hands. You hear me?"

Angela nodded slowly; biting back the urge to ask her what exactly would happen if she disobeyed. A show of disrespect like that wasn't needed and to ask would mean she knew the weight the report carried and why it'd be so dangerous in Tara's hands. "Loud and clear."

"Good," she said, walking right back out of the office and out the front door.

Once the door closed behind Gemma, Angela let out a long breath of air. She ran a hand through her hair as she sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk. She was under no illusion that she'd convinced Gemma that she didn't know anything about the letters. Though, Gemma hadn't outright asked if she knew, the Queen of SAMCRO had that knowing look in her eyes that put Angela on edge.

"Shit," she cursed, wondering why she had such a bad feeling about the whole situation. She didn't even know what was in those damn letters. "So much for staying out of Old Lady shit."

* * *

><p>After hearing about Piney's collapse, Angela swung by Lyla and Opie's house to pick up Kenny and Ellie so they could all go visit him. Piper had a play date with another friend, so she just had the Winston kids for the day. It'd been awhile since she'd last had just the two of them, and she found she'd missed it. As much as she loved Piper, his need for attention usually led his straight into trouble, and he always dragged Kenny into it with him. Without Piper there, however, Kenny was a little better behaved. He had less to prove and acted more like his normal self.<p>

Case in point, they were currently talking about books. A topic Kenny wouldn't have said a word about had Piper been there because apparently, Piper was too cool to read. Ellie was halfway through the _Twilight_ series and every bit as obsessed as all the other girls her age. "My Pop's in Washington. Have you ever been there?" Ellie asked Angela from the passenger's seat of the Mazda.

Angela smiled at her as she nodded. "I lived there for a few years, actually. Up in Tacoma. It's very pretty."

"Have you been to Forks?"

"Nope. Forks is like a three hour drive from Tacoma, and there's not much there."

"Oh." Ellie looked a little disappointed. "Well does it rain all the time? Like in _Twilight_?"

Kenny made a sound of disgust in the background which Angela agreed with, but she wasn't about to tell Ellie that. The books had gotten her to start reading and that was all Angela really cared about. "Not all the time but a lot," she answered with a small smile. "You start that book I got you yet, Ken?"

The boy nodded excitedly. "It's so funny, Ang! There's this one thing called the 'cheese touch'…"

Angela only half listened to him go into detail about the funniest part of his book, the other half of her brain was worrying about her encounter with Gemma and what it could mean. Not to mention the fact that they were currently heading over to St. Thomas to visit Piney who'd collapsed in Tara's office. Tara had told her she'd been talking to him about JT's letters just seconds before it happened. God, she hated those damn letters. "That's great, Ken. I'm glad you like it," she said on a laugh once the boy was finished talking.

"Gramps is all right, right?" Ellie asked after a moment.

"Oh yeah, he's fine. Oxygen levels were just off. He's got to stay there overnight, so I figured we'd go visit. Cheer him up a bit," she explained as she pulled into a parking spot.

She let the kids go into the room first, armed with fresh flowers from Rita's shop. After greeting Piney, she excused herself from the room and headed over to Tara's office. The door was open and Tara was sitting inside, flipping through charts. "Hey T," she greeted, startling the doctor slightly.

Tara gave her a friendly smile. "Hey Ang. Come to visit Piney?"

Angela nodded, digging her hands into her pocket as she walked in. She kicked the door closed behind her before sitting on the couch across the way. "Remember how you asked me for JT's autopsy report?"

"Yes," Tara said, dragging out the word in a questioning tone.

"Gemma stopped by my office today. I caught her going through my files. Had the copy of JT's file there with a post-it I'd written to you."

Tara's eyes widened as she processed the information. "Why the hell was she going through your files?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "That's a really good question."

"Did she confront you about the report?"

"What do you think?" she shot back on a smirk. "She told me to keep whatever I know to myself…which, ironically, isn't much."

Tara sighed, feeling terrible about getting Angela roped into this shit. "I'm sorry, Ang. I didn't think…"

Angela shook her head slowly. "Nah, it's on me. I shouldn't have left the file there but…no one ever comes to visit, T. Just Juice. Maybe Happy. She said she wanted to invite me to that Garden Benefit thing but...I doubt that. Why would she go through _my_ stuff? What did she think I was hiding?"

"She's getting paranoid. Maybe we should cool it on the time we spend together. Distance ourselves," Tara offered, shaking her head at how ridiculous the idea was. Angela was one of the few friends she trusted, but if it meant keeping her away from the potential danger of the letters; she was willing to give her some distance.

"This whole thing is so stupid. What is so bad about those fucking letters? I don't get it," she exclaimed, frustrated as hell by the situation.

Tara sighed again, looking over her at distraught friend. "Do you want me to tell you?"

Angela sucked in a deep breath as she considered it. Raking her hand through her hair, she exhaled as she shook her head. "No…I don't know…maybe?"

"Ang, that's not exactly helpful."

"I know, sorry. I'm just wondering if I'm already in too deep. If adding what you know to it would just make it even harder to dig myself out, y'know?"

"If Gemma thinks you know, you're not going to be able to dig yourself out. Trust me."

Angela bit her lip as she nodded. Tara was right. There was no way to prove to Gemma that she didn't know what was in the letters without admitting that she knew about the letters and if she told Gemma she knew about the letters, there was no way to prove she hadn't read them. She almost felt like it'd be better to read them and know what she was dealing with, that way if shit went down, she knew why. But her cousin's words ran through her head, '_Stay out Old Lady shit'_. This most definitely fell into the category.

Her stomach was in knots as she finally made her decision. "Just tell me this: why is Gemma so afraid of them?"

"They make her and Clay look responsible for JT's accident."

Angela ran a hand through her hair as she nodded. She'd had a feeling it was something like that. "Shit."

Tara nodded in agreement. She'd already felt some of the weight slip from her shoulders when she told Piney about it, now that Angie knew as well, the weight was getting easier to bear. "Yeah."

"I better go get the kids before they drive Piney crazy," she said, rubbing her palms on the thighs of her jeans before standing.

"Ang?" Tara's voice stopped her trek to the door. "This _has_ to stay between us."

The undertaker pulled her fingers across her lips as though she was zipping them closed. "My lips are sealed."

* * *

><p>Angela felt her lungs burn for air as she stopped in front of the white gravestone. She'd been sprinting through the cemetery, desperately trying to leave behind the heaviness of the day. It didn't help much though. All the secrets, the lies, everything was weighing on her shoulders. She couldn't believe the drama attached to that stack of old letters. Couldn't believe that she'd let herself become so involved with them. All for what? To help Tara? Would Tara have done the same for her? Angela wasn't so sure. Happy had warned her time and time again her selfless streak would get her in trouble, but she never truly believed him. Now, she was starting to understand where he was coming from.<p>

She wasn't an idiot. She recognized Gemma's veiled threat, and if Cherry and Tara's broken noses were any indication, the woman could cause some serious damage when she was angry and Angela didn't hold the same status as Tara. She wasn't engaged to Gemma's son, hell she wasn't even an Old Lady! She wouldn't be surprised if Gemma found a way to cut her out completely which meant she'd lose Juice.

She was already losing him though. He'd gone into prison a happy, goofy guy and had come out harder, more jaded. But that had been fine. She still saw the old Juice shining through every so often. Lately, since his encounter with Roosevelt, she hardly saw the goofy man she'd fallen in love with. Sure, he still smiled at her and joked with her, but behind those smiles were worry and fear. Something was weighing on him. Whatever it was, he refused to share it with her, and she couldn't help him through it if she didn't know what it was.

The feeling of helplessness overcame her. She was powerless when it came both to the letter matter and to Juice. The power of the emotion brought frustrated tears to her eyes, blurring the lettering of the gravestone in front of her but not enough to distort the words written on the bottom: _"We fight because we believe."_

Sucking in a deep breath, Angela drew strength from the words. She wiped away her tears and nodded. She was going to fight because she believed things would get better. She believed she could get through this, believed she could make everything go back to normal, and she was going to fight like hell until that happened.

Looking at the name on the headstone, she fought the urge to smile; the irony of the situation did not go unnoticed by her. It seemed the one person who'd unknowingly given her strength was part of the reason she'd needed it: John Thomas Teller.

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><p><strong>What'd you think!? Let me know in a review! I love hearing from you guys!<strong>

**Disclaimer 2: I do not own _Twilight_** **by Stephenie Meyers****nor do I own _Diary of a Wimpy Kid_ by Jeff Kinney (the book Kenny was talking about) and yes, I will admit to reading both of them. ;) **

**Coming up next: Episode 5, "Brick"**

**~Love Ink**


	45. All That Matters

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow! I know I PMed all of those that signed in but thank you to _brat_ as well for your review! :) **

**This chapter takes place during Season 4, episode 6: "With an X" and is probably one of my favorites so far. :)**

**I've been posting the music I listen to while writing on my Tumblr if y'all are interested! The links on my profile. If you have an good suggestions for songs, let me know! I always love adding new music to my playlist! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela everything else belongs to the amazing mind of Kurt Sutter**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 45: All That Matters_

_By Love Ink_

Juice trudged into his house feeling like shit. It was still early, just barely six o'clock, and he already felt like the weight on his shoulders had increased. His talk with Roosevelt had left him on edge. The Sheriff's intel had been a little too spot on. He'd known about the drugs, about the cartel. Whoever his important friends were, they had some serious reach, and Juice was afraid of what that meant for him. Blackmail was one hell of a motivator, and what Roosevelt had on him could make him lose everything.

He dropped his pack on the couch, kicking off his boots before padding his way to the bedroom. He stopped in the doorway, looking in to find Angela still in bed, the sheets tangled around her as though she'd been tossing and turning, her dark hair covering the pillow. He'd only been gone two days, and he'd missed her like crazy. Her dirty pictures and sexy texts hadn't helped either. Ever since they'd turned their bikes to Charming, he'd been desperate to get back to her. Roosevelt's little meet had interrupted that, taking his thoughts away from the naughty things he wanted to do to his girl and making him scared of what was to come. He knew the club would abandon him if they found out about his dad's race but would Angela? He knew the answer before he'd even finished asking himself the question. She wouldn't. In fact, he was pretty sure she'd be pissed he'd even considered it.

He stripped off his sweatshirt, hanging it on the hook by the door before taking off his shirt and pants and setting them in a neat pile on the chest at the foot of the bed. Slowly, he slid into bed behind her, draping an arm over her hip and pulling her in close.

Angela tensed briefly when she felt the arm wrap around her waist, pulling her into a warm body. The smell of leather, cologne, and the open road invaded her senses as she slowly opened her eyes. She relaxed into the man behind her briefly before she tuned, moving so she was facing him. "Hey you," she greeted around a yawn.

"Hey beautiful." He gave her a warm smile, one hand reaching up to brush a stray hair off her cheek. Leaning over, he caught her lips in a quick kiss.

"Welcome home," she murmured, moving in closer to him. Her lips pressed a kiss into his neck as her hand slid up his bareback, the heel of it just the right amount of pressure on his sore muscles.

He groaned as her strong fingers dug into the muscles at the base of his neck. "God, I missed you," he murmured into her hair.

Angela pulled back to smile at him, her eyes meeting his. In the dim morning light of their bedroom, she could still see the smallest hint of fear in his eyes and the knots in his back told her that he was stressed beyond belief. She'd never felt knots that big. What was going on with him?

"You're worrying again," he stated softly. "I can tell 'cause you get this cute little wrinkle right here." He kissed the wrinkle between her eyebrows, his thumb gently stroking over her cheek.

"You caught me," she said giving him a sheepish grin.

He pulled her in closer, tucking her head under his chin as his hands smoothed over her back. "I'm fine, Angel," he lied.

She didn't believe him, not for a second, but if that's what he wanted to tell her, what he _needed _to tell her, she'd let it slide. Nuzzling her nose against the bare skin of his chest, she kissed the tattoo of her name across his heart. "Okay, baby," she murmured, knowing she made the right decision not to confront him when he relaxed against her.

"You got work today?" he asked, moving to his back and pulling her with him so her head was against his chest.

"Not 'til the afternoon."

He yawned, pulling the covers up higher over both of them. "I'm gonna nap," he stated, closing his eyes, "and then I want what you promised me in those texts. Couldn't sleep the whole fuckin' night thinkin' of 'em."

Angela laughed as his hand slid lower down her back, dipping under the elastic of her boxers to settle on her ass. Moving her leg between his, she nodded against his chest. "Fair enough."

* * *

><p>Tara's hands shook as she picked up the phone and dialed Angela's number. She'd just found blank paper in the envelope that was supposed to contain the copies of the letters. It rang for awhile before Angela's cheery voice answered, "Angela Ruiz."<p>

"Ang, it's Tara. You busy?"

Angela looked down at the dead body on the table and sighed. "Kind of," she said, glad she'd thought to put her Bluetooth headset on before starting her work. It'd become a habit since Juice went inside to always have a way to answer the phone.

"I just…remember when you told me to make copies of that stuff to give to someone?"

It took her a minute to sort out that she was talking about the letters. Of course she was talking about the letters. Those damn things were the only thing they ever talked about. "Yeah."

"Well, I made the copies, and when I went to give 'em to Margaret…all I found were blank pages of paper."

Angela cursed under her breath, snapping off her gloves to run a hand through her hair. "Shit."

"Has Gemma come around your place? I figure she'd go there next."

"No because I don't _have_ a copy of those letters," Angela practically hissed into the phone.

"She doesn't know that."

"Fuck," she cursed, kicking at the table.

She heard Skeeter's voice come over the intercom. "Angie! Someone here to see you!"

Angela sighed, pulling off the rest of her protective gear. "I got to go. I have a vistitor. Might be her," she said begrudgingly shoving her stuff into the biohazard bin. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay," Tara answered on a sigh. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

Heading into her office, she stopped at the doorway, peeking her head in just in time to see Unser slam one of her desk drawers shut. "Hello," she greeted, catching the ex-Chief's attention. She hadn't had much interaction with him in the past which made his presence there even more suspicious. At least Gemma could get away with saying she just wanted to say hi. Having Unser there was a red flag if she'd ever seen one. She knew he had cancer, but if he was going to pull the whole "I want to plan my own funeral" thing, she might throw something at him.

"Oh. Hey there, Angie. How's it…uh…how's it going?"

Angela sighed heavily, shaking her head at the older man. "I don't have them."

"Have what, sweetheart?" he asked, playing dumb.

"The letters you're all going crazy about. I don't have them. I never did have them, and if you'd be so kind as to tell Gemma that, I'd very much appreciate it," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Unser leaned back in the chair as if it was his own office, not hers. "What's this then?" he asked pulling out the brown accordion folder she had in her desk drawer. "Gemma said the letters were in a folder like this."

Angela stared at him in disbelief. That folder. The one that held her resumes and pictures was what had gotten her into this mess? No wonder Gemma had followed her home after seeing her with that folder at Rita's shop! She'd taken it only to show Rita a flower arrangement someone had sent her a picture of, and Gemma had mistaken it as the one with all the letters. "Go ahead and look. It's just a bunch of pictures of dead people and some flowers."

He gave her a doubtful look as he opened up the folder and started pulling things out. "Jesus Christ," he muttered after seeing a particularly gruesome picture. "What the hell do you have all these for?"

"To show to potential clients because when I'm not neck deep in club shit, I'm an undertaker, if you haven't noticed."

Unser sighed, running a hand over his balding head. "Shit."

"Yeah. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. You can keep going through my desk if you really want to. I have nothing to hide," she said before turning on her heel and heading back to her work room.

"Wait, Angela!" the older man called after her. She stopped and turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest as she glanced at him expectantly. He sighed, running a hand over his bald head again. "You really don't know anything about them?"

She nodded. "I really don't," she stated only half lying. "Believe me; I've been trying to stay out of this whole ordeal since day one."

Unser sighed again in response. After years of being a cop, he had a pretty good sense of when people were lying, and she wasn't. He believed her when she said she knew nothing about the letters, but just because _he _believed her, didn't mean he could convince Clay of her innocence and that was what worried him. Clay had been the one to send him over there because Gemma had mentioned something about the undertaker, and to be honest, he'd gotten himself caught just to have a word with her, feel her out. He had a feeling she wasn't as involved as Gemma and Clay suspected. Now that he knew he'd been right, he was going to do his best to convince them to leave her alone. If history taught him anything, it was that Clay was dangerous when threatened. Unser had read those letters and if what they said were true, Clay had JT killed because he was threatening the gun trade. What made Tara and Angela any different? "I believe you, sweetheart," he said on a nod as he opened the front door. "Have a good day."

Angela gave him a weird look as if surprised by how easily the conversation had ended. "Thanks. You too," she said, a confused look on her face. As soon as the door closed behind him, she headed back down to her work room. Sinking down on the little stool in the corner and putting her head in her hands as she tried to think of what a visit from Unser could mean. Gemma already knew she didn't have the letters; why would she send him to come and double check? It made no sense. Sighing, she raked a hand through her hair. "I need a drink," she mumbled, her eyes on the half embalmed dead guy on the table. "I'll finish you up, sir, and then I'm finding a bottle of tequila."

She made quick work of her last client and headed straight home. She wasn't surprised when she pulled into the drive and Juice's bike was nowhere in sight. He'd texted her to say he'd be home late and not to worry. For once, she could honestly say she wasn't worried about him. She was worried about herself and what those damn letters could lead to. Sighing, she grabbed her bottle of tequila out of the cabinet and took a quick swig. The liquid burned her throat but did nothing to calm her nerves. She opened up the utensil drawer, rifling through it until she found a straw. It was one of those bendy plastic straws with loops in an obnoxious pink color that Ellie had gotten one day at the movies, but it would do. In a move she learned from Piney, she stuck the straw in the bottle and headed towards her room planning to drown herself in the alcohol so she wouldn't have to think about the crazy turns her life was taking and how helpless she was to steer herself clear of them.

* * *

><p>Juice had almost gotten a small sample of the coke out when Phil knocked on the door. Cursing the stupid prospect, he tucked the key into his pants and opened it, determined to go back once he was done telling Phil to go do his job. He'd almost gotten away with it too until the Mayan showed up. After giving the guy a lame excuse, he locked the door behind him; all the while he could feel the key of coke stashed down the front of his pants.<p>

The Mayan's dark eyes gave him a once over, making him feel uncomfortable. "You Angela's new man?" he asked.

Juice paused at the question, wondering how the hell the Mayan knew that. He shoved his hands deep into his sweatshirt pockets, hoping they hid the lump on his torso. "Yeah," he said quickly.

He looked him over again as if appraising whether he was worthy of Angela or not. After a minute, he nodded. "Take care a her."

" 'course," he replied on a nod. It was the first time Juice had ever talked to a Mayan about Angela, the first time he really saw how much they cared about her. He'd been so out of his head with worry the day the Mayans had helped them find Angela after she'd been kidnapped by Salazar; he hadn't really noticed how much they wanted to save her too. Now, Juice could see it in the other man's eyes and knew that if the Sons abandoned her because of something stupid he did, she'd always have the Mayans to take care of her. It was both an unsettling and comforting notion, and he hoped like hell it would never come to that.

The Mayan nodded in appreciation before heading to the door, pausing and waiting for him to leave. Juice nodded at him and hightailed it out of there going to hide in the brush on the side of the warehouse. He made himself comfortable against a tree as he decided he would put the key back later when the coast was clear.

* * *

><p>Angela woke up to her phone ringing. Groaning she opened one eye and was immediately met with a ray of sunlight that made her shut them again as the world spun around her. She reached out for the phone. "Yeah?" she grunted, foregoing her official greeting for a more informal one because of her current state.<p>

"Hey," Lyla's voice replied sounding a little shaken. "It's me."

"Sup, Lyla?" she asked, her words a little slurred.

"Are you okay?"

"Mmm," she hummed in response, reaching out for the almost empty tequila bottle next to her. It hadn't been all the way full when she'd started in on it, but she certainly had drunk quite a bit. "Just…tequila."

"Are you drunk?"

Angela sat up slowly, feeling a little miserable. She usually didn't get too hung over from tequila, mostly because she only bought the expensive kind, but after drinking about half the bottle, her head was pounding. "Sorta."

Lyla's responding laugh didn't sound all that natural. There was definitely something else bothering her. "Hey, did Juice come home last night?"

She glanced over to the other side of the bed and saw that it was a mess just like her side which either meant he'd slept in it or she did quite a bit of tossing and turning that night. She knew he hadn't been home when she'd passed out, but that didn't mean he hadn't come home at all; he could've easily come home late and left early. "I honestly have no idea. Why?"

"Ope didn't."

"Shit," was the only consoling word Angela had to offer in her state.

Lyla sighed. "I was going to stop by the clubhouse. See if they've seen him over there. Would you…would you come with me?"

Angela rubbed a hand over her face. The Sons' compound was the last place she wanted to go after what happened the day before. "Really, Ly? You're an Old Lady. You'll be fine."

"Please, Ang?"

With a sigh, she conceded, throwing back the covers and trying her best to not trip over her feet as she got out of bed. She fell flat on her face and laughed at herself. "Ly, I can't drive right now. I am not entirely sure I can walk, to be honest."

"I'll pick you up," she said on a laugh. "Be over in fifteen. I'll bring coffee."

After a emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet, a quick shower, a cold beer, and two aspirins, Angela was feeling a lot better. She heard the honk of the Prius and slowly made her way towards the door, already armed with sunglasses to combat the bright light of the outside world. With a grunt, she got into the passenger's side of the car and immediately slouched down into the seat.

"Hey sunshine," Lyla greeted on a laugh. Angela glared at her over the top of her sunglasses which only made the blonde laugh more. "Who were you drinking with?" she asked, holding out a coffee cup in a silent peace offering.

Angela eagerly took it and took a long sip. "Myself," she answered. At Lyla's shocked look, she shrugged. "What? I had a hard day at work."

Lyla didn't want to know what a hard day at work meant for an undertaker. "Juice wasn't around to drink with?"

"Nah, he was busy doing…whatever it is those boys do."

"Yeah, he was at the porn studio, but he left early. I heard him mention something about Clear Passages."

"Figures," Angela said on a smirk as they turned into the TM compound. She got out of the car a little slower than Lyla, groaning as she made her way over to where the blonde was talking to Tara and Gemma. She caught the tail end of the conversation, the obvious lie Gemma told Lyla about Ope not being there.

Standing next to Lyla, she tried hard to keep her face blank as both Tara and Gemma fed the blonde some bull shit about "lizard brain" and that Ope needed some time. Something was up, Angela could sense it; they were being way too nice. Her eyes discreetly looked around the parking lot and spotted the white Lexus with the personalized plate. _Shit_, she thought, hoping like hell Lyla wouldn't notice it. That was more drama she didn't need. Tara and Gemma said a quick goodbye before heading towards where Bobby and Tig had just pulled in leaving Lyla standing there with Angela.

"See? Told ya," Angela said, trying her best to reassure her while also blocking the view of Ima's car. Lyla wasn't stupid though. She saw the Lexus right away and after a muttered curse word, headed straight for the clubhouse. "Or not," she muttered, hurrying after Lyla.

She made it to the clubhouse just as Ima sauntered out as if she owned the place. Leaning against the wall for better balance, Angela listened to the whole ugly exchange, her fists clenched at her sides, ready to intervene if necessary.

"Hey, I was just following his lead," Ima stated, a cocky look on her face. "Married pussy is boring pussy."

Angela reached for Lyla grabbing her wrist and holding her back as she tried to launch herself at Ima. She'd seen the way the porn star had slyly reached into her purse and wasn't at all surprised when Ima pulled out the little pistol, aiming it straight at Lyla, and, by proximity, her as well. "Woah, easy," Angela said, holding up her hands to show she wasn't armed.

"Why him?" Lyla demanded, her voice shaking.

Ima didn't lower the gun. "You want answers, sweetheart? Why don't you ask the cock that was inside _me_ last night?"

Lyla covered her face, a loud sob escaping her lips as she headed towards the back of the clubhouse. Angela hesitated a moment, her eyes going to Gemma briefly as though asking for permission to follow. Gemma nodded in response. Slowly, Angela backed out of the room, not trusting Ima enough to turn her back on her.

Once clear of the main room, Angela walked down the hall just in time to see Lyla's high-heel shoe disappear up the ladder that led to the roof. "Oh fuck me," Angela cursed under her breath. She felt like shit. The last thing she wanted to do was climb up that ladder, but her friend needed her. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the first rung and started pulling herself up. She flipped open the little door and carefully climbed onto the clubhouse roof. "Y'know, I must really love you if I'm willing to risk my life climbin' that thing hungover."

"Thanks." Lyla let out a light laugh, leaning her head against Angela's shoulder as she sat down next to her. Angela was quiet as they sat there together, both immersed in their own thoughts. Lyla appreciated her silence; she didn't feel much like talking. She felt like crawling into a hole and dying. She hadn't been married all that long and he'd cheated on her. Worse, cheated on her with _Ima_ of all people. It just didn't make sense. Sure, he'd been distant, but she never thought he'd actually cheat on her. Not so soon after the wedding and definitely not with Ima. "What do I do now, Ang?"

"Have Ope tested for STDs?" Angela offered lamely.

Lyla smirked, shaking her head at her friend. Only Angela could make her smile when all she wanted to do was cry. "Is that what you would do?"

"I'm pretty sure Hap would slaughter Juice before I even got a chance to make that decision," she answered, only half joking.

"C'mon, Ang. Be serious."

Angela sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "I don't know. What you and Ope have is…different than what Juice and I have but…if we were married and he fucked Ima, then I'd seriously think about leaving him."

"But you wouldn't actually do it."

She shrugged a shoulder. "I'm old school. I take that whole 'til death' thing seriously. That's the way I was raised which is probably why Hap might actually kill my husband should he cheat. Make him disappear since he knows I won't leave him."

"Mmm," Lyla hummed in response, distracted by the group of men on bikes that had just rode in. She watched as Opie got off his bike, gasping when Piney knocked him down with his oxygen tank.

Angela laughed at the sight of the big man falling like a tree. She only wished she could've been there to hear what Piney said to him because she knew it had to be good. "At least you don't have to be the one to hit him."

Lyla scowled at her, but a smile still tugged at the corners of her lips. She sniffled lightly as she wiped at her eyes. "What do I say to him?"

"You'll know. As soon as you see him, you'll know what to say, what to do," she answered confidently. "And if you don't, take his lead."

As if on cue, the small door in the floor opened and Opie climbed out. Angela patted Lyla's shoulder reassuringly as she stood up. "Hey Ang," he greeted on a nod.

"Ope." Angela gave him a nod back, a look of disapproval on her face as she climbed back down the ladder and into the clubhouse. Instead of going back to the barroom, she headed into Juice's dorm room. Closing the door behind her, she made sure it was locked before lying down on the bed. Grabbing the pillow, she smiled when she realized it smelled like her shampoo which meant she was the last one to sleep there. She closed her eyes tiredly as she sunk into the cozy bed hoping she could sleep her hangover away.

She hadn't been asleep long when her phone rang. Sighing, she pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID. It was the prepay Hap had used last time he'd called her. "Hey cuz," she greeted, sitting up in the bed and pulling her legs into her chest.

"Hey kid," Happy's gruff voice greeted her in response. "Got a question."

"I got an answer," she replied, picking at a hole in her jeans.

"Your man come home last night?"

Angela's brows furrowed together as she tried to remember. The events from the night before were hazy at best. "I don't know."

"You don't _know_?" Happy's voice repeated flatly. "How the hell do you not know?"

She raked a hand through her hair, knowing her answer was likely to piss him off. "I may or may not have drunk half a bottle of tequila last night which may or may not have led to me passing out on my bed around tenish."

"_Jesus_, kid," he cursed. "What'd you do that for?"

"Long day at work. Needed something to take the edge off."

"Most people fuck for that."

"Do you really want to go there, Hap?" she asked, smirking to herself.

Happy sighed into the phone, rubbing his temples with his thumb and pointer finger. He'd called Angela because he had the sneaking suspicion that Juice was the one who'd stolen that key of coke. His whole "wait and see" idea was total bullshit, a move only a guilty man would try. Hap had no doubt the idiot would try and sneak the kilo back in himself while they gave the prospects their "space." If Juice hadn't gone home the night before, he had to have slept there, which meant the kilo was nearby. The only person who'd know that information, however, was Angela, and she was proving unhelpful. "His side of the bed looked slept in?"

"Yeah. Where's this comin' from, Hap? Is there something I should know?"

"Somethin' went missin'. Just want to rule him out. Don't worry about it, kid," he said, watching Juice head off into the brush to "take a piss." Take a piss, his ass. The idiot was guilty, and if his little cousin's happiness didn't rely on that mohawked asshole, Hap would expose him for the lying bitch he was. But Angela did love him, and Happy wasn't one hundred percent sure about his suspicion. He wasn't about to jeopardize his cousin's happiness on a gut feeling even if it meant that Juice would get away with it.

He heard his cousin sigh. "I really hate when you say that."

"I know," he replied on a smirk. That's when he heard the gunshots. "Shit. I gotta go, kid." He didn't give her time to reply, just hung up the phone and jogged after Chibs in the direction Juice had just disappeared in.

* * *

><p>Angela headed back into the barroom, giving a quick nod to Gemma in greeting. She noticed Tig there talking to a younger girl, Chucky staring at her longingly from her place at the bar. Bobby sat close by, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation. The curly haired man nodded at her. "Ang. Got a minute?"<p>

She stopped, raising an eyebrow as she nodded. "Yeah. What's up?"

"Somethin' happened with your boy. He's on his way over to Jax's place to get patched up. You should probably head over," Bobby said slowly.

"Patched up," she repeated softly, her brow creased in worry. Her mind raced through all of the scenarios that could've happened as she patted her pockets for her car keys. "Shit. I don't have my car!"

Gemma gave her a sympathetic smile as she pushed off of the bar. "C'mon, undertaker. You can take the truck. I'll have one of the guys pick it up later."

"Thanks, Gemma," she said, following the older woman out to the TM office.

Gemma dangled the key over the girl's awaiting palm. "Don't speed with it, all right. You got time. Boys just got there."

Angela nodded quickly, anything to make her give her the key faster. Once Gemma lay the key in her hand, she was off, sprinting towards the truck and hopping into it. It wasn't the easiest thing to drive, but she managed it just fine as she sped her way out of the compound, not paying any mind to what Gemma had just said.

She pulled up to the front of Jax's house and sprinted up the walk, ringing the doorbell quickly. Phil opened the door, a grim look on his face. "Hey Ang."

"Where is he?" she demanded, brusquely brushing by him into the house.

"In the kitchen. Doc's on her way," the Prospect explained, not at all offended by her discourtesy. He could see the panic in her eyes, understood the need she had to see Juice.

Angela nodded quickly before pausing a moment, as if she realized how rude she was being. "Thanks Phil."

Phil smiled shyly as he nodded. That was the polite Angie he was used to. "No sweat, Ang."

The pain was blinding as Juice sat there on Jax's kitchen chair, blood slowly oozing from his wound into the dishrag Rat was currently holding to it. He clung desperately to the edge of the table, struggling against the need to scream as his leg throbbed. That's when he saw her, rushing into the kitchen like she was there to save him. "Angel," he gasped out, reaching out a bloodied, hand to her.

She rushed to him, moving around Rat and taking his hand into her own. "I'm here, baby," she murmured, stepping between his legs and pressing a quick kiss to his lips as he wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face into her stomach, using the cloth of her tank top to muffle his cries of pain. He grabbed the back of her top in a tight fist, his other hand gripping her thigh, squeezing tighter with each new wave of pain. Now that she was there, one hand slowly smoothing back and forth over his head while the other rubbed his back, he found the pain a little easier to bear. "I got you Juice," she whispered, kissing his head. "I got you."

It broke her heart to see him suffer, and though she wanted desperately to know what happened, she kept quiet knowing that asking him now wouldn't help him any. From what she could tell, someone had shot him in the thigh, a through and through by the way there was blood slowly dripping onto the rag Rat had dropped onto the floor when he'd left in an effort to give them some privacy.

It wasn't long after Angela had gotten there that Tara hurried in. Her heart warmed a little at the sight before her. Angela and Juice were literally tangled up in each other, so much so that it was hard to tell where one stopped and the other began. She handed off Abel and Thomas to Phil and Rat before stepping inside the kitchen, clearing her throat to catch their attention. Angela lifted her head up, slowly unwrapping her arms from around Juice's head and neck, but when she went to move away, he held tightly to her shirt, keeping her close. "Hey Doc," he greeted, grimacing slightly as a new wave of pain rushed over him.

Tara noticed the pained look on Angela's face mirrored the one on Juice's; the undertaker was clearly suffering with him. Jax had filled her in on what happened on her way home from the hospital, and she'd brought the appropriate tools to take care of it. "Hey," Tara replied on a small smile. "How are you feeling, Juice?"

" 'm fine," he lied, clenching his teeth to fight back against the pain.

Angela shook her head infinitesimally as she met Tara's gaze, a subtle way of telling her he was not okay. Tara sighed as she set her bag down on the counter and pulling out a syringe and a small bottle. "I got a local anesthetic for you anyways. It'll make it easier for me to stitch you up. Ang, do you mind…exposing the area."

She blinked at her, trying to process what she meant while Juice's fingers dug into her thigh. "Yeah, okay," she said after a minute. She grabbed the pair of scissors that Tara was holding out to her. "Juice, baby, ya got to let go so Tara can help you."

He nodded slowly, his doe eyes watching her as she kneeled down next to his leg and started to cut the fabric of his pants. She made one quick cut and pulled at the sides, ripping the rest of it up to the bottom edge of his boxers. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest when she uncovered the entrance wound on the front of his thigh. She swallowed back a comment and looked to Tara. "What now?" she asked, standing up once again, her arm draped over his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist, fingers digging into the skin of her hip.

Tara made quick work of injecting the local anesthetic just as Chibs walked through the door. With Chibs' help, they managed to get Juice onto the kitchen table on his back first. The Scot watched as the undertaker moved immediately to her man's side, taking his hand in hers and setting her chin on the table by his head so they were eye to eye. As Chibs helped Tara tend to the wound, he snuck glances at the couple. They were whispering things to each other; every so often the smallest hint of a smile would appear on Juice's face, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

When they finished up with the front of his leg, Tara had Juice turn over onto his stomach. Angela moved with him, her hand slipping into his once again as she leaned her forehead against his muscular arm. She watched Tara work in silence, every so often squeezing Juice's hand to reassure him she was there, but Juice was a million miles away. His brown eyes staring unfocused at the kitchen counter that was littered in bloodied gauze. She looked down at their hands and realized they were both bloody as well, though she had no clue how they got that way.

Juice was there. At that field in the middle of nowhere replaying what happened with Miles in his head over and over again. The discovery, the struggle, the blood. So much blood, raining down on him, covering him, making him feel sticky and dirty. He'd done his best to wipe it off, asking for a wet cloth as soon as he got to Jax's, but it hadn't done much good. It was everywhere. Covering his arms, Angela's arms, spots of it on her shirt, her jeans. It seemed everywhere he'd touched her, he'd left a bloody print as though he was transferring his guilt onto her. The idea of that made him feel worse than before.

He felt a soft pressure in his hand, pulling him out of his memory. Turning his head to the side, he met her stare and squeezed her hand back. She pressed a discreet kiss to his shoulder, her worry filled eyes never leaving his, and he squeezed her hand harder. Words could not express how thankful he was to have her there. To have her strength to draw from when he was at his weakest.

Tara finished up her job, taking off her gloves with a snap. She stood back, grabbing Angela's arms and pulling her away as Chibs helped Juice stand. "His injuries need to be cleaned and re-dressed every other day," the doctor explained, her eyes on her friend's face. Angela's eyes were still on Juice as Chibs started helping him to the door.

Angela barely heard her. Watching Chibs walk with Juice, she realized that Juice was wearing the same clothes from the night before meaning he hadn't come home. Juice was OCD about his clothes; never wearing the same thing twice especially if it hadn't been washed. The fact that he was still wearing that white tee and grey pants meant she'd spent the night alone and whatever suspicion Happy had was correct. It was another secret she'd have to keep. A secret more important than that of the letters. If Hap found out Juice was guilty, he'd kill him; she didn't doubt that for a second. She'd seen Happy kill for much less.

"Ang?" Tara's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She shook herself out of her thoughts. "Yeah, got it," she answered, breaking out of her little trance. "Hey, so…Unser paid me a visit today. Thought I had the letters. Seems we have the same brown folder."

"Jesus, Ang."

Angela nodded slowly before smiling sadly. "Guess we're in this together now, huh? Daughters of Disorder and all."

"That's not what I wanted," Tara assured her, seeing right through her attempt at humor. "Ang, I'll talk to Gemma. Tell her you don't have a part in this."

She shook her head, that sad smile still on her face. "Too late for that. Nothin' you can do," she said, patting the doctor's shoulder. "It's all right. We'll make it through just fine. What are they going to do, kill us?"

Tara tried for a smile but found she couldn't pull it off. Oh, how little Angela knew about the ways of the club. Clay wouldn't hesitate to kill them; he'd killed more significant people before. "Yeah. Funny," she said on a flat laugh.

Angela's eyes widened in fear at Tara's response. It was clear the doctor knew something she didn't. "Jesus Christ, T. Do you think we're in danger? Because of these stupid _letters_?" she asked, shock evident in her voice. "It's just a bunch of writing on paper!"

She shook her head quickly. "No, no. We'll be fine. Promise," she assured her, though she wasn't quite sure of that statement. "Just…focus on taking care of Juice for right now."

Angela nodded, shoving her shaking hands in her pockets as she walked with her friend to the door. "Always do," she said, trying not to let the fact that her life might be in danger because of some stupid letters get to her.

"And…take care of yourself," she added on, a concerned look in her eyes. "Don't let this club bullshit get to you. Like you said, we'll make it through."

"Hope so," Angela replied heading down the walk and towards the truck. Chibs held open the door for her, allowing her to slip into the middle before climbing in himself.

Juice was sitting slumped against the seat, his eyes focused on the window as they pulled away from the small house. She hooked her pinky around his, and he laced his fingers between hers, his eyes still on the window.

Once they pulled into the drive, Chibs helped Juice out of the truck, letting Angela go before them to open up the door. The two men headed into the bedroom while Angela went to the kitchen. Opening up the drawers and cabinets, she found what she was looking for and started in on her task.

Chibs was surprised when he walked into the kitchen to find Angela rolling a joint. He gave her a small smile, clapping her on the shoulder. "What ye got there, Angie-girl?" he teased, leaning his back against the counter next to her. "Thought the doctor gave him somethin' for the pain."

"Not all pain is physical," she replied softly.

His gloved hands covered hers, pulling her attention from the joint and to his face. "He needs _you_ for tha', love. Not this shit."

Angela put down the joint, her shoulders sagging slightly. "What happened, Chibs?"

"Not my place to say. Ask him," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. "Yer a good girl, Angie. Juicy-boy's lucky to have ye."

"Thanks," she said, giving him a small smile.

Chibs squeezed her shoulder before kissing her temple softly. "Take care of 'im, Angie. He needs you," he repeated before he headed out the front door.

Angela slowly walked into their room to find Juice sitting up; his back against their headboard, head tilted back, eyes closed. She sat down on the edge of the bed by his hip so she was facing him. He opened his eyes, the look in them sending a chill down her spine. He looked completely broken to the point of just being numb. "Killed a man today," he stated, his voice cracking as spoke. He took her hand in his, his eyes on her fingers as he played with them. "A brother," he corrected with a shake of his head. "Miles."

She was silent as she waited for him to finish his story. "I caught him with a stolen key of coke," he explained, the necessary lie leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "He pulled his gun on me. We fought. I shot him to keep him from killing me."

She reached out a hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks, tears he hadn't realized he'd shed. "You were protecting yourself, Juice," she stated as his eyes met hers. "Protecting yourself and the club. Who knew what he was going to do with that blow?"

Juice shook his head slowly. "He was my brother, Angel. I killed my own brother. How is that okay?"

"Because it was for your club, your family," she explained. At his doubtful look, she sighed. "My cousin has this tattoo that says, '_I live. I die. I kill. For my family._' That's what you did today, Juice. It was a shitty situation, but you did what you had to do to protect the things you love. That doesn't make you a bad guy; it makes you a strong one, a loyal one. The guy that I love."

His eyes widened as he realized what she'd just said. It wasn't the traditional three words but the meaning was the same. He saw a flicker of fear traipse across her face as she looked down at their hands, a small blush rising to her cheeks as though she was a little ashamed she'd said it first. He took her face in his hands, lifting it so their eyes could meet. "Love you too, Angel," he said, his voice sounding rough even to his own ears as he pulled her in for a kiss.

He felt her lean into him as he deepened the kiss, and in that moment, he forgot about the whole mess he'd gotten himself into. All he could think about was the girl who loved him. The girl he loved back. And at that moment…_she_ was all that mattered.

* * *

><p><strong>So? What do you think? As always, I love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, likes, dislikes, etc. so write them to me in a review! :D<strong>

**Coming up next: Fruit for Crows.**

**~Love Ink**


	46. Helpless

**Sorry it took me so long to update! This chapter was particularly hard to write...I still don't like it as much as the last one, but I hope you do! :) **

**Thanks to all those that reviewed, favorited, and followed. I know I PM'ed all of who signed in, but thanks also to: **_**Guest**_ (Thank you),_** Stephanie**_ (Merci! I'm glad you understand English too because my french is terrible! ;]), _**Jean**_(Thank you so much! I've written a few versions of Koz's death and they're not very pretty so far...), **and** _**Brat** (_Thank you! More is here! ;))

**This chapter takes place during Season 4, Episode 7: "Fruit for Crows".**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 46: Helpless_

_By Love Ink_

Angela woke up with a start when Juice practically shouted her name. He was tossing and turning in the bed, a thin sheen of sweat covering his bare torso. "Juice!" she shouted, sitting up next to him. She knew better than to touch him. Once when Kozik was having a nightmare on her couch back in Tacoma, she'd shaken him awake and had almost gotten a fist to the face. "Wake up, baby!"

Juice came to with a jolt, sitting straight up, eyes wild as they took in his surroundings. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. He could still see the images from his nightmare vividly in his mind. An unknown club member had stood at the edge of the land where Charming heights was just starting to be constructed, his back to him while Angela stood next to the unknown brother. Juice had been facing them, his arms held back by a force he couldn't see. Between him and the two things he loved most was a dark figure with a silver gun. The shooter was threatening to kill them both if he handed over the sample of coke he'd stolen. At Juice's protests, he'd shot the member in the back, right through the Reaper on his cut. The shooter then repeated his request, aiming the gun at Angela.

Angela remained calm at always, that look in her eyes that showed just how dangerous she could be. Juice watched as she took a step forward, prepared to lunge at the man with the gun. Juice had been able to break free then, just long enough to grab the knife at his hip and sink it into the shooter's stomach just as Angela lunged for the gun. He'd looked up to see who the shooter was, but instead of finding the anonymous shooter's face, he'd seen Angela's eyes, wide with fear. Her blood ran over his hands as they both slowly fell to the ground. He watched as the light faded out of her eyes at the same he heard the soft click of a gun safety disengaging behind him. Without looking, he knew it was Happy; the Tacoma killer there to protect his little cousin. With one quick shot, he killed the unknown shooter just before Juice felt the cold, metal barrel of the gun press into the back of his skull. The last words he heard Happy say before he woke up still rang in his ears. "Time to die, rat."

Turning to the side, he was relieved to find Angela sitting there next to him, alive and breathing. He threw his arms around her, pulling her into his chest as he buried his face into her neck, pressing his lips to her throat to feel her steady pulse. "You're here," he whispered.

"Of course I'm here, goofy," she said softly. She kissed his temple, rubbing her warm hands up and down his back as she held him tightly to her. "What happened?"

He pulled away, shaking his head at her as he ran a hand over his face. "Nightmare," he explained, lying back down with a relieved sigh. She stayed sitting up, her worried eyes looking him over apprehensively. He grabbed her hand, tugging her to him. "I'm all right, Angel," he assured her. "It's just a dream."

That was a lie if she'd ever heard one. She'd seen the panicked look on his face when he'd woken up, felt him shaking as he calmed down…whatever he'd seen in his dreams must have been terrifying, but if he wanted to play the strong card, she'd let him. "Okay," she murmured, laying her head on his chest. With her ear pressed over his heart, she could still hear its rapid beating.

Juice kept one arm around her shoulders, his fingers slowly trailing up and down the skin of her arm as he tried to calm down. His nightmare was a clear warning that what he was doing wasn't going to turn out well for anyone. That if he continued, it'd end up hurting not just the club, but Angela as well. He couldn't risk that. No, he was going to get out of it. Somehow, he'd find a way. "It's going to be okay, Angel. I'm gonna keep you safe," he promised her. "Always."

Angela looked up at him, brows furrowed in confusion. Whatever his dream was, it'd seriously shaken him; she could see it in his eyes. Something bad had happened, maybe to him, maybe to her…whatever it was, he thought it was necessary to assure her of what she already knew. "I know," she said, nodding her head against his chest.

She remembered her cousin's words from the day before about what helped take the edge off of a hard day and smiled. Turned her head, she pressed a soft kiss to the 'A' on the tattoo over his peck before slowly working her way up his neck, her hand sliding down his chest towards his boxers.

He gave her a confused look. "What're you doin', baby?" he asked, swallowing hard as she nipped at his ear.

"Showin' you how much I care," she whispered, her hot breath sending shivers down his spine.

Juice caught her lips with his own, tangling his hands into her hair as his tongue slipped into her mouth. Gently, he turned them over so she was on her back underneath him. He knew she was giving him a much needed release and once again found himself thanking God for her. How she knew just what to say, what to do to make him feel better never ceased to amaze him. He pulled his lips away from hers for a brief moment, his eyes locking onto her dark, lust-filled gaze. "Love you, Angel."

She smiled up at him, her hand gently stroking over the back of his mowhawk. "Show me, Juan Carlos."

* * *

><p>They lay together afterwards, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Juice slowly, trailed his finger up and down her arm as he looked at her. For that brief moment in time, he felt like everything would be okay. That it would work itself out. He'd make a deal with Roosevelt, save the club from RICO, and keep his girl safe. Once it all blew over, maybe he'd think about pressing Angela to get the crow or maybe he'd start looking at rings, just something to move their relationship forward. She deserved that much.<p>

He looked over her shoulder at the lamp behind her, just noticing the rosary that was draped over the lampshade. Though he knew Angela was pretty religious, he'd never really thought about it. Sure, when he was younger he'd gone to Church with his mother and knew his prayers like any good Catholic boy, but he'd let it slide once he started prospecting. The club had become his religion of sorts, and he hadn't needed it anymore. "Where'd you get that rosary?"

Angela raised an eyebrow, looking over her shoulder to where his gaze was focused. "Oh, this old thing?" she asked, pulling it off the shade before turning back to him.

"Yeah," he answered. "Never seen one like it."

"My aunt gave it to Hap. She wanted him to have something holy on him and thought the Reaper might entice him to keep it," she explained, rubbing her thumb over the little wooden reaper. "It didn't. He gave it to me, jokingly telling me to pray for him because God might actually listen if I did…whatever that means."

"Cause you're an angel, Angel," he said only half teasing.

Angela rolled her eyes at him, though she considered it a small triumph that she'd gotten him to make a joke. The last few days, his teasing had become scarce and she'd missed it. "Goof," she murmured, watching as his fingers started playing with the wooden beads of the rosary chain. "Want to borrow 'em? Sometimes praying helps clear my head, takes a weight off my shoulders…maybe it'll help you."

It wasn't a bad idea. Juice was willing to try anything to make the bad feeling he had in the pit of his stomach go away. "Yeah, sure," he said, holding out his palm to her. She put the rosary into his awaiting hand before kissing his forehead. He smiled at her as he closed his fingers around it. "Thanks, baby."

"Anytime," she said around a yawn.

Slowly, he got out of bed, pulling on his boxers and a fresh pair of pants. "I'm gonna go for a ride and…use them, I guess. You should get some sleep," he explained, pulling on a black t-shirt. Usually, he'd ask her to go with him, but this time he needed to be alone, needed to sort shit out by himself.

She sighed, watching as he strapped on his knife and tucked his gun into his holster. "Okay. Stay safe, Juice."

He nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as he leaned over to kiss her before heading out the door. He didn't ride around much, choosing to go out to the spot where he knew Miles was buried. When he finally got there, he crouched down, his eyes transfixed to the unmarked grave in front of him. Tugging the Rosary beads out of his pocket, he began to say the Act of Contrition. "_Oh my God, I am utterly sorry if I've offended you…_" he began, whispering the words he knew so well from Sunday school back when he was a kid. He repeated them mechanically, his mind a whirl of images. Roosevelt's knowing smirk, Miles' face just before he shot him, Clay's proud look when he found out about Miles, Angela's dark worried eyes. All these images flashed through his mind on repeat as he recited the prayer in hopes that it might save his soul.

* * *

><p>Angela trudged into the funeral home, still half asleep despite the two cups of coffee she'd downed. She stopped in the main entryway when she spotted a teenaged boy sitting on one of the plastic covered couches, apparently waiting for someone. "Hello," she greeted politely. "Can I help you?"<p>

"Um…Skeeter said to wait here for the other undertaker. I'm gonna be apprenticing with him," the young man explained, brushing a curly hair off of his forehead.

She smirked, of course he thought the undertaker would be male. "So you're the new guy. I'm the undertaker, actually. Angela Ruiz," she said holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Oh. _Oh_. You're a chick that's…cool," he said obviously nervous. "I'm Leonard Kelley but my friends call me Bones."

"Bones," Angela repeated flatly. "Is there a reason you're called Bones?"

He nodded excitedly. "Yeah, on Star Trek…"

"Say no more," she interrupted with a smile. Skeeter was also a big fan of Star Trek, and they'd gotten into many an argument about the whole Star Trek vs. Star Wars dilemma. Mostly to combat boredom when they were light on work. She wondered if Skeeter chose the kid solely for his love of Star Trek. "_I'm a doctor not a physicist. _I get it."

"Dude, _yeah_," he said, clearly impressed with her knowledge. "Are you a fan?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder indifferently. "Not particularly," she replied, more to get out of talking more about it than anything. It wasn't that she didn't like it, she just liked Star Wars more. "C'mon, I'll show you your new place."

Bones nodded, following her outside. He checked her out discreetly as she walked in front of him, thinking about how her grey work slacks clung to all the right places. She was wearing a simple black camisole, but he'd seen a grey blouse draped over the chair in the office. Something he'd seen as strange originally, but now it made sense. "So am I gonna be working with you or…" he trailed off, hoping he'd be working with her and not with the old sweaty dude.

"Primarily with me, I guess," she replied as she climbed the stairs, key already in hand. A white piece of paper shoved under the mat caught her eye. She picked it up before opening up the door. "It's not much but it's fully furnished. Just needs a couch, if you want one. You can go ahead and explore."

"Nice," he said looking around the room before heading down the hallway.

While Bones was discovering his new abode, Angela unfolded the white sheet of paper. Her breath caught in her throat when she read the simple type: _I'm going to hurt you, then kill you undertaker whore. _"Shit," she murmured just as her phone went off. "Angela Ruiz."

"Hey sweetheart," Gemma's tired voice replied. "Tara just found a death threat in her car. You get anything?"

Angela fingered the note, contemplating on whether to admit she had it or not. Her mind was walking on overdrive. How could she and Tara be the only ones to receive threats? If an outside entity was trying to get at their boys wouldn't they go through Tara and _Gemma_? Where the hell did she fit into it? It didn't make sense. Unless…unless whoever had sent the note was trying to hint at the dangers of the letters, in which case, it'd probably be better for Gemma _not_ to know about the note. "Nope," she answered, ripping up her note into tiny pieces. She felt stupid for being so paranoid about the letters, but she couldn't help it; Tara had officially freaked her out when she said they were dangerous.

"You sure? Kinda seemed a little hesitant."

"I was checking through my mail again," she lied, watching as Bones walked back into the kitchen.

Gemma's sigh was audible on the other end. "You should get to the clubhouse, anyway. We can keep you safe just in case."

"Gemma, I'm working…"

"Now, or I'll sic Hap on ya. We're puttin' all the old ladies on lock down," she ordered. Angela was about to interrupt when Gemma cut her off, "Yes, you _are_ an Old Lady. Act like one."

With that the phone went dead. Angela looked at the little piece of technology, her fingers closing tightly around it as she fought the urge to throw it across the room. "This place is pretty chill," Bones stated, completely oblivious to Angela's inner turmoil.

"Yeah," she answered curtly. "I got to go talk to Skeeter. You all right up here?"

Bones nodded, leaning against the counter across from her. "Sure, 'course," he said on another nod.

Angela gave him the best smile she could before heading down the back stairs that led straight into the funeral home. Turning into the front office, she was relieved to see Skeeter there. "Hey Skeet. Do we have anything on schedule today?"

"Nah. Just showin' Bones around, getting him acclimated," he said flipping through a magazine idly. "You got somethin' to do?"

"Club drama. Gemma wants me to go down to the clubhouse."

"Go 'head, sweetheart," he said, pushing himself away from the desk and ambling towards her. "I'll get the Bonehead."

"Thanks, Skeet." Angela pecked his cheek quickly as she made her way out the door. In the years she'd been working at Dubrowski's they'd developed a familial sort of relationship. He was like that creepy uncle everyone had and loved. "Call me if anything comes up."

He nodded, giving her a quick wink. Like hell he'd call her. If the club needed her, he wasn't about to interrupt unless they had a really complicated case. He could handle simple embalmings and cremations just fine on his own. "Will do, Ang."

* * *

><p>Angela pulled into TM just behind Unser's truck. She parked and quickly got out when she recognized the blue Ford. She'd stolen that truck many times in her youth and was surprised it was still running. She spotted Raffa first, his arms around Marcus' shoulders as he and Pedro helped the Mayan President down from the big truck. Alvarez was clearly injured, blood spotting his hand that was pressed to the wound. "Shit," she cursed, rushing over to where Raffa and Pedro were helping Alvarez out of the truck. "<em>Que paso<em>?" she asked Raffa as she fell into step next to him. (What happened?)

"_No te preocupas,_ _'mana,_" Raffa replied, brushing her off as they headed inside the clubhouse. "This don't involve you." (Don't worry, sis)

She scowled at him, moving to greet Gemma."Go help Tara," the Queen instructed, gesturing towards the clubhouse just as Unser approached them.

Angela nodded, hitching up her pants and chasing after the group of Mayans and Sons. She hesitated at the doors to the chapel, peeking in to find the boys helping Alvarez onto the big redwood table. She'd never been inside and knew better than to just walk in uninvited. It was a sacred club place meant only for the Sons and their business. Tara was already inside, pulling her hair back and snapping on gloves, but that was understandable; Tara was not only the VP's Old Lady, but the resident shot doctor. Angela was neither, and she didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

"C'mon, Angie-girl," Chibs said clapping her on the shoulder and gently pushing her over the threshold. "Need your help."

As soon as she stepped in, Tara tossed her a pair of latex gloves. At Angela's questioning look, she explained, "Need another set of hands to keep pressure on it while I get ready. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, definitely," Angela answered, snapping on the gloves. She gave Marcus a small smile in greeting.

"_Gusto a verte otra vez, mija_," he said between painful breaths. "_Lastima que es durante estas circumstancias." _(Good to see you again. Too bad that it is under these circumstances)

"You too," she replied, pressing the gauze into the bullet wound. She grimaced as he grunted in pain.

Chibs gave her a curious look as he rolled a joint. "You understand Spanish, Angie-girl? Didn't know tha'."

"Yeah," she said on a sigh, wondering how the new knowledge would come bite her in the ass. She had a feeling most of SAMCRO didn't speak Spanish and while Hap knew the slang terms, he didn't know enough to really understand it.

Tara swatted her hands away, a pair of roach clips at the ready. "Let me see the wound."

Angela stepped back, putting the bloodied gauze on the table and taking the seat Chibs had nodded at. She watched as Chibs lit up the joint and handed it to Alvarez. If only Esai could see his father now. She knew he'd give him shit for the joint, especially since Marcus had gone ape shit when he'd caught them smoking weed in high school. Her eyes met Raffa's; she could tell by the smirk on his face that he was thinking the same thing.

"Keep the pressure on it," Tara instructed, moving to get the anesthetic.

Angela easily stepped around the doctor and pressed her hand against the wound. She looked up as Tig and Clay walked in, Juice appearing behind them. Her eyes stayed on the slump of his shoulders as he headed towards the safe. He hadn't noticed her there yet, so she took the opportunity to really look at him. She could tell by his posture that he was still feeling guilty. This thing with Miles was far from over.

"Ang, I need to get in there," Tara said, the loaded syringe in her hand. Angela quickly snapped out of her study and moved out of the way.

Juice turned from the safe when he heard Tara say her name. She was standing next to Chibs, gloved hands covered in blood. Her eyes met his briefly, and she smiled, that worried look in her eyes. He tried to remember a time in the past couple of days when she wasn't worried about him and found he couldn't come up with one. He wished there was a way to assure her that he was okay. That everything would be fine so she would stop worrying so much.

"What happened to you? Jax was very concerned," Alvarez asked Tara.

Tara didn't answer him, just nodded towards Angela before removing her hand. Angela stepped in, putting more pressure on the wound as Tara went to disinfect. "She found a note in her car," Clay answered for her. "Death threat."

Juice's head snapped up from where he was getting the guns at that word. "_Death threat_?" he repeated, his eyes going over to Angela. If Tara had gotten one, it was within reason that she had too. Angela's body tensed up and she wouldn't look at him, her gaze was firmly fixated on Alvarez's wound, her jaw ticking as she listened to the rest of the men theorize about who had sent the letter. There was something she was hiding; he could feel it.

"Talking in families is what drug cartels do," he said, interrupting Clay's bullshit theory that it was a local threat. His eyes never left Angela, though she was doing her best to ignore him.

Angela's phone went off at the same time Chibs' did. "Work," she explained on a grimace. Chibs nodded, placing his hand over hers to take her place as he answered his phone with a free hand.

She snapped off her gloves and walked out of the room. After a quick talk with Skeeter about where the spare key to the apartment was, she hung up, turning to find Juice there just inches away from her. "You got a letter," he accused, his voice a low whisper. Luckily, everyone else was inside the chapel and couldn't hear them.

She hesitated, not wanting to add more to his plate. "Juice…"

He shook his head quickly, cutting off whatever excuse she was going to use. "Don't lie to me, Angel. You got one too, didn't you?"

Angela hung her head, her eyes on her boots as she nodded. "Yeah. At the funeral home."

"Shit," Juice cursed, rubbing a hand over his head. He'd been afraid of that. As much as she tried to stay out of club stuff, she was still his girl, still a target. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I'm going to be fine. I can take care of myself," she assured him. It wasn't a total lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. The reason she hadn't brought it up the club was because she knew Hap would seek out a way to end the threat, and she wasn't sure he'd kill the right person. As much as she loved her cousin, he tended to kill first and ask questions later, especially when it came to his family. "I want everyone to focus on protecting Tara. _She's_ the most important. She has her boys to worry about."

His jaw grew slack as he looked at her. There was that selfless streak that he absolutely both loved and hated. "Are you serious, Angel?"

Before she could answer, Chucky came running in. "Sheriff's here. He's lookin' for Tara."

Juice slipped off his cut and handed to her as the rest of the guys followed Tara outside. He grabbed Angela's wrist before she could move. "Stay here. He doesn't know about us. I want to keep it that way, Angel. Promise me," he whispered, leaning forward to press his lips to hers. He was afraid that if Roosevelt knew about their connection, he'd use her against him too, and he couldn't handle that.

"Yeah, okay," she replied softly. She watched him leave, clutching his cut in her hands as she felt that familiar sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

A hand settled on her arm and made her jump. Turning she found Raffa standing there, a concerned look on his face. "You okay, _Angelita_?"

Angela sucked in a breath as she nodded. "Totally fine."

"_Podemos cuidarte. No estás protegida aquí, 'mana. Este cartel no te va a dejar sola. Tú lo sabes. Los _Sons _ no te quieren como nosotros te queremos. __Sos parte de nuestra familia, Angelita." _(We can take care of you. You're not protected here, sis. This cartel won't leave you alone. You know that. The Sons don't love you like we love you. You're part of our family.)

"_Estoy bien acá, 'mano. No te preocupas_," she assured him with a small smile. She let him hug her before pulling away quickly. "I can handle myself. You know that." (I'm good here, bro. Don't worry.)

He just nodded in response, heading back into the chapel to talk to Alvarez. Angela avoided the room like the plague. She felt out of place sitting there with the Mayans. Almost as if her allegiance lay with them instead of with the Sons. But her allegiance didn't lie with either. She was loyal to three people: Juice, Kozik, and above all, Happy. Whatever cut was on their back, was the club she associated with.

Juice breezed in, stepping in front of her to dig something out of his cut. "I got to go to the Sheriff's department for a piss test. Stay here, Angel. Don't leave the compound," he ordered, catching her lips in a quick kiss. "Stay safe."

"Yeah, 'course," she answered on a nod. "I'm sorry about before."

That was the least of his worries now. He shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We're gonna protect ya either way. Just stay here, all right?"

"Okay," she said, catching his lips in a quick kiss. "Be safe, Juice."

Juice nodded though he wasn't so sure what was safe anymore. The sample of coke that was stashed in between his cigarettes in the little carton weighed heavy in his pocket. He knew that's what Roosevelt wanted, but he wasn't going to give it to the Sheriff. Not until he met the guy who could make the deal and get him out of this awful mess.

* * *

><p>Angela sat at the pool table with Abel in her lap, watching as he grabbed the balls out of the pockets. He'd grab one, hold it up so her, wait for her to say the color, and then throw it down the table, giggling at the <em>thunk<em> it made. "Blue," she said with a bright smile.

"Boo!" he exclaimed, throwing the ball down the table. Angela was distracted for a moment when Gemma and Tara walked in, so Abel smacked the ball into her jaw impatiently. "Gee! Gee!"

"Ow," she said moving her head away from his little arm. "Yellow, Abie baby. That's yellow."

Gemma smiled at the toddler as she picked him up off Angela's lap. "Are you torturing the undertaker, Abel?" she teased, pressing a kiss to his head as she watched Angela rub at the tender spot on her jaw.

"Impatient little sucker," Angela said, rolling her eyes as she stood. She listened as V-Lin explained why Lyla wasn't there and sighed. She really wished the blonde had called her before deciding to duck out on the poor Prospect. Ever since she'd caught Opie cheating on her, Lyla had been more distant than usual. Ellie was the one who filled her in on the porn star's whereabouts. "I'll give her a call. See if I can find her."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Gemma said on an appreciative nod. "We're going to go run some errands. You want to come?"

Angela shook her head. Hanging out with Tara and Gemma was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment. "I'll just hang out here, thanks."

Gemma nodded, hugging her quickly before heading out the door, Abel in her arms. Tara sighed as she looked at her friend. "You got a note too, didn't you?"

"Jesus, am I that transparent?" she asked on a scowl. She held out a finger to Thomas who gladly took it, shaking it in his little fist.

Tara sighed lengthily. "You have to tell the club, Ang."

"I'm fine, T. I can handle this," she insisted, trying for a smile. "I'm on lockdown anyway, right? Might as well just stay under the radar as per usual."

The doctor frowned and shook her head. "If you don't tell them, I will."

Angela's eyes darkened with anger at the threat. Her face taking on that eerily calm look that Happy always had. For once, she could see the resemblance. "You really think this is about the cartel, T? Look who got the notes. Think about it for a fuckin' second. You think if someone was goin' after Old Ladies, they'd go after _me_ and not Gemma? I'm not even an old lady, T. Only reason I don't bring it to the club is because I don't want my cousin goin' ape shit on some poor sucker who doesn't deserve it."

Tara's eyes widened slightly. "Jesus," she breathed, slowly linking things together. She heard Gemma call her name from the front and looked towards the door. "We'll talk later."

"Yeah," she agreed on a nod. "Be careful."

"You too."

Angela watched her go as she sucked in a deep breath, trying her best to calm down. She hadn't meant to get so angry at Tara, but after all the crap she'd gone through for the doctor, it pissed her off that she would turn rat in a heartbeat. Whether it was for her own good or not, Angela did not appreciate the threat. She needed something, _anything_, to distract her. Her eyes fell on the red felt of the pool table and she sighed. A solo pool game was as good as a distraction as any.

* * *

><p>Juice stopped short when he saw her standing there in the middle of the clubhouse. He was relieved that she'd listened to him. For some reason, he thought she'd leave to go to work. He was aware of his Chibs calling his name from outside, apparently he had something he wanted to share, but Juice didn't care. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. He'd already betrayed the only people he called a family, lied to Angela, killed a brother.<p>

He circled back to the dream he'd had that morning. This damned deal with Roosevelt had gotten the club killed, had gotten Angela killed. It was a sign, it had to be. If he continued through with the deal, it'd kill the two things he loved the most. He couldn't have that. He _wouldn't_ have that. It was on his shoulders to save the club, to save _her, _and he'd do it. Even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

He watched her line up a shot, taking in the smooth curve of her back as she bent over, dark hair pooling underneath her head on the red felt as she tilted it this way and that, studying the shot. The muscles in her arm moves smoothly under her skin as she adjusted the shot and then, with a quick jab of the stick, she hit her mark perfectly sending the ball into the pocket. He caught her triumphant smirk as she moved around the table to set up another shot and sighed.

His sigh caught her attention, lifting her gaze up from the table and to his face. "Hey you," she greeted softly, straightening up slightly.

"Hey," he replied, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm gonna go..." he trailed off, starting to head to his dorm room.

Without another word, she dropped the pool stick and followed after him. She didn't need to be told to follow him. It was all in his body language, the gleam in his eyes. He was on the edge of a breakdown, and he wasn't about to do it in the middle of the clubhouse. She stopped at the open door of his dorm room and watched as he paced back and forth on the wooden floor. Stepping inside, she turned to close the door behind her. When she turned back around, he was standing right there, his face just inches away from hers.

Slowly, he took her face into his hands, his calloused thumbs trailing over her cheekbones. His brown eyes seemed to study every inch of her face as if it'd be the last time he'd see it. He dipped his head, catching her lips with his own in a long, soulful kiss that she could feel right down to her toes.

She returned the kiss, matching his fervor as she slid her hands up the back of his black t-shirt, clutching the soft fabric in her hands and holding on tightly, praying that they wouldn't be interrupted; she needed this just as much as he did. She found strength in his embrace, in his kiss. Strength that she needed to get through the day's drama and to help him.

He tangled a hand into her hair, pulling her in even closer and deepening the kiss as he did so. Pulling his lips away from hers, he dotted kisses across her cheek before moving down to her neck. Burying his face into her warm skin, he held her close, knowing it was his last chance to do so. He selfishly hoped she would remember this moment, this kiss, when he was long gone.

A throat cleared behind them, and he sighed. Of course they were interrupted. His brothers couldn't just let him be, not when he'd walked away from them before. He should've stayed and heard them out to avoid this, but he hadn't really thought about it. He looked over her shoulder to find Chibs leaning against the doorway, a worried look in his eyes. "Clay wants ye," he said to Juice, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Chapel."

Juice just nodded, lifting his chin off her shoulder. He pressed his forehead to hers, looking into her dark, worried eyes. He carefully tucked a stray hair behind her ear, before moving his grip to the back of her neck, his thumbs brushing over her swollen lips. "Love you, Angel," he murmured, his voice cracking. He kissed her one last time, savoring the taste of her lips. "Don't forget that."

"Love you, too, Juice." Angela nodded, tears welling up in her eyes for no reason. She was stupid to be getting all emotional for something so stupid. He was just going down the hall to talk to Clay. It wasn't like he'd never left her for that reason before. But something about his words, the tone of his voice put her on edge.

He kissed her once more before letting her go and heading out the door, leaving her standing there with Chibs. The Scot looked her over, taking note of the bags beneath her eyes, the way she was hugging herself, as though trying to make herself smaller. The girl in front of him was so different from the bright, spirited girl he was used to. She looked beaten down and broken as she stared at the floor, a glazed over look in her eyes. He'd seen the same look on Juice's face before, had to shake him out of it. Everything that was going on with Juice seemed to be weighing her down too. "Everything all right?" he asked, breaking her from her trance.

Angela shook herself out of her thoughts and forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah, 'course. I'm…I'm fine," she replied quickly, her voice rougher than usual. She swiped a hand under her eyes, rubbing away the smudged eyeliner before heading to the door.

He stopped her by holding out an arm across the doorframe. "What's goin' on, love?"

She shrugged a shoulder, trying her best to hold back the tears she felt gathering in her eyes. "Look at him, Chibs. He's...he's checked out and I want to be there for him and I want to help him but...I don't know how."

Chibs took a step closer to her, hooking a finger under her chin and lifting so her eyes could meet his. "He's all right, Angie-girl."

Angela shook her head slowly, swallowing the lump that was in her throat. "No, he's not," she said softly. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her, made it hard for her to breathe. "You saw him, Chibs. He's not okay."

He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. "This'll pass, Angie," he assured her before pulling her into a hug. "You just need to be strong for him…for you. Love him through it. He needs you, love. Don't give up now."

* * *

><p>Tig watched slightly amused as the undertaker fought with the Prospect. It was time for the Old Ladies to go home, and V-Lin had followed her out to the car to get directions to her place. It appeared she hadn't taken that very well. Tig hadn't expected her to. Hap had warned him that she wasn't used to having the club look after her like that. In Tacoma, she'd been so outside the club that most of its members didn't even know who she was. If she needed protection there, Hap or Kozik stayed with her, none of this Prospect bullshit. Tig couldn't blame her for putting up a fight.<p>

"There a problem here?" Tig asked as he approached them.

"She won't tell me where she lives!" V-Lin exclaimed, frustrated beyond belief. First, Opie's Old Lady had ditched out on him, now Juice's was trying to do the same. Why couldn't they have given him one of the easier women to watch?

Tig smirked at the young undertaker who had her arms crossed over her chest, jaw set. He knew that stubborn "Lowman" look well. "You coulda just followed her," he reasoned with the prospect.

V-Lin shook his head. "Like hell I could. You seen the way she drives."

The Sergeant looked from the prospect to Angela who seemed to fighting the urge to smile. He knew she was proud of her driving skills. "Would you give the idiot a break, doll? Ain't his fault I told him to look after ya."

"This was you?" she asked, uncrossing her arms, a surprised look on her face.

Tig nodded. "Yeah, 'course. I told Hap I'd look after ya, and I ain't goin' back on that. He's just gonna stay there 'til Juice gets back, all right? Ain't gonna be long. We got a quick vote, that's all," he explained setting a hand on her shoulder. "Just suck it up and let him follow ya. Hap'll come after me if I send ya home without protection."

Angela nodded, raking a hand through her hair. Despite the fact that he'd been tasked with looking out for her, she didn't interact much with Tig. It wasn't that she didn't like the guy; it was just that they were rarely in situations where interactions were necessary. Unlike Kozik's nosy ass protection style, Tig's protection approach was 'live and let live', and she'd appreciated that. If he thought it was necessary that she went home with protection, then it probably was. "Fair enough."

"Atta girl," he said, squeezing her shoulder before turning to V-Lin. "Grow some balls, Prospect. She drives perfectly fine. If your bike can't keep up with that little cage, maybe you don't deserve your top rocker."

V-Lin watched as Tig headed back to the clubhouse, an angry look on his face. "Do you still want the address?" Angela asked softly, feeling a little bad for the poor Prospect.

He shook his head, scowling at her. "No. I can follow you just fine."

Later on that night, Angela sat at on the couch a book in her hand, keenly aware of V-Lin sitting at the kitchen table behind her. The tanned prospect was currently spinning a quarter on the table top, trying to stop it on its edge with a finger. The sound of it was driving her crazy.

She closed the book with a snap and walked over to him, stopping the quarter perfectly on its edge to catch his attention. He glared up at her, and she sighed. "Look, V. I'm sorry. I should've just given you the address," she started, a sincere look on her face. "It had nothing to do with you. I'm just not really used to this stuff, that's all."

V-Lin smiled slightly, happy with her apology. "All good, Ang."

"You bored?" she asked, flicking the quarter back at him. At his nod, she smiled. "Me too. Let me call Juice, and then we'll play some video games. I wasn't planning on sleeping 'til he gets home anyway."

* * *

><p>Juice heard his phone ringing over and over again as he sewed on his Man of Mayhem patch. He wasn't sure who it was, but he had a strong feeling it was either Chibs or Angela. He glanced at the ring on his thumb, the one he'd been using to help sew the patch. It was the one she'd given him, the one that was a perfect mix of Angela and the Sons. It was another reminder of why he had to do this. For the club. For her. If he was gone, they'd both be safe.<p>

He wondered idly if the club would miss him. If he'd get the big ceremony he'd seen for other brother's who had died. Probably not. Suicide wasn't an honorable death according to the club. He knew that. The idea that they'd just bury him and forget all about him stung a little. Bury or burn him. Whatever was easier.

But Angela wouldn't let them burn him; he was sure of that. The girl would fight tooth and nail to give him the best she could. He knew she'd be angry at first, but he also knew she loved him more than that and would always want the best for him just as he always wanted the best for her. It was slightly comforting to know she'd be the last person to ever touch him, see him…take care of him.

His thoughts drifted back to the times he'd watch her work. Remembering the jealous feeling that always came over him when her gloved hands would slide all over the stranger's body, carefully working each muscle. Every time he watched her, they'd gone home and he'd made her do the same to him. He loved the way her hands felt as they moved all over his body, kneading and rubbing in just the right places. It wasn't long after she got started that he'd feel her lips on his skin, pressing kisses along his back. Kisses that always led to more.

Finished sewing on the patch, he heaved the chain over his shoulder and carefully climbed up the tree, finding a branch that was high enough off the ground that his feet would never be able to touch and that could support his weight. He slowly coiled the chain around the branch next to him, feeling guilt pool at the pit of his stomach. That moment in his dorm room was the last he'd ever have with Angela. The last thing he could give her. He'd thought about writing her a note but couldn't bring himself to put pen to paper to explain the reason behind all this. He was a coward, and he knew it.

He wrapped the chain around his neck, the cool metal biting into his skin. He'd thought about shooting himself and found he couldn't bring himself to do it. Shooting himself was too easy, too quick. He deserved to suffer for what he'd done. He'd talked about hanging once with Angela when she'd been working on a woman who'd hung herself. She'd said that it sounded like the most painful thing ever, that it took awhile to actually die unless the jump was so jarring it snapped your neck. He decided that he didn't want that to happen. He wanted it to be slow and drawn out because that's what he deserved.

He glanced up at the full moon, tears burning at the corner of his eyes. "I'm sorry," he murmured to no one in particular before he sucked in a quick breath and slipped off the tree branch.

* * *

><p><strong>:(<strong>

****Disclaimer 2: I do not own Star Trek or Star Wars...nor will I disclose which one I like better.

**Sorry for the sad chapter...let me know if you liked it in a review please! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	47. Fate

**Thank you so much to all of you who read, reviewed, followed, favorited, etc! You all make my day with your positive words! :) I know I PM'ed most of you but thanks to _Jean _and _Lynn_for your reviews too! :) **

**This chapter is a bit heavy and really long. It takes place during Season 4, Episode 8: "Family Recipe". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and any other characters you don't recognize. ;) **

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 47: Fate_

_By Love Ink_

Angela woke up with a start as her phone blared beside her. Wiping at her tired eyes, she glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was almost five in the morning and still pitch black outside. She looked over to the other side of the bed and found it was empty, cold. Juice hadn't come home. The display on her phone flashed Juice's picture, and she smiled sleepily; at least he called this time. "Hey you," she murmured, turning onto her back and staring at the ceiling.

Juice rubbed at his sore neck. His throat felt like it was on fire with every breath, but after waking up on the ground, he'd been desperate just to hear her voice. "Hey baby," he croaked, slowly getting to his feet. The gunshot wound on his leg throbbed as he moved, he'd obviously landed on it wrong. It was just another reminder of what he'd done.

"You okay?" her voice was concerned as he expected it to be but the sound of it was still welcome. It was a reminder that despite the fact that everything else was going to shit, he still had one person to live for.

He glanced at the broken branch with the thick chain still wrapped around it. "Yeah, 'm okay," he lied, his voice shaking as the guilt settled in. He'd almost given up on this life, on her, but fate had stepped in, giving him one more chance, and he wasn't about to screw it up. No, this time he was going to do it right.

"You comin' home tonight?"

"No. Just wanted to check in," he answered honestly. There was no fooling Angela. She'd know right away what the bruise around his neck meant, and he knew it would upset her. He wasn't ready to deal with that just yet. He pulled his hood on over his head, panicking slightly as he heard the sound of motorcycles coming closer. Whatever brothers were pulling in, he didn't want them to see the branch with the chain. His brothers weren't stupid; they'd know what it meant. "I got to go. I'll see you soon, Angel."

Her heavy sigh made him feel even worse. "Okay. Love you."

He could feel the lump in his throat at her words. She loved him, and he'd almost given that up like it was nothing. "Yeah, you too," he choked out, heading towards the sound of Chibs' whistle as he hung up the phone.

* * *

><p>Angela didn't go to sleep after that phone call. The tears she'd heard in his voice had put her on edge. Something wasn't right. Then again, she'd been feeling like something wasn't right for a long time now. The door bell rang loudly, interrupting her thoughts. She swung her legs out of bed and padded her way down the hall, stopping only to shake V-Lin awake. Some protector he was, guy hadn't even flinched at the sound of the doorbell. "Go to the backyard and stay out of sight," she ordered, shoving him towards the glass doors.<p>

V-Lin nodded, quickly heading out the back and disappearing from view. She rolled her eyes when she saw his gun still on the couch. _Rookie_, she thought as she picked it up and tucked it down the back of her pants. She opened the door slowly and was surprised to see Sheriff Roosevelt standing on the other side. "Oh. Hi Eli," she greeted, feeling awkward in her short boxers and one of Juice's sweatshirts.

Roosevelt was surprised to see her there, though he needed to talk to her anyway. Unser had mentioned the undertaker was in danger, and he hadn't been able to track her down the day before. When he'd stopped by the funeral home, her boss had said she'd had the day off and went to go visit a relative in Oakland. "Hello Angie," he replied, nodding to her. He looked at the numbers on her neighbors' houses before looking back at the address he'd gotten from Juice's file. "I think I may have the wrong house. I'm looking for Juan Carlos Ortiz. Does he live around here?"

Angela bit her lip as she looked down at her bare feet; so much for the Sheriff not knowing about her and Juice's relationship. "You've got the right place. He lives here."

Roosevelt's eyebrows rose in surprise. Though he'd long suspected Angela had ties to the Sons, he had no real proof of it until now. Sure, Unser's "anonymous tip" of a threat to her may have been some indication of it, but he hadn't really given that much thought; he'd had other, more pressing things to think about then like his current situation with Potter and Juice. "You live with Juice?"

She nodded slowly, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the doorway. "Yep."

"What's your relationship to him?"

"He's my…boyfriend, I guess," she replied awkwardly. She hated using the term boyfriend in reference to Juice; it felt too childish. He was a man, not a boy.

That was something he never would've guessed. She was much too polite to be dating an outlaw. Even Tara Knowles had given him attitude upon questioning, but Angela was being just as polite as ever. Yet she was the one in the relationship with the man he and Potter were blackmailing in order to get information on the cartel. The man he'd turned into a rat. He'd felt awful about that situation to begin with, but now, seeing that Juice had ties to Angela, a woman both he and his wife liked and respected, he felt even worse. "Well that's certainly…interesting. Is he home?"

"Nope. Left early this morning for work," she lied easily. "Sorry."

"Mm-hmm," he said giving her a doubtful look, his eyes on the motorcycle parked in the drive. "There's a bike parked out front."

"It's not his. Got one of the Prospects doing yard work in the back. I don't have a green thumb like Rita," she explained gesturing to the backyard. She took a step back as if to invite him in. "You can check if you want. I got nothing to hide."

Roosevelt nodded slowly as he took a step inside. He looked out the window to where there was, in fact, a Prospect. The young man was lying sitting on the grass, his back against the big tree in the back, smoking a cigarette. "Looks like he's working hard."

"Lazy ass," she muttered, a look of disapproval on her face. "Can I get you something? Coffee, tea, a beer? It's five o'clock somewhere, right?"

He smirked at her offer. It was just barely eight in the morning. "No, thank you," he replied, his eyes scanning the house. It was a small place that was very clean. Not a thing was out of place. Even the large bookshelf stacked with DVDs and games appeared to be perfectly alphabetized. "I went to the funeral home yesterday to see if you were around. Boss said you had the day off."

"Yeah, I went to visit some family over in Oakland," she lied, starting to make a coffee for herself. It was the standard lie she and Skeeter had agreed to. If either of them was gone for any reason and law enforcement came, they were both supposed to answer the same way. "What do you need?"

"Did you happen to get a death threat of any kind? Had an anonymous tip that mentioned your name. I was about to head to the funeral home again because legally, that's where you live, but I guess I don't have to now."

"No death threat. Dead _people_, of course, but no threat," she answered nonchalantly, a small smile tugging up the corners of her lips.

"So you won't mind if I stop by the funeral home and ask your boss about it?" he questioned. If Tara's supervisor had given her up, who's to say Angela's boss wouldn't do the same.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. Neither Skeeter nor Bones had seen the note, so she knew Roosevelt wasn't going to get very far asking them. Plus, Skeeter knew better than to talk to the police about club business. "Go ahead and ask away. You might want to ask Bones too since he lives in that apartment now. Maybe he got it and thought it was for him."

"There a reason you haven't updated your residency information? Some commitment issues, perhaps?"

She shook her head, a little irritated by his assumption that they had commitment issues. "Nah. We're very happy together. Been almost three years now, actually," she replied with a fond smile. Happy would kill her if he ever saw her talking so openly with a fed, but she was trying to humanize Juice a little bit. If Roosevelt saw just how much she cared about him maybe he'd think twice about fucking with him. Sometimes the best strategy was to kill them with kindness; something she knew her cousin didn't have the patience for. "Just haven't gotten around to it yet, I guess."

"Perhaps its something you should correct," Roosevelt said, putting his sunglasses back on. "Thanks for your cooperation, Angela. Will I see you at the garden party tonight?"

Angela smiled at him as she walked him out to the front door. "Of course. Wouldn't miss it," she said, waiting for him to get into the squad car before closing the door behind her.

She let out a long breath as she headed to the backyard where V-Lin was pacing, patting down his pockets as though he was looking for something. "Looking for this?" she asked, pulling the handgun from her waistband. "Maybe you should keep a better hold on that."

He nodded, carefully taking the gun from her hand and tucking it into the back of his pants. "Sorry. Thanks, Ang."

"Uh-huh," she said on a nod. "I'm gonna shower and then go to work. There's cereal in the cupboard if you're hungry."

"Thanks, Angie," he repeated with a small smile. Though he'd originally thought having to look after Angela was a curse, he was beginning to think he lucked out. Rat had been texting him how bored he was all night. Texts he couldn't respond to because he was deep into teaching Angela how to play Halo so that she could kick Juice's ass the next time they played. It wasn't until around three in the morning that she'd given up and gone to bed. He'd been able to see the worry in her eyes, the stress in the tenseness of her shoulders as she walked away. Watching her worry over Juice had him wishing he had a girl of his own to worry for him like that.

* * *

><p>Kozik sat at the table in his small apartment in Tacoma. In his hands, he held the small token of his sobriety that he kept tucked into the inside pocket of his cut at all times. It was one that Angela had specially ordered for him to replace the cheap plastic ones the group actually gave out. The front of the gold token had an eagle on it with the words "Ride clean, ride free" and some bullshit sobriety quote on the back that both he and Angela hated. She'd told him she'd tried to get something better written there, but they wouldn't let her. He could still see the bright smile on her face when she'd given it to him; she'd been so proud. Now with everything that was going on in Charming, the old itch to use was starting to come back. Sighing, he took out his phone and dialed her number.<p>

"Angela Ruiz," came the quick answer.

"Hey sponsor," he replied on a sigh. "Got a minute?"

Angela looked over at Bones who was watching her cautiously, every so often taking notes in his little notebook. The kid was all kinds of smart and artistic as hell. His little drawings of the different things she'd described to him left her in awe. She gestured to the body, silently asking him to take over. He nodded enthusiastically. "For you, Kozi? Always," she said, stepping away from the body and taking a seat on the little stool. "What's going on?"

"How much do you know about what's goin' on in Charming?"

"Just enough to worry about you," she replied vaguely. She didn't want to go into specifics with Bones standing there. "How you holdin' up with it?"

"Not well," he replied honestly. He'd never admit how weak he felt in the presence of the coke to his brothers, but she was his sponsor; he was supposed to tell her this stuff. "Seein' it…bein' so close…gives me the itch, y'know?"

"That's what I was worried about," she admitted, frowning slightly.

Kozik's lengthy sigh told her he was going to say something he wasn't too proud of, and she hoped it wasn't to tell her he'd relapsed. She'd kill Clay Morrow herself if his stupid drug cartel idea made Kozik fall off the wagon. It'd been hard as hell to get him clean. "Thinkin' of movin' back to Tacoma," he said after a moment. "Just 'til this whole deal blows over."

She let out a relieved sigh before smiling proudly. "Smart move, Koz. I'm really proud of you."

He smiled to himself, rubbing his thumb over the token. Her approval was all he needed to hear to know he'd made the right decision. "Thanks, kid. Gonna miss bein' over there all the time though, but SAMTAC is gonna help out with some transport so I'll be over there every so often. Visit my favorite girl. How are things goin' for ya?"

"I'm all right. Tired," she said, watching as Bones took a painstakingly long time to spray too much germicidal solution on the corpse. "Stressed."

"What do you got to be stressed about, kid? The dead people complaining too much?" he teased.

"Lots of shit. I'm allowed to be stressed, asshole," she replied on a scowl.

"Damn, someone's grumpy. You on your period or some shit?"

"No." Angela paused. Her period. She wasn't on her period. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had one. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her stomach. "_Shit_," she cursed making Bones look up at her, a look of concern on his face. She waved him off as she slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"What?"

She leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down it until she was sitting. "Koz, I'm late. Like _really_ late."

She heard her blonde friend curse under his breath. He knew exactly what that meant. "How late is 'really late'?"

"When did the boys come back from county?"

"About six-seven weeks ago," he answered, slowly putting the pieces together. "You two went at it like rabbits, didn't ya?"

Angela ran a hand through her hair as she remembered the first day Juice had been home. They'd had a lot of sex without any protection save for the birth control patch she used. She was usually good at reapplying it, but she'd grown lazy while Juice was in county since she didn't really need it. Did she forget to change it all together? No…she wasn't that bad. There was no way. "Yeah, we sure did."

"No protection?"

"We didn't really stop to think about it," she said, mentally smacking herself for being such an idiot. Angela ran a hand over her lower stomach, it didn't feel any different, and she hadn't had any morning sickness. Other than being physically exhausted all the time, there was nothing wrong with her, nothing that had even hinted at a pregnancy save for the fact that she was late. Tears sprung to her eyes as she thought of all the shitty things she'd done. She'd drank tequila until she'd passed out just a few days ago! "Shit, Kozi."

He could hear the tears in her voice and felt his heart break. For a brief second, he contemplated getting on his bike and riding over there to help her. "Hey, don't panic yet, sweetheart. Just…go to the doc. Get it checked out. Maybe somethin' else is causin' you to act like a defective typewriter, skippin' periods and shit. All right?"

She laughed at his terrible joke, wiping at her eyes. "Okay."

"You want me to come down there? Hold your hand? Just say the word, kid, and I'm there."

"Nah, I'll deal," she replied, touched by his offer. Of course, she would do the same for him if he'd said he needed her help with his addiction. That was just the way their relationship worked. "Just don't…don't tell Juice or Hap, please. They've got enough on their plate right now."

It took Kozik a minute to answer, and she knew he was contemplating whether to agree to that promise or not. She knew him and Happy had an agreement of some sort of things that Kozik had to tell him about her. She knew one was if she was using drugs and another was if someone was abusing her, but she wasn't sure if pregnancy fell under that category. His hesitance put her stomach in knots; she really didn't need Happy to know. Not yet. "All right, kiddo. If that's what you want."

"Thanks, Kozi."

"Call me after the doctor's, okay? I want to hear all about my favorite defective typewriter and its future story."

"Shut up," she said on a light laugh. "You comin' down soon?"

"Yeah. I'll be there soon," he said, a warm note to his voice. "Listen, I gotta go. Love you, kid. Stay safe."

Angela sighed, feeling an ache in her chest when she realized just how much she missed her blonde headed brother. "Love you too, Kozi. Talk to you later."

* * *

><p>Bones drove the big van in silence. Unbeknownst to Angela, he'd heard her conversation, heard the tears in her voice when she'd admitted to whoever was on the other side that she was late. Glancing over at his teacher, he saw her staring blankly out the front window, her hand on her stomach, a contemplative look on her face. "Hey Ang?"<p>

"Hm?" she asked, shaking herself from her little trance. "What's up, Boner?"

She'd taken to calling him 'Boner', something he didn't really mind so much since she never said it teasingly. It was an honest slip of the tongue that was not at all meant to offend him, so he didn't correct her. "I heard your conversation," he admitted awkwardly. "The walls are thin and you weren't exactly whispering."

"Oh," Angela said softly before sucking in a deep breath. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his opinion on the matter.

"Um. My mom had my sister when I was like…sixteen, so I remember all the baby stuff. I can help if you need it. Like if you need someone to go to classes with 'cause the dad doesn't want to or isn't in the picture or whatever. They're not that bad. I went with my mom a few times," he offered on a shrug.

She smiled at him, touched by his offer. She'd expected him to ask about the father or what she was going to do with it, not his sweet offer of help sans questions or personal opinions. "Thanks, Boner," she replied, patting his arm affectionately. "But I'm not one hundred percent sure yet so…don't worry about it."

"No worries. I figured you're helpin' me with all this undertaker stuff, it's the least I could do," he answered on a shrug. "I mean, I can't afford mortuary school, so I was happy taking the grave digging job and just being close to the cool stuff. When Skeet said he'd let me apprentice under you, I was stoked."

Angela laughed at his enthusiasm, feeling her ego inflate just a little at his compliment. The nineteen year old was like the nerdy, kiss ass brother she never had. "Glad to hear it."

"I'm learning a lot, Ang. I think I can handle the embalming if you don't want to be around the chemicals. You can sit and yell at me from the sidelines 'til I get it right."

She scoffed at him as he pulled into the parking spot. "I told you, I'm not even sure yet. Relax, Boner."

They walked through the hospital together, Bones pushing the cart in front of him. Angela unclipped her ID card and handed it over to him. "You remember the name of the guy?"

He nodded, showing her his hand which had the name boldly written across it…just as she had taught him. "Got it."

"Go ahead and grab him. I'm gonna get some coffee. I'll meet you out at the van. Make sure to turn the AC on while you wait."

Bones nodded again before disappearing down the hall, leaving Angela alone. She immediately went to the nurse's station, relieved to see Chloe sitting there. The girl had been her friend in times of need. Whether it'd been the time she'd let her slip into Juice's room after hours or when she'd let her take care of Juice after his incident with the Chicken man. "Hey there," she greeted, catching the girl's attention.

Chloe looked up at her with a smile. "Hey Ang. What's up?"

"Got a favor to ask," Angela replied, tapping her nails nervously on the counter. She knew she could trust Chloe but the whole situation still made her nervous.

The young nurse stood up, ready to help. "Medicinal or…"

She bit at her lip, contemplating how best to say it. "I'm late," she replied bluntly. "Really late."

Chloe didn't need an explanation. The panic on her friend's face was explanation enough. "Yikes. Okay, let's get you checked out."

* * *

><p>Tara had just been pulled out of surgery when she saw an ashen faced Angela walk out of an exam room with one of the nurses. The two hugged quickly before the nurse headed back to the nurse's station. Angela turned, spotting Tara quickly. "Hey Ang," Tara greeted, noting the tenseness in Angela's shoulders, the nervous way she was playing with her rings. "How's it going?"<p>

Angela didn't know how to answer that. How was it going? She was eight weeks pregnant which, in a concept that was foreign to her, translated into six weeks after conception. Her uterus was the size of an orange. She'd heard her baby's heartbeat, _seen_ it fluttering on the monitor. It was healthy by the looks of it, and Chloe had assured her that her little tequila binge happened early enough that it wouldn't effect the baby. "Um. Good, I guess," she answered awkwardly. "Didn't you have surgery today?"

"I've been pulled. Apparently Margaret found out about the threat and threatened surgeons are a big risk," she answered on a frown. "I'm heading over to TM if you want to come. I know the boys are around."

She shook her head slowly. "Nah, I have work," she answered, though that wasn't the real reason. It was rare that she didn't want to see her boys, but at the moment, she wanted to avoid them at all costs. She needed some space. Some time to think.

Tara's brows furrowed in concern. "Are you all right? You seem…off."

Angela shrugged a shoulder, letting out a long breath. "Just stuff. I'm handling it."

"If this is about the letters…"

The undertaker gritted her teeth together, fighting the urge to yell at Tara. She'd had enough with those damn letters! Not everything was about those cursed letters! She sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. "It's not," she answered, trying to sound as polite as possible. "Look, T, I gotta go. I got my apprentice waiting in the car for me with a body. I'll talk to you later. You're going to the garden party, right?"

Tara nodded slowly, concern written all over her face. There was something that was bothering the usually lighthearted undertaker, but if Angela didn't want to talk, she wasn't going to force her. "Yeah, of course. Gemma wouldn't let me miss it."

"I'll see you there, then," she said, trying to give Tara a smile before walking as fast as she could back out to the van. Bones was inside flipping through a comic book nonchalantly. He looked at her, a question in his eyes. She nodded quickly before gesturing to the steering wheel. "C'mon. Let's get this guy home before he starts stinking."

"Whatever you say, boss," Bones said starting up the van and pulling out of the parking lot.

* * *

><p>Happy rode by his cousin's place on his way back to the clubhouse from the reservation. He didn't see her car in the drive, but Juice's bike was there. She must be at work. He headed towards the funeral home, relieved when he saw her Mazda in the parking lot. Parking his Dyna, he leaned against it, dialing her number to tell her he was outside.<p>

"Hey kid," he greeted as she walked outside, tugging on the long sleeves of the blouse she was wearing.

"Hi," Angela said softly as she moved to hug him.

His cousin wasn't a needy person, he'd taught her not to be, but as soon as her arms were around him, she hung on for just a second longer than usual, burying her face into his chest and exhaling a long sigh. Happy knew then something was wrong. She hadn't sought out comfort in his embrace since she was a kid; he thought she'd grown out of it or had learned better. Something bad had to be happening for her to revert to her childish ways. He gently tugged at the end of her braid, making her pull away. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothin'," she said on a sigh. "Been awhile. That's all. Guess I missed you."

He shook his head at her. "Don't give me that shit, kid. What's goin' on?"

"Just got a lot on my plate right now," she answered softly, still fidgeting with the sleeves of her shirt. "Got a new apprentice. Young kid. Skeeter said he's better off learning from me then going to mortuary school."

Happy smirked, a look of pride in his eyes. " 'course he is."

Angela smiled in response, her dark eyes going from his face to the ground as a thought entered her head. "Remember how I asked you about getting a crow, and you said not until I told him how I felt?"

"Yeah."

"I told him. After that whole Miles thing."

He raised an eyebrow at her, surprised that she'd tell him something like this. She usually kept her relationship things to herself. "And?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "He said it back but…this shit with Miles has got him twisted, Hap. I don't know what to do to fix it."

Happy frowned, he sincerely doubted it was the thing with Miles that had him twisted. Juice had gotten over killing the Russians, killing Miles was no different. That idiot was guilty as hell of something and the club was going to suffer for it. "He'll get over it."

Angela didn't look so sure. "You suspect him of something," she stated, knowing it was true. "That question about whether he came home a few nights ago…you said someone took something. You think it was Juice?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Don't think it was Miles. Guy wasn't smart enough."

"But Juice caught him, Hap. It had to be Miles."

"No one saw what happened."

She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat as she realized he was right. No one saw what had happened, no one could prove that Juice hadn't been the one to steal the coke that night. Except her. "Hap, he came home that night. I swear he did. It couldn't have been him," she tried, her voice shaking just a bit.

Happy shook his head slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Don't lie to me, kid. You ain't good at it."

"I know," she said softly. "I can't lose him, Hap. If you tell the club, they'll take him out, I know they will."

He knew he should bring what he knew to the table for this, but all he had was his suspicion and the confirmation that Juice hadn't come home that night from Angela. If he brought it to the table, his brothers would ask to talk to her, and she, no doubt would lie her ass off. And unless you knew what to look for, Angela was a damn good liar. He'd taught her well. "Can't say shit, anyway. Don't got proof. 'less you're willin' to tell 'em what you know."

She froze then, her whole body going rigid. If he brought it to the club and brought her as evidence, she'd either have to back up his story or Juice's. Either way, one of them could wind up hurt. "Don't make me choose, Hap," she pleaded, her dark eyes meeting his, a desperate look in them. "I love you, and I love him. Please don't make me choose between you."

Happy nodded, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her temple. He hadn't thought there was a choice. He'd thought for sure, she'd choose Juice. The fact that she considered it a choice showed him how much she cared. Sometimes he lost sight of that. "Nah. Don't worry about it," he said, ruffling her hair. "I'll see you later, kid."

Angela sucked in a deep breath, taking a quick step back as he swung his leg over his Dyna. "You goin' to visit your mom?"

"Yeah. You gonna head up anytime soon?"

"Was thinkin' about it."

"Good," he said as he started up the motorcycle, the roar of the engine filling the air. He nodded at her once before driving away.

She heard the gravel crunch behind her and looked over her shoulder as Bones headed her way. "Hey, so Skeet said we should go on ahead to the garden party since he's with a client. He'll meet us there. Also said to wear these."

Angela looked at the black polo shirt he was wearing with the Debrowski's logo on it and his name stitched in gold. The polo he held out to her had her name stitched on it as well. "Yeah, I'm not wearing that," she said, tossing it into the back seat of her Mazda as she slid into the driver's side. "Come on, Boner."

* * *

><p>Clay watched as the undertaker walked into the fundraiser with a tall, gangling kid that was following her like a shadow. He thought through all his options when it came to how to deal with the young woman. Her ties to the club made making her disappear just a little trickier than Tara. Tara was the VP's Old Lady, a clear target. Angela was just the intelligence officer's girl and the Tacoma killer's cousin, a fact that he knew they both kept hidden at all costs to keep her safe. Should anything happen to her, he knew both Happy and Juice would stop at nothing to avenge her death and the two of them together could uncover some serious shit. Between Juice's computer skills and Happy's interrogation skills, they were a deadly pair. On top of it, Clay couldn't even pin this hit off on the Lobo Sonora because the little undertaker had surprisingly kept her mouth shut about whatever letter Unser had left at her door. If something happened to her, and he tried to pawn it off on them, it'd be very suspicious.<p>

Angela did have one thing that made reasoning with her easier than Tara. She had nothing to gain by exposing those letters and everything to lose. He had enough evidence on both Happy and Juice to send them away for a very long time, something he was sure she'd do anything to prevent.

He approached her slowly, making sure to give the kid at her side a friendly smile. "Hey there, undertaker," he greeted, hands in his pockets. "Got a second?"

Angela did her best to smile back while her stomach churned inside. Clay was one club member she avoided at all costs. In the past it had been because his patched office intimidated her. Now, with what Tara had told her about JT, she was even more afraid of the man probably had his best friend killed just because he didn't agree with him. "Yeah, of course," she replied, pushing Bones towards the sign in table before following him Clay up a random path, out of earshot of anyone in the area.

"Heard through the grapevine that you and Tara have been sharing some…information," he stated, his words slow and careful.

"What kind of information?" she asked, thinking it best to play dumb.

Clay shrugged a shoulder. "Old letters from a certain mistress with some very…dangerous information."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied easily.

"My wife and Unser seem to think differently," he replied, taking off his sunglasses and staring her down. "Now, if those letters got out…"

Angela swallowed hard as she shook her head quickly. "I haven't read them, Clay. I swear. Whatever's in them is not something I'm going to share. I have nothing to gain from it."

"Smart girl," he said on a nod. "Wouldn't do your cousin or your man any good for their girl to have a big mouth. They've gotten away with a lot of shit…would hate to see some evidence against 'em spring up. Might violate their parole."

Her eyes widened at the threat; she never expected something like that to come from the MC President. Shouldn't he be doing the best he could to protect his brothers? "Right," she breathed, nodding her head to show she understood. "My lips are sealed."

He smiled at her then, a big cheesy grin as though he hadn't just threatened the two people she loved most. "Glad we understand each other," he said nodding as he clapped her on the shoulder. "See ya around."

And just like that he walked away as if nothing had happened. Angela felt a shiver go down her back as she watched him go. That man was dangerous. In many ways, she thought he was more dangerous than her cousin. Happy would kill you, sure, but Clay would make sure to destroy you first.

"Hey Ang. Got us all signed in and stuff. Rita asked for you. Told her you were around," Bones said, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Cool. Thanks, Boner," she said, patting his arm. "C'mon, let's go get some food."

Angela waved politely at Gemma and Tara, though she made no move to go sit with them choosing instead to sit with Skeeter and Bones at a table in the corner. It wasn't that she had anything against the women, it was just that she knew Clay would also be sitting there, and she didn't want to be near him. Plus, she didn't want Tara asking her about her visit to the hospital with Gemma around. She wasn't ready to field those questions just yet.

She watched as a crowd gathered around the stage to hear a few speeches from some of the donors. Skeeter and Bones stood to go join them, but when Angela saw Clay get up there, she shook her head. She'd had enough of his bullshit for one day. "I'm actually gonna head home, guys. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

Skeeter nodded, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "See you later, sweetheart. Drive safely and slowly, Ms. Lead Foot."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she murmured as she snuck out the garden gates and practically sprinted towards her car.

Once she got home, she grabbed her phone and headed to the backyard, settling in on the hammock. Taking a deep breath, she looked through her recent calls and hit the call button. It rang, a slow, steady beat before the voice she wanted to hear picked up. "Hey! There's my favorite defective typewriter!" Kozik's voice answered cheerily.

She sighed, the sound of his voice relaxing her slightly. "I went to the doctor's…sorta."

"And? You a baker with a bun in the oven?"

"Where do you get all these analogies, Kozi?" she asked on a light laugh.

Kozik chuckled in response. "Don't worry about it. So? What's the verdict?"

"I saw the heartbeat."

"And are we happy about this?"

Angela sighed, raking a hand through her hair as she asked herself that question. "I dunno. It's something we never talked about. Shit, Koz, we just said 'I love you.' I don't have the crow, I don't have shit."

"You have his kid…and his heart. I know you know that," he pointed out. "Don't doubt yourself. It's unattractive."

She smiled at the last line. It was something they'd often said to each other for one reason or another. "I know," she replied on a sigh. She bit her lip as she felt a lump form in her throat. It felt like things were slowly spiraling out of control, and she had no way to get a handle on them. "Things are going to hell, Kozi. I don't know what to do."

"Just keep swimmin', kid. You'll make it through."

Angela groaned at his _Finding Nemo_ reference. She'd tricked him into watching it on a night she'd been sick back in Tacoma saying it was a badass movie about a man who's looking for his kidnapped son with the help of a lady with a memory disordered. As much as he bitched and complained about watching that damn movie, in the end, he'd loved it. "This another shark reference?"

"Tell Juicer fish are friends not food, 'less you're into that kind of thing," he teased, grinning when he heard her laugh. "But in all seriousness. You got this, Ang. I know ya do, and if he ain't on board with it, fuck him. Between me and Hap, the kid'll be just fine without his dumbass dad."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. The idea of a child being raised by Kozik and Happy was a chilling one. They were both killers, men that most people would want far away from their children. She, however, wouldn't mind it one bit. "If you say so."

"I do. Now go to sleep, shithead. It's late as fuck and you got a little monster inside of ya to take care of."

"All right, all right," she agreed, though she didn't move from her place on the hammock. It wouldn't be the first time she slept there anyway. "Thanks, Kozi. Love you."

She heard him chuckle lightly. "Love you too, kiddo."

The line went dead, and she sighed feeling somewhat at peace. He was right, things would work themselves out. Everything would be all right in the end. She just had to keep swimming.

* * *

><p>The sound of motorcycle engines jerked Angela awake. She shivered slightly in the cold night as she carefully climbed out of the hammock. It'd been almost two days since she'd seen Juice, and after her little chat with Kozik, she was kind of excited to tell him the news. Maybe it'd pull him out of his little funk. A loud whistle alerted her that if it was Juice, he hadn't come in alone.<p>

"Oi! Angie-girl!" Chibs' voice called through the house. After they'd dropped the tow truck off at TM, he'd followed Juice home to make sure that the idiot didn't try to run off. He had a sneaking suspicion Angela didn't know about the suicide attempt and that Juice had been avoiding her since she of all people would know what the dark bruise around his neck meant.

Juice shifted nervously next to him, his stomach in knots as he tried to picture her reaction. He knew it wouldn't be good. He just hoped she wouldn't leave him. He didn't know what he would do if she did. "I'm gonna grab a beer," he muttered heading towards the kitchen.

Angela stepped into the warm house, a small shiver going down her back at the sight of Chibs' pained face. "What happened?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. "What happened? Is he okay?"

From his place in the kitchen, Juice could hear the panic in her voice, the tears that she was holding back. In a weird way, it was almost as if he'd been transported to an alternate reality where he got to hear her reaction when Chibs told her he'd died, he thought.

"He's fine, love," Chibs murmured, trying to ease Angela's panic. "In the kitchen. Just…go easy on him, all righ'?"

"Go _easy_ on him?" she repeated, her brows furrowed together in confusion. "Why? What did he do? What is going _on_?"

The Scot gently ushered her towards the kitchen where Juice was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, feet crossed at the ankle. He stood straight when she walked in, swallowing hard at the sight of her. She looked so small, her shoulders slumped, fingers playing nervously with her rings. She always walked and talked with so much confidence that it hurt him to see her looking so…broken. She'd hate him if she ever said it aloud because of the terrible association it had with her name, but it'd looked like someone had clipped her wings and he had a feeling it was all his fault. "Hey baby," he greeted, his voice still rougher than usual.

"Hi," she replied softly, her dark eyes sweeping over him. He looked fine. Not mentally fine, but physically so. When Chibs had told her to go easy on him, she'd thought there'd be something visibly wrong…maybe a new hickey or signs of a fight he may have gotten into, something ridiculous like that. But there was nothing. She turned to Chibs. "I don't get it. What's going on?"

Wordlessly, Chibs pulled back the collar of Juice's cut, revealing the dark almost purple ligature mark around his neck. He heard her sharp intake of breath and knew she recognized it. "Guessin' you know what this is," he stated, his dark eyes on the young woman before him.

The anger came first, coursing through her veins like a bad drug. Her hands balled into fists as she saw red. "You stupid idiot!" she growled, hitting his arm, his chest, any place she could save for his face. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Chibs watched as Juice silently took the beating, all the while keeping his head down, hands hanging limply at his sides as if he knew he deserved it. She yelled obscenities at him, called him every bad name she knew and he didn't budge.

That's when the tears came streaming down her face, her hits growing slower. "You idiot," she gasped out, a sob escaping her lips. She put her forehead to his chest in defeat, letting the tears fall. She didn't care who saw her anymore. "Don't you know how much I love you?"

Juice wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close to him as possible. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her ear, his voice breaking as he said it.

She let him hold her for a minute before pushing him away. "Are you?" she asked, wiping angrily at her tears as she took a step back. "Are you really? Juice, you tried to _kill_ yourself! You wouldn't be here if you hadn't fucked it up!"

"Easy there, Angie," Chibs warned, though he knew exactly how she felt. He'd wanted to beat the shit out of him too.

"No. No, there's no _easy_ thing about this! He tried to kill himself, Chibs! Like a fucking coward!" she exclaimed, turning to glare at the Scot for a brief moment before looking back at Juice. She sucked in a deep breath, raking her hands through her hair as she tried to calm down. "Why couldn't you just talk to me, Juice? I would've listened. I _always_ listen," she continued, her voice softer this time.

Juice swallowed hard, feeling his own tears burning his eyes as he watched her fall apart. "Angel, I'm so…"

Angela shook her head, cutting him off. "Stop saying that! What are you sorry for? This wasn't an accident, Juice!" she shouted, feeling beyond frustrated. Shaking her head, she turned away from him, rushing towards their room. She needed space, needed to reign in her anger before she hurt someone.

He followed after her, his heart sinking in his stomach when he found her pulling at her drawers, moving her clothes around. It almost looked like she was packing. Was she going to leave him? He caught her wrist in his hand. Sucking in a deep breath, he tried to think of the right words to say. "Look, I'm an idiot," he started slowly. This caught her attention, her dark eyes snapped to his, an angry fire crackling in them. She hated when he called himself an idiot. Said it was the worse excuse he had for doing the things he did. "But please don't…don't give up on me. Let me explain."

"Explain what?" she asked, her voice wavering. "Explain why you thought your life wasn't worth living?"

"I love you," he replied softly, one of his hands sliding down her arm until he caught her hand in his own. He played with her fingers as he tried to think of what to say. Fingers that just the night before, he'd pictured massaging his own dead body. Now, he was glad to be able to hold them, to feel their warmth. "What I was going to do…what I _did_, it wasn't about you. I gave up on myself. I was selfish and stupid and…just don't leave me, please. I need you."

Angela swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I wasn't going to _leave_ you," she said, her brow creased in confusion. She'd come into the room to calm down and bit and thought putting away the neatly folded stacks of clothes would help her. Obviously, it didn't help very much. Clothes littered the ground and hung out of the different drawers, haphazardly shoved in them. Looking around, she could see why he thought she was leaving. "Why would I leave you? I _love_ you, and this…what you did is awful and I don't understand it, but I'm not about to leave you when you need me. That's not how this works. I just wish you would trust me…help me understand. Let me help you."

A relieved sigh left his Juice's as his calloused thumbs traced over her cheeks, wiping away her tears. God, he loved her. How she found the strength to stick by his stupid ass, he'd never know, but he was grateful for it. He decided then that he'd tell her everything. From the beginning to the end as he should've done from the get go. He wouldn't do it right away though; he knew Chibs was still there, no doubt listening to make sure everything was okay.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest. She slid her hand up his back, cradling the back of his head with a hand while the other arm moved around his waist, holding him tightly to her. He dipped his head so it was level with her ear, tears of relief slipping down his cheeks. "I love you, Angel," he whispered again, kissing her temple and squeezing her gently. "So much."

He felt her lips move across his neck, gentling pressing feather light kisses to the injured skin there. "Okay," she breathed, nodding slowly as she pulled back. Her hands reached up to brush the tears off his cheeks, pausing a moment to really look at him. He was broken. She'd seen him breaking for weeks now, but now she could see he was truly broken and she was going to try her damn hardest to fix him. "It's going to be okay, Juice. It'll get better, I promise. I'm going to help you through it…you just have to let me."

"I will." Juice nodded slowly wondering why he'd shut her out in the first place. He pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. "You're my angel, Angel," he whispered as he pulled her in close.

A sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob escaped her lips as she gave him a squeeze. "Goof," she murmured softly. She had a feeling that the worst had already passed. That as long as he let her in, she could help him. She just hoped he'd let her in enough to save him.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer 2: I do not own <em>Finding Nemo<em> but I love that movie. So so much. ;) **

****Sorry it's a bit heavy with a lot of things going on, but I couldn't find a good place to cut it. :\ As always let me know what you think! Your thoughts are always very much appreciated! Your reviews totally make my day!****

******Also, I've been thinking of posting some little drabbles and one shots if ya'll are interested both before Angela met Juice and after! ;) If you are and have something you want me to include, let me know!******

****~Love Ink****


	48. Almost Back to Normal

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! As always, I love hearing from you all! Thanks to those who left unsigned reviews: _Jean_**_ (Glad you liked it! I'll definitely be posting some one-shots of Angela's past soon! Seems like a lot of readers want to read about it!) **VomittheSoul86** (This story is going in all sorts of directions right now! That S5 finale was crazy!)_ **and **_**Freckles **(Lol I'm glad you like it so much!)**. **_

**This chapter was originally one very, _very_ long chapter, but I decided to split it in two which means the next chapter will be up a lot sooner than usual! (Hopefully Friday after I take the dreaded GRE! Ugh.)**

**This chapter takes place during Season 4 Episode 9: "Kiss".**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 48: Almost Back to Normal_

_By Love Ink_

Angela left Juice in the bedroom and headed out to the hallway. She knew he wouldn't start talking until Chibs left, and Chibs wasn't going to leave unless he got confirmation that Juice was okay. The Scot was sitting in one of their kitchen chairs, staring off into space. He stood when he heard her approach. "So?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows in question.

"I told you he wasn't okay," she said softly. "This thing with Miles…it broke him, Chibs."

Chibs nodded in agreement, running a hand over his face. "That all it is?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. He won't talk to me with you here."

"You kickin' me out, love?" he asked, a teasing smirk on his face.

Angela sighed, playing nervously with her rings. "I'm more _suggesting_ you leave…"

Chibs nodded in understanding before pulling her into a hug. "Take care of him, Angie," he said, squeezing her tightly. "Boy's lucky to have ya."

"Thanks," she said giving him a small smile.

"I'll be back early tomorrow mornin' to check in," he stated on his way out the door. "I'll see you then, yeah?"

Angela nodded slowly in agreement. She waited until he rode away before heading back into their bedroom. Juice was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He lifted his head when he heard her walk in, his eyes still glassy with tears. Slowly, she stepped between his legs, brushing the backs of her hands over his cheeks to wipe away his tears. "You need to tell me what's going on, Juice," she stated softly, her voice shaking just a little. "I don't need details or names, but you need to give me something. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

He nodded in agreement, standing slowly and taking her hand in his. He led her towards the couch and sat down on it with a sigh. She took a seat next to him, draping her legs over his and letting him pull her in closer. He'd heard once that for a woman to be a great Old Lady, she either had to know everything or nothing. For awhile, he and Angela had been fine with something in between, but he understood why it was beneficial for her to know everything now. For him to have someone to talk to. Maybe if he'd gone to her first, he wouldn't have decided to climb that tree. Swallowing hard, he tried to think of the best place to start. "Remember that day at the shop when Roosevelt's guys took me in?"

"Yeah, of course," she said on a nod. It was hard to forget the strange way he'd acted after she'd picked him up from the police department.

"Roosevelt found out that my dad is…black," Juice admitted, watching her face closely for her reaction.

Her brows furrowed in confusion as she shrugged a shoulder. "So?"

He sighed, his hand slowly rubbing up and down her leg as he thought of how to explain it to her. "You ever notice the club doesn't have any black members?" he asked, trying to think of the best words. At her nod, he frowned. "There's a rule against it. It's old and outdated, but…it's still a rule."

"What happens if they find out?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "If I'm lucky, they'll just vote me out," he replied knowing she would understand the implication.

She paled slightly. She wasn't an idiot, she knew what he was saying. If he was _lucky, _they'd vote him out. If he wasn't, they'd kill him. "Shit."

He nodded in agreement. "Roosevelt's been holdin' it over my head," he choked out, running a hand over his head. "_I_ stole that key of coke, Angel. Miles caught me, came at me with a gun, I killed him before he could kill me."

Angela tensed at the confirmation of what she already knew. Happy was right; it was Juice all along. "Jesus," she said under her breath, swallowing hard as her eyes met his. She could see the fear in them, the desperation.

"I gave Roosevelt the sample, Ang. I didn't have a choice," he admitted, shaking his head slowly. "But he…he said the deal-maker wouldn't meet with me. Not yet. That's when I decided it didn't matter. I was screwed either way. I can't lose the club, Angel. It's all I got. I lose the club, I lose my family…I lose you."

Angela shook her head, stopping his train of thought. "No, you're not going to lose me, Juice. Not over this."

He sighed and smiled faintly. It was naïve of her to think they'd make it past this. "I get kicked out, they'll make you choose. They'll shun you, Angel. You either stay with the club, with Hap and Koz and all the others, or you stay with me. Can't have both."

She knew Happy and Koz wouldn't shun her, not in a million years. The club meant a lot to them, but surely it wouldn't sway their opinion of her. Dating a Mayan hadn't, why would this be any different?"It's not going to happen, Juice," she assured him. "They're not going to kick you out, and I'm never going to leave you."

"Promise?"

Angela nodded, moving closer to him and pressing her forehead to his. Her eyes met his as she took his face in her hands. "I love you, Juice," she said, her words filled with heart. "Nothing is ever going to change that. Not the cut on your back, not your ink, nothing. I promise you that."

That was all he needed to hear. If everything fell apart, at least he'd still have her to hold on to. "Love you, too," he murmured before capturing her lips with his own in a heartfelt kiss.

She pulled away from him, still holding his face in her hands. "Don't you try to leave me again, Juice," she said, her breath catching in her throat. "Please."

He pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms around her as she nuzzled her face into his neck. "I won't, I promise."

* * *

><p>After knocking on the door excessively, Chibs let himself into Juice's house. He understood then why no one had answered. Juice was snoring like a lawnmower, Angela lying on top of him. One of his arms was slung casually over her lower back, his hand resting on her round ass while the other was draped over her shoulders . Her hand rested on the bruise on his neck as though she was trying to cover it up, protect it, protect him. Thankfully, both were fully clothed or else Chibs would've gotten quite an eyeful.<p>

The Scot paused to just look them over remembering the times he'd caught Juice sleeping naked on the club's pool table with a Croweater. The idiot had come a long way since then. He'd found a girl and had somewhat settled down, found better places to sleep than the pool table. Juice had everything going for him which made Chibs wonder what could've possibly led him to attempt suicide.

He whistled, the sharp noise of it jerking Angela awake, though it did nothing to stir Juice. She groaned as she rubbed at her eyes. "Shit," she murmured sleepily, blinking up at Chibs. "Mornin'."

"Mornin', love," Chibs replied, nodding to her. "Care to wake up your Old Man?"

Angela rolled her eyes at the term but didn't say anything against it. With a sigh, she pushed herself up off of Juice before leaning over to shake him. When that didn't work, she smirked up at Chibs before placing a soft kiss on Juice's lips. Juice responded in kind, his hands reaching for her hips as tried to pull her in closer. "Juice, Chibs is here," she said, pulling away.

Juice opened his eyes and glanced up at the Scot. The safe feeling he'd had the night before with Angela disappeared and a sense of dread filled him. What was Chibs going to do? Who was he going to tell? "Shit," he muttered, sitting up slowly when Angela moved off of him.

"He's like Sleeping Beauty, I swear to God," she commented to Chibs as she headed to the kitchen.

"Not a bad way to wake up, I guess," Chibs replied, looking back at Juice who looked scared as hell. "Get changed. We gotta head to TM."

Juice nodded, slowly standing and heading back to the bedroom. Chibs wandered into the kitchen where Angela was busying herself with some machine Chibs had never seen before. "Coffee?" she offered, pointing to the small machine and holding up a little plastic cup with a Starbucks label.

"Tha' makes coffee?" he asked, slightly surprised.

She nodded in response, putting a mug under and putting in the plastic cup before starting it up. "Yep."

"Fancy shit. Juice get tha' for ye?" he asked, making polite conversation.

"Yeah," she answered, blushing as she thought of the day he'd surprised her with it. "Want some?"

"No thanks, love." As soon as he heard the shower running, his face grew serious. "Wha's going on with him, Angie?"

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair before leaning back against the counter. "I told you he wasn't okay. We both saw it. This thing with Miles…it really broke him, Chibs. The club is his family, and he _killed_ one of his _brothers_. That's not something you just get over," she explained as she fixed her cup of coffee. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

Chibs' face fell slightly as he sighed. "Gonna run it by the guys. See what they make of it."

"Chibs, you can't…they won't trust him. You can't just do that."

"Boy's got a bruise the size of a chain 'round his neck. Ye don't think others will notice? His story is he got clothes-lined out on the property but…ye really think they're all gonna believe that?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "He was at the table with you last night, wasn't he? No one said anything then."

"Aye. They'll believe whatever we tell 'em, but I can't help 'im in secret, Angie-girl. He needs the support of the club."

"What support? You know just as much as I do they'll vote him out. Hell, SAMTAC almost voted Koz out when his addiction got too out of hand. That _can't_ happen, Chibs. You think this is bad? Think of how he'll be without the club!" she seethed, an angry fire in her eyes.

Chibs understood where the girl was coming from and was surprised by her understanding of the way the club worked. It was clear that she knew more than she let on about the MC life. For all the Happy had shielded her from it, some things still sunk in. "I'll run it by Jackie," he said, compromising even though he knew he didn't have to. The girl's argument made sense, though; the club would most likely vote Juice out, but he doubted Jax would jump on that right away. The VP usually thought things through before he acted. "He won't do anythin' right away. We'll figure this shit out."

Angela didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway. She knew she'd stepped over the line when she told him he couldn't take it to the table. Chibs wasn't Kozik, she couldn't just talk to him like that, but if her little outburst bothered him, he didn't show it. He was as patient as always. The look in his eyes telling her that he was actually listening instead of just humoring her. "Take care of him, Chibbies," she said, her voice soft, almost pleading. "I can't be there at that table, but you can."

He nodded slowly, clapping a hand on her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll do my best, love."

Juice heard the last part of the exchange and smiled softly to himself. He still couldn't believe how much Angela still cared about him, how much shit she was able to put up with. He thought for sure, she would leave him after seeing the bruise on his neck and hearing all the shit he'd done, but she hadn't even considered it. Now, he had to be strong for her. He had to stop whatever this thing with Roosevelt was before it could go any farther, before it got her in trouble. The next time he saw the Sheriff, he was going to tell him he was done; that it was over. Black daddy or not, he wasn't going to give him any more information.

He walked into the kitchen, slipping an arm around Angela's waist and taking the coffee cup from her hands before taking a long sip. It was sickly sweet, as it always was; she had a habit of putting way too much sugar in it. "This is gross, baby," he said, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"Then give it back," she shot back, leaning into his side. Juice shook his head, putting the mug to his lips again. He needed the caffeine to be able to get through the day. "Don't you finish that!" she threatened a little too late.

He handed her the empty mug. "Sorry, Angel," he said, squeezing her side and pressing a kiss to her temple.

"You ready to go?" Chibs asked, fighting the urge to chuckle at the scowl on Angela's face as she stared down into the mug.

Juice sighed before nodding. "Yeah," he answered, pushing away from the counter. He took a step in front of Angela, taking her chin in one of his hands. "I'll see you later."

"Mm-hmm," she said on a nod. She didn't dare ask if he was going to be okay. Not in front of Chibs. It would show that she doubted his strength, that she needed to be assured that he was okay instead of just believing it. Chibs was his last chance, if the Scot didn't believe he was going to be okay, Juice was screwed. "I'll be here."

He smiled slightly, the smile going nowhere near his eyes like it used to. Catching her lips in a quick kiss, he headed towards the door. Chibs gave her a wink and followed after him. She waited until she heard both of the bikes leave before exhaling. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she turned to grasp the kitchen counter.

She'd done her best to be strong the night before. Keeping from crying as Juice told her everything. But now that she was alone, the tears slipped down her face, the crushing weight of her own helplessness making it hard for her to breathe. Nothing she could say or do could help him now. His fate was in the hands of the club.

* * *

><p>It was weird that as many times as she'd been to the clubhouse, it still was awkward for Angela to enter it alone. Juice had asked her to come over since the rest of the club was holding chapel at Gemma's house and he wanted some company while he swept the place for bugs. She stared at the huge reaper that hung next to the door before sucking in a huge breath and letting herself in. "Juice?" she called out, taking in the mess on the floor. She'd forgotten that the clubhouse had been shot up a few days before.<p>

"Over here, Angel," he replied from around the corner. His voice was rougher than usual because of his injury. Just the sound of it made Angela's heart squeeze painfully in her chest; it was a reminder that she'd almost lost him.

"Hey you," she greeted, going over to stand by him. He pulled her into his lap, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he moved his arms around her to type something on the computer. The screen was filled with lines and lines of code. "You messing with the Matrix?"

Juice chuckled, kissing her shoulder. "Nah. Checking for bugs."

"Cool."

"Mm-hmm," he murmured, slightly distracted for a brief moment. "Shit, I forgot somethin' in the garage. I'll be back in a minute. Here's solitaire. Knock yourself out."

Angela rolled her eyes as he pulled up the card game. She got off his lap, letting him slip out before she sank down heavily into his comfy chair. Well, it was usually comfy. Shifting slightly, she grabbed at the hard object she'd accidentally sat on. She sighed when she saw that it was one of his burners. It buzzed in her hand, making her jump. "Shit," she said, getting up from the chair and heading to the front door. She spotted him standing in one of the repair bays with a box in his hand as he stared at something in front of him. "Juice!" she shouted across the lot to him. He started heading towards her, trying to ignore the Bronco that had just pulled in and the man getting out of it, a hard look on his face.

She swallowed hard as she saw the Sheriff step in front of him, a plastic bag in his hands. From her distance, she couldn't hear the exchange, but their body language hinted that it wasn't a pleasant one. Roosevelt dumped the plastic bag onto Juice's box before getting in his face. Juice just picked it up and let it fall to the floor. A few more words were exchanged before Juice walked away, heading straight for her.

Roosevelt's eyes followed the young man's back as he headed towards the clubhouse, stopping on the woman standing in the doorway. Angela. Despite the fact that he knew they were together, it still surprised him to see her standing there, that worried look in her eyes as Juice walked to her. The outlaw leaned over to press a quick kiss to her temple before disappearing inside. Angela shook her head at Roosevelt in disappointment before following after him.

That's when Roosevelt realized she knew. She knew all about the way he was black mailing Juice into helping him. The disappointed look on her face made him feel like scum. As much as he hated the Sons and everything they stood for, he knew what he was doing wasn't right and it wasn't until he saw the bruise on Juice's neck and the look on Angela's face that he realized how wrong it was; he was single-handedly destroying a young man's life.

* * *

><p>Angela headed back inside to where Juice was standing behind the bar, the box of electronic stuff sitting on top of it. He was taking a long pull on his beer when she walked inside. His eyes followed her as she on the other side of the bar, leaning against it, her forearms on the clean wooden surface. He saw that little worried wrinkle appear between her eyebrows and scowled. "Stop that," he said, setting down the beer bottle.<p>

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Worrying about me," he said, leaning against the bar. After telling Roosevelt he was done with everything, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I'm all right, Angel. I'm done with it. _All_ of it. That's what I told him. Everything is going to be okay."

She smiled, leaning farther over the bar so her face was just inches from his. "Promise?"

He brushed a stray hair from her face, his hand lingering on her cheek. "Promise," he confirmed before connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. He walked around the bar languidly, stopping when he was standing behind her. His arms slid around her hips, hand dipping under the waistband of her jeans and skimming over the lacy fabric of her panties. Of course she was wearing something lacy, it was all she owned now. He'd made sure to get rid of the other ones. "So…I forgot to check for bugs in my room."

"Really?" she asked flatly, leaning into his embrace. She knew he just wanted an excuse to get her in his bedroom. She turned around to face him, a sexy smirk turning up the corners of her lips. "Are we going to check for_ bed_ bugs?"

"You know, I think we should," he said, grabbing her thighs just below her ass and easily lifting her up. She laughed, wrapping her legs around his waist and pressing a sound kiss to his lips. It was nice to see hear him teasing again; see that naughty smile on his face as he carried her to his room. He laid her down on the bed, holding himself on his arms above her.

She stared up at him, knowing there was something on his mind. "What?"

"Bed bugs are actually pretty gross," he stated as if the thought had just occurred to him. "They bite and then it itches and did you know the male bedbug literally stabs the female bedbug in the stomach to inseminate her? How messed up is that?"

Angela laughed, she couldn't help it. He'd taken her to the bed room, presumably to have sex with her and instead was giving her a lesson on bed bugs. This was the "old" Juice that she loved and missed, the one who would bring up the most random things at the most random times. "About as messed up as talking about bedbugs when you have a female lying underneath you waiting to have sex with you."

"That's pretty messed up," he said, teasing her. "You think it hurts when he stabs her?"

"I'm gonna stab you soon if you don't stop talking about bugs."

Juice chuckled at that one. "Oh really?" he asked, a rare smile breaking across his face.

"Mm-hmm." Angela felt those familiar butterflies stir in her stomach at his smile. It'd been so long since she'd seen it in its full capacity. It was like a ray of hope in the darkness that had been their lives for the past week. Reaching up, she traced a finger over his cheek. "There's that smile that I love," she said, smiling back at him.

Dipping his head down, he pressed his lips to hers. He had to admit, it felt good to smile again, to feel as though everything would be okay, and at that moment, as her hands warm hands slid under his shirt and up his back, he knew that everything would be okay. He was done dealing with the feds. It was time to focus on better things like the girl underneath him.

* * *

><p>Angela walked out of the clubhouse, a slight skip in her step. She was happy for the first time in weeks. The plan was for Juice to finish up his work and then meet her back at their place for dinner; a perfect plan in her opinion. She thought it'd be a good time to tell him about the baby growing in her belly. She was halfway across the lot when she saw Tara's car pull in. "Hey T," Angela greeted as the doctor got out of the car.<p>

"Hey Ang," Tara replied on a sigh. She looked frazzled as though something was bothering her.

Angela was willing to bet something more had happened with those damn letters. "What's up, doc?"

Tara looked Angela over curiously, noting her mussed hair and swollen lips, a few patches of reddened skin around the area of her chest exposed by her low cut tank. Her dark eyes were bright and happy. "Did you…did you just have a quickie in the clubhouse?"

"No, of course not," she said, a mischievous smirk turning up the corners of her lips. "Wasn't quick at all."

Tara rolled her eyes as she shook her head at her friend. She noticed how relaxed Angela seemed compared to the bundle of nerves she was the last time she'd seen her at the hospital. "That is entirely too much information," she commented with a shake of her head.

Angela just grinned back at her. "You asked," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "So what's up? Don't you have work? Did they pull you another day?"

She shook her head in response. "No, no, nothing like that actually. I just…need to talk to Gemma about…something. Want to join me?"

"If it's about those damn letters then no," she answered honestly. "I've had a great day so far. I'd hate to spoil it."

"Fair enough," the doctor said on a chuckle. "Hey, what were you doing in the hospital yesterday? I saw you with the nurse. Something wrong?"

Angela shifted from foot to foot as she shrugged. "Nah. Just needed a flu shot," she lied, shrugging a shoulder.

Tara narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her friend. "Ang, didn't I just give you one of those?"

_Shit_, she thought with a frown. "Oh yeah. Different strain or something…" she tried but could see that Tara was not buying it. "Hey, you've got your big trip tomorrow, don't you? Are you excited?"

The doctor didn't look too pleased at Angela's change of subject, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah. Taking the boys and Elyda. Should be fun."

"Awesome. Have a great time if I don't see you before then."

"Thanks, we will," Tara said on a nod. She watched Angela get in her Mazda and drive off, letting a sigh escape her lips as she did so. There was no doubt in her mind that the girl was lying about why she'd been at the hospital, why she'd been talking to the nurse. Tara hoped whatever reason it was, it wasn't too serious. Angela had become one of her closest friends, and she didn't want to lose that bond.

* * *

><p>The smell of baking cookies hit Juice's nose as he stepped into the house, instantly relaxing him. He headed straight for the kitchen to find Angela putting icing on the top of them. His jaw dropped when he realized what kind of cookies they were. "Holy shit! Black and white cookies!" he exclaimed, looking at the perfectly iced cookies that were a staple of New York City. They'd been his favorite when he lived there, but he'd had a hard time finding anything similar in Charming. He grabbed one off the plate and took a big bite, making sure to get both the black and the white side. "I love you, you know that?" he asked, around the mouthful.<p>

Angela nodded, smiling at his eagerness. "How are they?" she asked, her hip cocked to the side as she watched him devour the cookie.

Juice grinned at her, swallowing the bite in his mouth. It was impossible to get the exact taste of the ones in New York, but she had come damn close. "Delicious," he said around another bite. "Haven't had a good one of these in _years_. Not since New York. They were my favorite."

"I know," she said, a light blush coloring her cheeks. At his surprised look, she rolled her eyes. "You told me on one of my visits to Stockton. I played with the recipe with Koz as my guinea pig just for something to do. Haven't had the chance to make 'em since you got out. Figured I'd give it a shot."

"You did an amazing job." He could feel his heart swell with love for the girl in front of him. That day, the day after he'd tried to kill himself, she'd done everything possible to make him feel better. From listening to his story, to a quickie in the clubhouse, to baking his favorite cookies for him. She was proof that his life was still worth living if only just so that he could spend more time with her. "Thank you."

Angela smiled, leaning in to catch his lips with hers. "You're very welcome," she replied, grabbing a cookie for herself. They both enjoyed the cookies in silence for a few minutes before she spoke, "Hey Juice?"

"Mmm?" he asked around a bite of cookie. He looked at her, noticing her shifting from foot to foot and playing with her rings nervously. His brows furrowed in confusion; she was nervous…why was she nervous? "What's wrong? What happened?"

She wanted to tell him in a romantic way. To surprise him with a baby toy or show up with diapers or something, but she wasn't a planner…or really a romantic. True to form, she just blurted it out. "I'm pregnant."

Juice blinked at her, swallowing hard as his mouth suddenly went dry. "What?"

Angela nodded slowly. "I'm pregnant," she repeated, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Like six weeks or eight…I don't know the week thing is weird…but, yeah, I'm…pregnant. Surprise."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "My kid…is inside of you. A piece of me is inside of you," he said, trying to work things out in his head. He reached out a hand, his fingertips slipping under the hem of her shirt and over her lower stomach, eyes glued to the smooth expanse of skin that was there.

"Wouldn't be the first time," she muttered on a smirk.

Juice lifted his eyes to meet hers, a naughty smirk of his own pulling up the corner of his lips. "I believe that's what got you in this situation to begin with."

Angela laughed lightly before her features took on that worried look again. It was hard to read what he was thinking since it seemed he hadn't fully accepted what it meant yet. "What do you want to do about it? Do you want to keep it? I mean, it's still early so..."

He looked confused and slightly hurt by her words. "What do you mean "keep it"?"

She shrugged a shoulder, watching his face carefully. "With everything that's going on…" she explained looking pointedly at the bruise on his neck before meeting his eyes. "I just don't want you to have one more thing to worry about."

Juice shook his head, taking her face in his hands and softly pressing a kiss to her lips. Of course, she put him first. He knew she wanted kids, could tell by the way she took care of the club's kids, but she was willing to sacrifice her wants for him. But he wanted this. He never thought he would, but he did. "Angel, I want this. I want us, the baby…a family. It's all I ever wanted."

"Yeah?" she asked, her dark eyes hopeful as she looked up at him.

He nodded, kissing her lips once again, then her cheek and forehead before pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. She nuzzled her nose into the uninjured side of his neck as her hands rubbed up and down his back.

It wasn't the first time he noticed how well she fit against his body. The way the curves of her body seemed to melt perfectly into him as he held her. He understood those cheesy "puzzle piece" lines. She was his missing puzzle piece. Without her, he wouldn't be whole. "You're my missing puzzle piece, Angel. Well now, pieces, I guess…'cause you got someone inside ya…who's also part of the puzzle…but like a mini part. How big is it now?"

He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was rolling his eyes. She'd never admit that she loved his corny lines; mostly because she knew he meant them, that they weren't some goofy line that he was using to get in her pants. "Goof," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his neck before tilting her head back to look at him. "The kid's tiny. Just a heartbeat."

"Cool," he commented, his hands slipping down her arms before his fingers traced over her still flat stomach again. "My kid...our kid."

Angela laughed, catching his lips with hers again in a long, heartfelt kiss. His hands slid down her figure, stopping to grab at her ass before moving beneath it so he could lift her up off her feet. She giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist and holding on tightly to him while he started to walk towards the bedroom.

He stopped in front of the couch, though, deciding the bedroom was way too far away. Laying her down on it gently, he climbed over her, his hands sliding up her sides to move up her shirt as his lips met hers again.

A sudden pounding on the door made his head snap up. "Shit," he breathed, eyes wide. He knew who it was without checking; only cops knocked on the door like that. He slowly got up off of her, sitting on the edge of the couch next to her as he let out a breath. "Angel…"

She sighed, standing up slowly. "I got it."

"No, stop," he said grabbing her wrist. He placed kiss to the inside of her wrist just over her pulse before standing up. "Head to the kitchen. Out of sight. Let me handle this."

She nodded, pressing a kiss to his lips before doing what he said. Once he was sure she was out of view, he opened the door. From her place in the kitchen, Angela could hear Roosevelt's voice as he told Juice about the meet he had set up with the playmaker. That he would have to take him into the station again. She moved a little so he could see her but Roosevelt could not. Juice's eyes met hers, that sad, defeated look in them again. She felt sick to her stomach as his shoulders fell and with one last sigh, he stepped out the door, closing it behind him.

She felt like crying. They'd come so close to being normal again, to being done with this whole mess. Juice had started to smile again, had started to live again. He was on the mend, physically and mentally. All that work had come to a screeching halt with just one simple knock on the door.

* * *

><p>Juice stood at the threshold of the small conference room staring at the pictures on the wall while the DA, Lincoln Potter, went on about a RICO case. A fucking RICO case…that's what he'd been playing into. The sheer amount of information on the club and its associates on the walls was overwhelming. His heart was pounding in his chest as he scanned the wall for her picture. It would all be okay as long as she was safe. He spotted it next to Skeeter's under "known associates" but with no title underneath it save for "undertaker".<p>

Relieved, he let his eyes fall on the large table in the middle. His heart rate increased as he spotted surveillance pictures littering the wooden surface. Most of them were of the clubhouse and his brother, but one in particular caught his eye. "Oh shit," he breathed, zeroing on the picture of him and Angela sharing a goodbye kiss in front of the clubhouse where her Mazda was parked.

Anger surged through his veins. They knew about her, knew her car, knew they were together. If they knew, that meant any hacker who was any good at what he did would know, like the kind of hacker that would work with a cartel. She was in danger. They'd put her in danger. With a feral growl, he launched himself at the root of all this evil, the man who'd put the person he loved most in danger, Sheriff Roosevelt. Tackling him to the ground, he managed to get some good hits in before the other cops pulled him off. He struggled against their hold, fighting to get at the picture and destroy any trace of it to protect her...to protect his family.

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><p><strong>Thoughts? Likes? Dislikes? Tell me about them in a review! :) <strong>

**Like I said, the next chapter will be coming up sooner than usual and will cover S4, Episode 10: "Hands". I just have to take my GRE first. Ugh. Wish me luck! I'm gonna need it! **

**~Love Ink**


	49. Silver Lining

**A little later than promised (sorry), but I couldn't figure out how I wanted to end the chapter! Fail. :p **

**Thanks so much to everyone who wished me luck in their reviews! The test wasn't too horrible! ;) I know I PM'ed most of you but thank you to _Guest _for your unsigned review. :)  
><strong>

**This chapter takes place during Season 4, Episode 10: "Hands". **

_**HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all of you! I wish you all the best! :D**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 49: Silver Lining_

_By Love Ink_

Angela was woken up by the shrill ringing of her phone. She groaned as she opened her eyes, her neck stiff from sleeping on the couch all night. She'd been determined to stay up and wait for him but had clearly failed. Rubbing at her tired eyes, she reached out for the vibrating phone. "Hello?" she mumbled, holding back a yawn.

Juice relaxed at the sound of her voice. As soon as the DA decided to move him into ATF holding, he'd demanded his one phone call. He knew his rights, and he also knew he needed a story to tell his brothers, one that could be verified by his girl. "Hey baby," his voice sounded rough, even to his own ears. "I'm in ATF holdin'. Shit's a little bigger than I thought. I don't know how much longer they'll make me stay."

"Okay," she said nodding slowly. She heard the sound of Harley's pulling into the drive and grimaced, cursing under her breath.

"What? What's going on?" he asked, panicking slightly. A number of things could make her curse like that, and he was especially jumpy now that he knew the DA knew about her.

"Chibs and Bobby are here."

"Tell 'em I got taken in by Roosevelt and then went out for a ride when I was released. Somewhere far but close."

Angela let out a light laugh at his twisted description. "Far but close? What the hell, Juice?" she hissed, watching as Bobby answered his phone and Chibs made his way to the door.

"Yosemite. Tell 'em I went up to Yosemite," he clarified knowing it wasn't that far of a stretch. He'd made the ride up there before. "That's all you know, okay?"

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Yeah."

"Everything's going to be okay, Angel. I'm going to _make_ it okay," he promised her, his voice shaking just a little with his nerves. He didn't know why they were holding him or what they wanted from him, but he had to find a way to make it okay. For her. For their kid.

"I know." The knock on the door told her their conversation had to be cut short. She hated to let him go like that. "I gotta go, Juice. Be careful. I love you."

"Stay safe, Angel. Love you too."

Reluctantly, Angela hung up the phone and made her way to the door. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and put on a brave face. Chibs would spot her lie from a mile away if she was just the slightest bit nervous. Forcing a smile on her face, she opened the door. "Hey Chibbies."

Chibs looked her over, a frown turning down the corners of his lips. The big circles under her eyes were a dead giveaway that she hadn't slept the night before, and he knew why. Roosevelt had picked Juice up…again. The stress of that topped with Juice's suicide attempt looked like it was wearing on her. "Mornin', love. Juicy-boy home?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Heard he got picked up by Roosevelt. Piss test," he stated, looking over her shoulder as if Juice was hiding behind her. "He come home at all?"

Angela nodded. "Earlier this morning," she answered casually. "Grabbed his bike and headed off to Yosemite to think."

Chibs raised his eyebrows, surprised she'd let him ride out by himself especially because of what happened just a few nights before. "Alone?"

"Yeah. I offered to go with him, but he told me to go back to sleep," she explained on a shrug. She knew she had to look like she hadn't slept in days, so she played it to her advantage; the state she was in, it was totally reasonable for Juice to tell her to go back to sleep. "He's _okay_, Chibs. It's not going to happen again. I promise you."

Whatever Chibs was going to say in response was cut off as Bobby lumbered over, moving faster than usual, a worried look on his face. "Hey Angie," he greeted distractedly before turning to his brother. "We got trouble. It's Tara. Got to head down to St. Thomas."

Chibs hesitated at the door looking as if he didn't want to leave Angela alone. After a moment, he sighed. "Call me if he comes home, all righ'?"

Angela nodded in reply. "Is Tara all right?"

"Got her hand slammed in a door. You should probably head down to St. Thomas when you get the chance," Bobby suggested, his eyes dragging over her messy attire that consisted of a pair of Juice's sweatpants and one of Kozik's SAMTAC t-shirts. Obviously, he was hinting that she should change first. "Just so we can keep an eye on ya."

"I got to head in to work for a bit first," she lied. She knew she had to be available to pick Juice up and would rather not have a prospect following her out of the hospital. "I'll head over as soon as I can."

"Stay safe, Angie-girl," Chibs said, clapping a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "See you soon."

Once they were gone, she took a quick shower and changed into something more appropriate to wear to a hospital. Her stomach was in knots as she wondered how Tara could've possibly slammed her hand in a door, and why that was such a big deal. She said a quick prayer, hoping that it wasn't too serious as she pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and a simple navy blue v-neck. The phone rang again as she was about to do her hair. "Angela Ruiz," she answered, running a brush through the wet strands.

"Hey baby," Juice's voice replied. "Can you come pick me up? I'm kinda…stuck, and I'd rather not ride up in a police car."

"I'll be right there."

She drove quickly, weaving through the back roads. After driving around lost for a few minutes, she finally made it to the large unmarked office building. The only reason she knew it was the right building was because she saw Juice standing outside of it. She smacked the little GPS on her dash. "Good for nothing piece of shit," she muttered, glaring as it still told her she had three left turns to make.

"You talkin' to me?" Juice asked as he got into the passenger's seat.

Angela shook her head at him, smiling slightly. "Nah, 'course not. The GPS."

He leaned forward, grabbing the piece of technology off the dash and pushing a few buttons. This he was comfortable with, this he could fix. The rest of the mess that was his life was a little more complicated.

She watched him mess with it in pure fascination. Anyone who thought he was an idiot had clearly never seen him with a piece of technology in his hand. "Everything all right?" she asked.

"Needs to be updated," he muttered on a frustrated frown.

"Not what I meant, Juice," she said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "You have blood on your shirt. What happened?"

He sighed, turning off the GPS and tucking it gently into her glove compartment before shaking his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

She pulled out of the parking lot, her car going much faster than it should be in a residential area. "Try me," she said, looking over at him.

Juice let out a long breath before explaining everything about the DA, the IRA, and the whole RICO case to her. All the while, she sat quietly with her elbow hanging out of the open window, her dark eyes on the road. "Pull over," he ordered as they neared the familiar exit. At her curious look, he shrugged again. "Need a little more time."

They both stood at the edge of their mountain, his hand in hers as they looked out over the small town of Charming. "I don't know what to do, Angel," he admitted, his thumb ghosting over one of her rings. "I'm screwed either way."

She turned to him, a hard look in her dark eyes. "You do what that asshole told you to do. You check in, you act like everything is okay, and you give them what they want. There are so many players in this whole game, there's no way they can pin it on you," she answered, her voice strong and confident, almost reminiscent of Gemma's when she was plotting. He was silent for a moment, watching as she deflated slightly, worry bleeding into her eyes because as much as she sounded like Gemma for that brief moment, she wasn't Gemma; she wasn't used to this kind of stuff like she was. She didn't fully understand how the club and the feds worked, and as much as she wanted to believe her own words, she found she had no real basis for that belief. "Right?"

He nodded, smiling sadly at her loss of confidence. "I hope so," he said pulling her in front of him. He moved his arms around her waist, his hands folded over her stomach. Her hands settled on his, the tips of her fingers trailing over his swollen, red knuckles. "Roosevelt," he said by way of explanation.

Angela knew it was the reason for why his hands look like he'd beat the shit out of someone. "Why?"

"There was a surveillance pic of us on the table. I lost it," he answered, his voice soft, worried. "I can handle them going after me and even after the club, but if this blows back on you, I'll never forgive myself."

She felt a lump form in her throat. She never doubted that he loved her, but, sometimes, she felt it more than others. This was one of those times when it surrounded her like a warm blanket making her feel safe and protected. Slowly, she turned in his arms, lifting a hand and setting it on his cheek. "Nothing's going to happen. We're going to be okay, Juice. We'll get through this."

"Okay, baby." Juice turned his head to press a kiss to her wrist before pulling her in closer. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her warm scent. He believed her. He had to.

* * *

><p>Angela dropped Juice off at the house before heading to the hospital. After Juice had checked in with his brothers, he'd told her a little more about what had happened to Tara, and it frankly scared the shit out of her. Someone had tried to make good on the threat and had almost succeeded. She'd gotten one of those notes too. Had she been wrong in assuming that the threat was because of the letters? Or had Clay become so desperate that he'd put a hit on Tara? If they went after the VP's Old Lady, was she next? No, she couldn't be. Clay wouldn't have the balls to threaten her family and then off her like that, especially since his threat was working. There was no way in hell she'd say anything about those letters; not with her family in danger. Still the fear lingered in her stomach, she had more to protect than just Juice and Happy now.<p>

Once at St. Thomas, she didn't bother going to the nurse's station to ask where Tara was, just walked right by and towards the ICU. It wasn't hard to find out which room she was in since Phil was standing outside of it like a big ogre guarding a bridge. "Hey Phil," she greeted with a small smile. "How's it going?"

He nodded to her in greeting. "Good, thanks," he replied looking her over. She looked tired and a little scared. Hell, most of the Old Ladies were looking that way lately. It was clear the cartel shit was wearing on more than just the MC members. "You?"

"Good, tired," she admitted on a sigh. "How's Tara doing?"

Phil shrugged a shoulder. "She just got out of surgery. Only Jax is allowed in there right now. There's a waiting room right over there though."

She bobbed her head up and down as she listened, hands in the pockets of her jeans. "Maybe I'll head home or something. I don't really need to be here."

"Umm…the guys said to make you stay here since Rat's with Gemma and V-Lin's at the clubhouse. They don't want you to be alone…if that's okay."

Angela let out a long breath as she ran a hand through her hair. If she didn't like Phil so much, she might've just said no and walked out, but she had a soft spot for the big guy and didn't want to make his life any harder than it already was. "All right. Waiting room okay then?"

He nodded, an appreciative look on his face; he'd seen her little protest when Tig had asked V-Lin to tail her and had been expecting something similar. "It's right across the hall."

"Thanks, Phil," she said patting his arm before heading into the room he'd pointed out.

It was a plain waiting room with lots of chairs and even more outdated magazines. Taking a seat in one of the plastic-cushioned chairs, she grabbed an old issue of _Parenting_ magazine and flipped through it idly looking more at the baby pictures than reading the articles. She'd have one of those monsters of her own soon but hers would be much cuter because it'd have Juice's smile, she decided. If her kid inherited only one thing from its father, she'd want it to be that smile. After awhile, she grew bored with the magazine and tossed it onto the table next to her before tilting her head back against the wall. Her eyes closed before she could stop them.

She was awoken a few minutes later, her chair shaking as Jax threw himself into the seat on the other side of the corner table. "Hey Ang," he greeted on a tired sigh.

"Hey," Angela replied on a nod. "Everything all right?"

He ran a hand over his face, tugging at his beard as he shook his head. "Meds got Tara's head all fucked up. She's saying all kinds of shit. I just don't know if it's the meds talkin' or…"

"If she means them," she finished on a frown. "That sucks, I'm sorry."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he said on a long sigh. He liked that Angela didn't ask what Tara had said like his mother would've. It was nice to be able to talk to someone without having them try to pry more information out of him. "You know what happened to Juice?"

"Got picked up by Roosevelt, came home, went to Yosemite to clear his head," she replied easily.

"Nah, I heard about that. I meant…do you know what he tried to do?"

Angela played nervously with her rings as she nodded. "Yeah," she said softly.

"You think he'll get over it?"

"I think the guilt of killing his own brother is going to stay with him a long time," she replied honestly, "but he's okay for now. He just needs…he needs the club. His brothers. You guys are his family, all he has."

"You in that picture too?"

Angela smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, of course. But what we have is different than his relationship to the club. He needs his brothers, Jax," she repeated, hoping that if she stressed just how much Juice needed the club, Jax might cut him some slack.

Jax nodded slowly, taking in her words. "You ever want him to get out of this whole thing? This life?"

She shrugged a shoulder. With everything that was going on, she'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it. "Sometimes, but I'd never ask that of him. This club is a big part of who he is. Asking him to give it up is like asking him to stop breathing."

The corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. It was clear Angela knew her man well, and truth be told, he wished Tara understood the club life as well as the undertaker seemed to. As if sensing his thoughts, she continued, "But what Juice and I have is not the same as what you and Tara have. Your situation is a bit more…complicated with the boys and your mom and all. There's more factors mixed in there."

Jax sighed as he nodded. She had a point there. "Yeah."

They were silent for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts before she asked, "Any news on her hand?"

"Severe nerve damage," he explained, rubbing at his eyes. "Could be permanent."

"It won't be," she said confidently. "Tara's a strong woman. If anyone can get through this, it's her."

Jax appreciated the sentiment, but she hadn't heard the way Tara had yelled at him, the awful things she said about having to stay at home with her dead hand. That woman that had yelled those terrible thing at him hadn't seemed strong, she'd seemed weak, like she'd given up all hope. It was hard to believe Tara would get better when she didn't even think so. "I don't know, Ang."

She patted his arm comfortingly. "Have faith," she said before standing up. She'd gotten the feeling that he wanted to be alone and was more than happy to oblige him. "I'm going to grab some coffee. You want anything?"

"I'm good, thanks," he said softly. His blue eyes lifted from where he'd been staring at the floor and looked her over quickly, a worried look in them. "Don't go too far. We don't know what we're dealin' with yet."

Angela smiled at his concern and nodded. "I won't," she said stepping into the hallway. About halfway down, she heard footsteps along with voices she'd recognize anywhere.

Sure enough, Tig and some of the other brothers were heading up the hall. The SAA nodded at her, clapping her on the shoulder to stop her. "You all right, doll?"

"Yep," she said on a soft sigh. "Totally fine. Going to get some coffee."

He patted her shoulder gently. "Good. Stay close."

She fought against a grimace. His words were just another reminder that she wasn't safe. "Got it," she said, nodding her hello to Bobby and Opie who nodded back. Chibs gave her a wink as he walked by, his head jerking back over his shoulder as if to signal something. Angela gave him a curious look but continued making her way down the hall. As she rounded the corner, she stopped when she saw Juice talking to Roosevelt just a few feet away. Juice was the first one to notice her, his eyes briefly flitting over her before going back to Roosevelt. She moved to lean against the wall behind a set of shelves, trying to stay out of view.

After a moment, she heard Juice's loud footsteps clunk down the hallway. Instead of his usual greeting, however, he surprised her by taking her face in his hands and crushing his lips against hers. She kissed him back just as hard, her hands fisted in the fabric of his navy t-shirt. "Stay here," he whispered as he pulled away. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before disappearing down the hall, leaving her standing there totally confused, her fingers brushing over her swollen lips while she watched him walk away. Where had _that _come from?

"Ms. Ruiz," Roosevelt's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Angela snapped her head towards him. "What?" she asked, all politeness gone from her tone. This was the man that had led Juice to climb that damn tree. If it wasn't for him, everything would be fine, Juice would be his normal, happy self not the sad, scared man she'd grown accustomed to lately. The wrath she felt towards the Sheriff was unprecedented and undoubtedly doubled by the crazy pregnancy hormones.

"I just wanted to apologize," he said, an honest look in his brown eyes. "I never meant for things to get this far."

"Of course you didn't. You feds never do," she spat, remembering Agent Stahl and all the destruction she'd caused. "You push and you push and somehow, someone always gets hurt, but at least you're following the law, _right_? At least the '_good' _people are protected from _'evil'_ outlaws like them."

Roosevelt didn't miss the sarcasm in her words or the hatred in her dark eyes. It made him feel like shit. He hadn't been lying when he said he'd never meant for all the stuff that was going on to happen, and he hated that it was blowing back on Angela. She didn't deserve it. Hell, he was beginning to think Juice didn't deserve it either. "I'm sorry, Angela."

"Fat lot of good that does any of us," she muttered, shaking her head at him. "I liked you, Eli. I thought that you were a good man with strong morals. Clearly, I was wrong. You're just another crooked pig. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get some coffee," she said, brushing passed him and heading towards the cafeteria.

She'd just made it to the coffee station, Styrofoam cup at the ready when a hand stopped her. Looking over, she saw Chloe smiling back at her. "How many cups have you had today, Ang?" the nurse asked, a knowing look on her face.

"None," Angela lied easily.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Sheba," she scoffed, rolling her hazel eyes at her friend. "Too much caffeine is bad for the baby. One cup a day, two tops. How many have you had today?"

She groaned in response, knowing the answer was going to keep her from enjoying the much needed cup in her hands. "Two."

"Thought so," Chloe stated, pouring out the coffee and pouring hot water into the cup instead. "Tea's a good alternative, has less caffeine. It's going to be hard at first, you'll probably have some withdrawal symptoms, but you'll get the hang of it."

"Withdrawal symptoms," Angela repeated flatly. That was just what she needed. "Seriously, Chlo?"

"Yeah. Shaking, headaches, all that fun stuff." Chloe laughed at the miserable look on Angela's face. "I know, it's going to suck, but hey, you skipped out on the morning sickness, right? Not many women can say that."

"I'd rather puke," she muttered, rubbing at her forehead; she could already feel a headache starting up.

She smiled, linking her arm through the undertaker's and pulling her over to a table. "C'mon, I'm on a break, entertain me with your fascinating life while I drink _my _coffee."

"Ugh. I hate you," Angela whined, sitting down in one of the cafeteria chairs and sipping at her tea. She pulled a face at the bland flavor. "Can I at least put sugar in it? It doesn't taste like anything."

"No," Chloe said simply, sipping at her own coffee. "Let it steep. You'll like it."

"We're not friends anymore," she stated, the look on her face telling the nurse she didn't mean it.

"Bullshit. So how was your day?" she questioned sarcastically. It was written all over the other girl's face how her day was. With a groan, Angela let her head fall to the table. Chloe patted her back as she bit back a laugh. "That good, huh? Hey! I know something that will cheer you up."

* * *

><p>Juice panicked when he walked back out in the hall and Angela was nowhere to be found. He hadn't been talking to the guys for that long. How could she just disappear? "Angie leave?" Chibs asked from behind him.<p>

"I don't…I told her to stay here," Juice said, digging in his pockets for his phone. She'd promised she'd stay there, and Angela wasn't one to break her promises. Scenarios of masked men taking his girls raced through his head as panic set in. "She has to be here. She wouldn't have just left. Right?"

"Dunno. She's your Old Lady," Chibs replied on a shrug. He watched Juice's hands shake as he dialed in her phone number. "Relax. Girl's probably fine. Knowin' Angie, she went to get some coffee."

Juice nodded, phone at his ear, praying she'd pick up. It took a few rings, but she finally did. "Hey you!" she greeted, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Where are you? I thought I told you to stay here," he said, still tensed up.

"I _am_ here. Up three floors, room 424. Come meet me."

He relaxed slightly as he started moving towards the elevator, aware that Chibs was following after him. "What are you doing up there?"

"Hanging out with Chlo," she explained simply. "You comin'?"

"Yeah. Be right there," he said hanging up the phone and looking at Chibs. "She's with her nurse friend. Fourth floor."

Chibs looked at the hospital key and raised an eyebrow when he read what was on the fourth floor. He kept his mouth shut though, no use to freak Juice out. "All righ'. See ye at the clubhouse, yeah?"

Juice nodded as the elevator doors opened and he stepped in. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he watched the numbers go up, tapping his foot anxiously. The elevator doors opened to reveal a simple waiting room with more children's toys than normal. He shrugged and started down the hallway, looking at the numbers on the door. Once he found the right one, he could hear Angela laughing while a weird thumping noise sounded in the background.

Hesitantly, he opened the door. Chloe grinned up at him from her spot next to the exam table Angela was lying on with her shirt pulled up exposing her torso. Blue goo covered the span of her stomach, making the colors of her koi fish tattoo stand out more than usual. Angela hadn't noticed him; her dark eyes were watching a computer screen with an image on it that Juice couldn't make sense of. He moved to stand next to the table, squinting his eyes to see if it would help him distinguish the image. There was a fluttering image on it that accompanied the strange, thumping sound. "What _is_ that?" he asked, his head turning this way and that as he tried to figure it out.

Chloe pointed to the little flickering thing on the screen, moving the sensor over Angela's stomach to get a better few. "That's a heartbeat."

"Oh," he said pretending he understood.

Angela knew better; she could still see the confusion written all over his face. "That's the kid's heartbeat."

"Oh. _Oh_. That's my…that's our…woah," he stammered out, still trying to make sense of it. "_That's_ in _there?_" he asked, pointing a finger at her stomach and making a face as he got the gel all over it.

"Toldja it was tiny," Angela said, giggling as he wiped the gel off on the side of the exam table.

"That's my kid. My little kid. Is its heart okay? It sounds like it's underwater. Is it supposed to sound like that?"

Chloe smiled at Juice's questions; she'd heard them all from excited fathers before. "The fetus is totally fine. It sounds like it's underwater because it is, kind of. There's a bunch of fluid in there."

"How does that machine even work? Can we get it in color?"

Angela laughed at the surprised look on Chloe's face. She was willing to be she'd never heard those questions before. Juice with his techie brain seemed to be more interested in the sonogram machine than the little fluttering on the screen. "It's sonar. Like bats use. Right Chlo?"

Chloe looked between them, completely confused. She'd never heard it compared to animals before, and she had to explain it to children. "Uh…sure."

"Cool," he said, still looking fascinated at the screen. "Can you tell if it's a girl or boy or do we have to keep calling it 'it'?"

"Not yet," Chloe replied, grinning at Juice's eagerness. She wondered how people were ever intimidated by him, though Angela assured her plenty of people were. Juice just seemed like a big kid. "Most people think of cute nicknames. Bean, blip, lump, gremlin, Cletus the Fetus. The list goes on. You just got to pick one."

"_Cletus _the _Fetus_," Angela repeated, wrinkling her nose. She caught Juice smirking and pointed a finger in his face. "_No_, absolutely not, Juice. Don't even think about it."

Juice's smirk widened into a smile, squeezing her hand in his. "You gotta admit, it's fuckin' hilarious, Ang," he let go of her hand and poked gently at her stomach, his head dipping just a little closer to her abdomen. "Sup Cletus?"

She slapped the side of his head. "Stop it!"

Chloe smiled at their back and forth as she checked her watch. "Oh shit. Breaks over. I gotta go, guys," she said shutting off the machine and throwing a clean towel at Angela.

Angela grabbed it and started wiping off the goo. "Thanks for this, Chlo."

"Mm-hmm, anytime. You need an official appointment though, Ang. I'm a general nurse, not an OB. I can handle the equipment and the fun stuff, but you need a legit doctor. Dr. Namid's a good one. I'd suggest Tara but…"

"Yeah, I know. Shit timing. I'll figure it out," she said on a sigh, tugging her shirt back down. "Thanks."

Chloe nodded again before turning to Juice. "And _you_ need to make sure she lays off the coffee. She can have _one _cup a day. That's _it_," she instructed him, ignoring the glare Angela was throwing her way.

Juice grimaced, scratching at the back of his neck. He already could tell Angela was going to hate that. Caffeine was her vice of choice. He'd dared her once to go a day without it, and they'd barely survived. "What about decaf coffee? Sometimes I think she just likes the taste and like the warmness of it, y'know? Like comfort food, but a drink. Right, Angel?"

"Yeah," Angela replied, a little shock by his accurate statement. She didn't know where the tears came from, but she felt them pricking at her eyes at his observation. God, she loved this man. Only he would think of another way for her to get her fix. She swallowed hard, happy that Juice's back was to her as she wiped at her eyes. _Damn pregnancy hormones_, she thought to herself.

Chloe smiled warmly at her friend before nodding. "You have to make sure there's no toxins in it. Some coffees remove the caffeine with chemicals which also aren't good."

Juice nodded, draping his arm over Angela's shoulders as she moved to stand next to him. "Of course. Only the best for the little sea monkey. Thanks Chlo."

"Decaffeinated coffee, huh?" Angela questioned, looking up at him while they headed out of the room together.

He smiled down at her, his hand slipping from her shoulders and into the back pocket of her jeans. "Got to take care of my babies," he replied, pushing the button for the elevator.

Angela grinned when she saw the elevator was empty, turning and grabbing the front of his shirt to pull him in with her. She pressed her lips to his as he pushed her up against the wall, his hands sliding to her ass, squeezing it lovingly before giving it a light slap. She giggled, her hands slipping under his shirt.

Opie was just about to head home when the elevator doors opened revealing Juice and Angela making out like teenagers in the small space. Juice with his hand, all the way up Angela's shirt, one of her legs wrapped around one of his. He cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Really?" Opie asked flatly, watching as Angela pushed Juice off of her, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Hey Ope," Juice greeted on a breath, a shit eating grin on his face. "What's up?"

"Head to the clubhouse. They need you there. Good to see you, Ang," he grumbled, nodding a greeting to Angela before glaring back at Juice. "Next time hit the emergency stop, idiot."

Angela laughed lightly, slipping her hand into Juice's while he scowled at the bearded man's retreating back. "See the trouble you get me into, Angel?" he teased, shaking his head at her.

She caught his lips in a quick kiss. "You love it."

"I love _you_," he shot back quickly, grinning at her as if he knew what her reaction would be.

She rolled her eyes at him, squeezing his hand. "Goof."

* * *

><p>Juice sat at the computer, trying to figure out whatever he could about the Lobos-Sonora and see if he could find who'd tried to take Tara. Behind him, he could hear Angela playing a pool game with Tig while Chibs and Bobby each chatted up a Croweater. He could hear Tig coaching Angela through a shot, his voice low as he pointed out different techniques. Juice looked over his shoulder and found Tig to be leaning next to her, arm stretched out as he gestured to the balls. To his surprise, the SAA was not touching her like he did when he tried to teach the Croweaters how to play. Juice wondered if he was keeping his space out of respect to him or to Happy. Either way, he appreciated it. It was nice to not have to worry about his brothers pushing up on what was his.<p>

His phone buzzed in his pocket, an alarm telling him it was time to check in. Sighing, he cancelled the alarm and stood. "I'm gonna grab a smoke," he said to no one in particular. The guys largely ignored him, but Angela looked up from the table, a worried look crossing her face. He nodded to her once, discreetly showing her his phone as if to explain. She didn't say anything about it, instead asking Tig a question to distract him.

Angela lined up the stick and hit the mark Tig had instructed her to, breaking the rack and sending the eight ball rolling into the pocket he'd pointed out. "Woah," she said, grinning triumphantly.

Tig set a hand on her shoulder. "Toldja you could do it, kid," he said an almost proud look on his face. "Now do it again. Practice makes perfect."

Chibs chuckled from where he was perched on the back of the couch, a raven-haired Croweater standing between his legs. "She's Juicy's girl, I'm sure she understands the concept."

"Oh Juice doesn't need any practice. Trust me," Angela shot back on a smirk.

Tig elbowed her side playfully. "I taught him everything he knows."

"Now _that_ is a scary thought," Bobby teased, winking at Angela who just rolled her eyes in response.

The front door flung open and Clay strode in, a pack tossed over his shoulder. Small scratches and bruises covered his cheeks. Tig immediately stood at attention. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, concern written all over his face. But Clay ignored his brother's question and continued on walking down the hall towards the dorm rooms. "We'll finish this later, yeah?"

Angela nodded, knowing it was a not so subtle way of telling her to leave. Knowing the drill, the Croweaters had already disappeared to wherever it is they went during the night. It was Angela who hadn't gotten the hint. "Yeah, 'course," she said, heading for the front door.

She found Juice sitting atop a picnic table, staring at his phone as if he couldn't believe what he'd just done. She took the phone from him with one, tucking it into her back pocket as she put her other hand in his to replace it. His fingers, cold from the outside temperature, curled around her warm hand bringing it to the side of his face. Smiling, she trailed her thumb over his cheek. Turning his head, he pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, his other hand reaching out to pull her in closer. He'd had a good idea where the bruises and scratches on Clay's face had come from, and he was willing to bet Gemma looked even worse. He couldn't imagine ever raising a hand to Angela, not even when he was at his angriest.

She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. "What's going on between those tats?"

He smiled softly, remembering the times in the past she'd asked him that question. It was rare she asked him what he was thinking, usually she just waited for him to say it. Sometimes, however, her curiosity got the better of her. "I'm never going to hurt you, Angel. You know that right?" he asked, his eyes locking on hers. "You'll always be safe with me. I'm going to protect you and care for you...well, you and the kid now."

She leaned in and caught his lips with a gentle kiss. "I know. Never doubted that," she stated simply, moving to let him stand. As soon as he was on his feet, her wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him in a tight hug. She nuzzled her nose into his neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne and his leather.

"We'll get through all this," he promised her, his voice barely above a whisper as he ran a hand down her back. The shit storm that was his involvement with the feds loomed over his head like a big, heavy rain cloud. The only thing keeping him from drowning was his silver lining, his angel, and the promise of their future together. He was determined to see it through. To see his girl smiling and happy again, see his kid. He would make it, he had to.

* * *

><p><strong>As always, let me know what you think! I love hearing from you! :D <strong>

**Coming up next: Episode 11, "Call of Duty"...and we all know what happens in that episode... :\**


	50. This Life

**Thanks to all those who took the time to review! I PM'ed most of you, but thanks also to _Nicole_ (That's awesome that you're aunts an Old Lady! Riding a motorcycle is definitely on my bucket list! I can only imagine how cool that was!) and _VomittheSoul86 _(Yep, this is definitely not a happy chapter...)**

**This chapter is the longest one yet (and maybe, just maybe, the saddest), so I apologize in advance! It's set in Season 4, Episode 11: "Call of Duty". **

**I probably won't update again until next year! Gah! I can't believe how fast time has gone by! so: **

_**HAPPY NEW YEARS to you and yours! :D**_

**Now onto the story...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 50: This Life_

_By Love Ink_

For the second morning in a row, Angela was awoken by the awful ringing of her cell phone. She decided then and there to have Juice make those personalized ringtones for her that he was always going on about. The tricky thing was that the people who called her the most always had different numbers so a ringtone wouldn't stay personal for long. Rubbing at her tired eyes, she untangled herself from Juice who was still snoring away, stretching out a hand to pick up the phone. "Angela Ruiz."

"Hey kiddo," Kozik's voice replied, bright and happy as always. "Hap and I are outside. Want to grab some breakfast?"

She glanced at the clock, noticing that it was five in the morning. "Jesus, Kozi. It's five AM! The sun's not even out yet."

"Aww c'mon, kid. I'm only here for the day. I wanted to see ya before we got busy," he said on a laugh. He knew Angela wasn't a morning person and found a sick sort of pleasure in waking her up early. "I even nicked the truck from Tacoma so you wouldn't have to ride bitch. C'mon."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she grumbled getting out of bed. She pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, grabbing Juice's sweatshirt and tugging the hood up over her head. "I'll be right there."

After jotting a quick note to Juice, she tugged on a pair of slipper boots and headed out the door. Just as he promised, Kozik was standing in front of one of the large delivery trucks with Happy sitting on his Dyna nearby. Despite the early hour, she had to admit, she was happy to see them. It felt like forever since they'd last been all together. Walking quickly across the lawn, she hugged Happy briefly before throwing her arms around Kozik.

The blonde biker squeezed her tightly, arching his back and lifting her off her feet. "There's my favorite girl," he exclaimed setting her back on her feet. "Ready to go? Hap and I found a diner that's open early."

"Sounds good," she replied climbing into the truck.

She let out a yawn as Kozik started it up, making him chuckle. "Still not a morning person, huh?"

"Its 5 AM, Koz. Even morning people don't like to be up this early."

"I do."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course you do, weirdo."

He grinned at her, pulling away from the curb and following carefully after Happy's Dyna. "So, my defective typewriter, how's the little thing growin' inside ya?" he asked, reaching out a hand to poke her stomach.

Angela slapped his hand away, scowling at him. "Fine. Saw its heartbeat again yesterday. It's a strong one," she mused, rubbing a hand over her stomach.

"You tell the idiot about it yet?"

"I did, actually," she replied. At his surprised look, she smiled. "What? It's still early. I wanted to give him the chance to opt out."

Kozik looked disappointed as he shook his head. "C'mon, Ang. We both know you wouldn't have given the kid up. I wouldn't have let you."

She rolled her eyes at him, sliding down in her seat and kicking her booted feet up onto the dash. "He's really excited about it, Kozi. Past couple of weeks have been hard but…his whole face just lit up with that smile when I told him and I…I can see us being a family, y'know?"

He nodded in agreement; he could see it too. Angela with a bunch of rugrats running around her feet while Juice tried to teach them some stupid thing on the computer. "That kid is gonna be gorgeous. No lie. I mean, hopefully he doesn't get Juicer's big nose, but between the two of ya…he'll be a heartbreaker."

"There is nothing wrong with Juice's nose," Angela stated on a scowl. She loved every feature of her man's handsome face. "What makes you think it's a boy anyways?"

"Has to be one if you're going to name it after me. No girl should ever have the name Herman."

She laughed, shaking her head at him. "You really want to inflict the name _Herman_ on another boy, _Kozik_?" she asked. Kozik hated his name, that's why he made everyone call him by his last name. "_You _don't even like that name."

"Better than Melville," he said on a shrug. His parents had a thing for the writer Herman Melville so they'd named their children accordingly. Neither of the boys went by their full names though; Herman preferring Kozik and Melville preferring just plain Mel or Melly, as Angela called him.

"You two are just lucky they didn't decide to name one of you Moby and the other Dick," she teased with a grin. " 'course you'd be the dick."

He reached over and pinched her cheek. "Aw you're hilarious, Angie-pie," he said, chuckling as she tried to move away from him. "My middle name's Evan. That's normal enough."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, though she knew when the time came it'd be a hell of a lot more difficult. She couldn't name her kid after Kozik and not Happy or her father or aunt or mom or some other estranged relative. Hell, Juice might have a name he wanted too. "You tell Hap?"

Kozik shook his head. "Nah, I told you I wouldn't."

"Wouldn't be the first time you lied to me."

"Wouldn't be the first time you tried to keep somethin' from him you knew you shouldn't," he shot back, a serious look on his face. "But I figured, this time you're all grown up and can do it yourself. Right now over breakfast."

Angela's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Of course Kozik had an ulterior motive. They couldn't just have a normal breakfast. "Seriously, Koz?"

"Yep. You two need someone to run interference and need for the idiot not to be there makin' shit worse," he explained, watching as Angela scowled.

It reminded him of the day they took her out of Oakland. Hap had tossed her into the cabin of the moving van and handcuffed her to the door making Kozik drive so he wouldn't kill her. He'd talked at her the whole way there, trying to convince her that what they were doing was for her own good. She'd responded with one worded answers and scowls, but, by the time they got to Tacoma, she'd gotten out of the truck and hugged Happy before whispering a thank you and heading up to her new apartment. Both men had been stunned. Kozik hadn't thought she'd listened to a word he'd said, but it turned out she had. He learned then that she always listened…it was the following through on advice that she didn't do so well.

She glared at him, her jaw clenching tightly when she realized he was right. "You're not gonna make me tell my mom too, are ya?"

He laughed, shaking his head exaggeratedly from side to side. "Hell no. I do not want to be there for that one. She's going to _flip_."

"She doesn't even know we're together," Angela said on a frown.

Kozik rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she does. She talks about it all the time."

Her eyes widened slightly. Kozik hadn't been the first person to mention that her mom know about her relationship; Happy insisted that she did too. "What?"

"Yeah, dude. When we were stayin' over there, she wouldn't shut up about it," he said, chuckling at the shocked look on her face as he pulled into a parking spot. "C'mon, you had to have known."

"No! She hasn't said anything!"

" 'cause she's waiting on you, dumbass," he said, hopping down from the truck.

Angela quickly followed suit, walking quickly to catch up with Kozik and Happy's long gaits. "Happy, does my mom know about me and Juice?"

Happy nodded. "Yeah," he answered, holding the door of the diner open for her.

"Shit."

"Thought I told you," he grumbled, sliding into the nearest booth. His stomach was grumbling with hunger.

"You did, but I didn't believe you," she said, glaring at Kozik when he pushed her into the booth seat opposite Happy.

Kozik shook his head at her as he draped an arm over the back of the booth behind her. "You'd think after all these years, she'd start listenin' to us," he mused, flipping through the menu.

The waitress, a pretty little redhead, came sauntering up. Her eyes flitted over the two very attractive men and a smooth smile spread across her red painted lips. "How can I help you, gentleman?"

Happy grunted his order of bacon, hashbrowns, and eggs while Kozik took a smoother approach. "I'll have the special, darlin', and what do you want, kid?"

"Just a fruit bowl, thanks," Angela answered, not at all bothered by the jealous look the waitress was giving her. Spending most of her adult life hanging out with Hap, Koz, and now, Juice, she was used to women finding her company attractive. The only time it really bugged her was when she was with Juice, other times, she was happy to receive the little things that Koz and Hap got for free because of their good looks and "bad boy" appearances, not to mention Koz usually charmed his way out of paying for meals. Girls loved him.

Kozik shook his head, flipping through the menu again. "Nah, give her the Lumberjack special. She's eatin' for two now."

Angela froze, her eyes widening as she looked at Happy, praying that he'd missed what Kozik had said. His dark eyes stared her down, ringed fingers wrapping tightly around the handle of the knife he'd been toying with before. The waitress seemed to sense the tension and quickly moved away, heading back to the kitchen to place their order. "Thank you, Kozik," she muttered under her breath, elbowing the blonde biker at her side.

"Ain't it great? The kid's having a kid," Kozik chimed in, trying to make light of the situation.

She watched as Happy clenched his jaw in response, obviously not at all happy with the news. "You're not helping," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Happy shook his head before looking at Kozik. "Give us a minute."

It wasn't a question or a suggestion, Happy was quite literally telling the blonde to get the fuck out of there. Kozik hesitated for a moment wondering if leaving them together was a good idea. Happy had never laid a finger on Angela before, but there was no predicting what the Tacoma killer would do if he was angry enough. His gut told him Happy wouldn't hurt her, so he went with that feeling. "Good luck, kid," he muttered to her before standing up. "I'm gonna go try my hand at that claw machine."

Angela glared at his back, wishing she had some kind of heat vision so she could burn a hole right through the stupid Reaper on his cut. "You gonna explain?" Happy's rough voice drew her from her attempt.

She swallowed hard and sighed, picking up her napkin and carefully starting to pull it apart as she thought of what to say. "It was an accident. I was on the patch and I got lazy with it while you guys were away and then when he came home we…fooled around quite a bit and didn't really stop to…protect ourselves and since the patch didn't work…one thing led to another."

"No shit," he replied on a frown. "You keepin' it?"

"Yeah."

"The idiot know?"

"Yeah. Told him last night."

Happy nodded slowly, his face blank as he took in the information. He watched as she ripped another piece off the napkin, twisting the little shred between her pointer finger and thumb while she waited for his response. She was fidgety when she was nervous or worried, always had her hands moving, messing with something or other. Usually it was her rings, this time it was the poor napkin. He honestly didn't know how he felt about her pregnancy. It couldn't have come at a worse time, that was for damn sure. Her man was a rat, Happy was sure of it, and by the looks of it, a rat who had tried to hang himself. He wasn't fooled by the "clothes-lined" story Juice had fed the club. He'd hung a man with a chain before; he knew what kind of bruises it left behind. "And?"

"He's happy," she answered, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips, her eyes staring at the table instead of Happy's face. "Wants to start a family."

"That what you want?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. She nodded, though she didn't say anything more. Happy frowned. "Tried to kill himself, you know."

Angela's dark eyes met his. She wasn't surprised that he knew. Happy knew more than his fair share of wounds, and she knew he, of all people, wouldn't be fooled by Juice's story. "He was having trouble dealing with killing one of his brothers. Sunk down a little too deep."

" 'cause he's a rat."

Her breath caught in her throat at the accusation. She knew Happy was right, and that if she told him so, the Tacoma killer would kill the future father of her child. "You don't know that," she stated softly.

Happy studied her face, picking up on the guilt that was etched in her eyes. She knew what Juice was, that's why she was so worried all the damn time. "You do," he accused on a nod. "They're gonna find out, kid. One way or another. Shit like this doesn't stay secret for long. You prepared to deal with that?"

A soft gasp left Angela's lips as the realization that her cousin was right hit her. It was something she'd been working hard not to think about. If what Juice had done ever came to light, they'd kill him. Easy as that. There was no mercy for a rat. She felt a tear slipped down her cheek and wiped it away. "No," she choked out, angry at herself for crying when there was nothing she could do to change it.

He had no sympathy for her. She was the one who put herself in this position, and she had to deal with it. As much as he cared about her, there was nothing he could do to help. A rat was a rat. End of story. "Gotta be strong, kid. You picked this life. I told you it wasn't gonna be easy."

She nodded in agreement. There'd been a brief time when she'd first moved to Tacoma that she had wanted to be included in the SAMTAC family. She was a new girl in a strange town and just wanted some friends before her classes started up. Happy had flat out told her what it was like to be an Old Lady. How difficult it was having a man that was only truly faithful to the club and how the club took away just as much as it gave. She was young then and had seen the way the Mayan MC worked first hand; seen fathers and brothers get taken out for one simple mistake. It was then that she decided it was better for her to stay away from any MC and its members. It wasn't the life she wanted nor would it ever be. But meeting Juice had been a total accident. She'd never seen him coming and never planned to fall as hard as she had.

"I know," she said on a shaky breath as more tears escaped her hold. "Shit, Hap. What am I gonna do?"

That awful squeezing feeling clutched at his heart as he watched her cry. He hated that feeling. "Don't worry about it yet. Handle your shit, take care of the kid and the idiot. That's all you can do," he said simply. He watched her take in a shaky breath and sighed. He may not like the idea of her having a baby with the idiot, but if anything happened to Juice, he'd be right there helping Angela with anything she needed. "Anythin' happens, I'ma be here for you, kid. Aight? Ain't gonna let you do this alone."

"Me too," Koz said, catching the end of the conversation as he threw himself into the booth. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, and kissing her temple. "No matter what."

Angela nodded, wiping at her eyes desperately trying to turn off the water works. She'd been finding it harder than usual to swallow her emotions. The pregnancy hormones were making her crazy. "I know," she said on a smile. "Thank you."

Both men waved away her thanks. Neither of them needed it. She was a part of their messed up little family, and they'd do anything for her. Kozik held out a mean looking stuffed bulldog complete with a camouflage hat and a USMC t-shirt, waving it this way and that in front of her face. "Stop the tears, Mama Bear. Check out what I won," he stated, effectively lightening the mood.

Happy wrinkled his nose as he looked at the ugly thing. "What the hell?" he drawled out, his eyes on the stuffed animal.

"Got it out of the claw machine," Kozik explained, grinning at the waitress as she set their plates in front of them. "Thought I'd give the baby his first present."

"It's a boy?" Happy questioned, eyebrows raised. He'd been thirteen when Angela was born and had watched many sonogram pictures get passed around by his Aunt and Uncle. It had taken a few months before they could figure out the sex. Even then, his aunt and uncle had decided against it. Was Angela that far along? She certainly didn't look it.

"It's a heartbeat," Angela corrected flatly, picking at her bacon. "Lemonhead here thinks it's a boy."

Kozik grinned from ear to ear as he nodded. "She's gonna name him Herman Happy or maybe Happy Herman. Whatdya think, Hap?"

"I like it," Happy answered, bobbing his head in agreement.

She rolled her eyes at the two of them. "You're both ridiculous."

Kozik gave her that charming grin of his and a wink. "Love ya, Angie-pie."

"Still not gonna name him after you," she stated, buttering her toast. "Either of you."

Kozik frowned in disappointment, reaching over and grabbing a piece of Angela's toast. "What _is_ your real name anyways, Hap?"

He watched as the cousins shared a knowing look from across the table. "Don't worry about it," Hap said the smallest hint of a smile turning up the corners of his lips as Angela grinned at him. It was one of the few things that was completely secret between them. She had a feeling many people would be shocked to know that Happy's real name was exactly that…Happy. Her Aunt had been a hippie once upon a time, and when she'd had her son, he made her happy, so she named him after that feeling.

"Goddamn. I hate when you two do that secret 'Lowman' thing. It's total bullshit y'know," Kozik said on a scowl. "I'm your brother, I should know too."

"Blood is thicker than leather, Kozi," Angela stated, pushing her eggs around the plate, not at all interested in actually eating them. It was way too early to be eating such a heavy breakfast. She knew the food would get eaten eventually though, Kozik and Happy had already begun stealing things from her plate.

The blonde scoffed at her. "No, it's not. 'less you have really shitty leather."

"Shut up," both Angela and Happy said at the same time. Happy smirked at her. "She ain't a 'Lowman' either," he corrected. Angela had her father's last name and that was one thing Happy would never want to take away from her. Her father had been a great man and the last name was one she should be proud of. His father, on the other hand, was a piece of shit who hadn't stuck around long enough to even see his son walk. He hated the fact that his mother gave him his old man's last name. "She's a Ruiz."

Angela grinned at him proudly. "Damn straight."

"Whatever. I don't know your Ma's maiden name," Kozik said with a roll of his eyes. "Maybe she'll be an Ortiz soon," he added as an after thought.

"Let's not go there," she said, looking down at her plate to ignore the annoyed look on Happy's face. "He hasn't said anything about getting married."

"Not yet," the blonde pointed out. "Would you even take his name? Or would you do that dash thing? Angela Ines Ruiz-Ortiz. _Fuck_, that's a mouthful."

She shrugged a shoulder. "I'll cross that bridge when we get there. _If _we get there."

"You don't think he'll want to get hitched? You're havin' his kid."

Happy nodded in agreement. "Right thing to do."

"Yeah, we could walk you down the aisle," Kozik suggested.

"Or drag ya," Happy put in darkly. He knew his cousin was hesitant to take the next step in her relationship, but he also knew his aunt was going to have a cow if she had a baby before she got married. His mom and aunt were old school ladies; they liked things done the proper way. If he had to drag Juice and Angela to the chapel and force her down the aisle to make them happy, he would.

"Would you drop it? Please?" she asked looking between the two in shock. She'd never thought Happy of all people would be okay with her getting married. She decided a change of subject was needed, fast. "So how's Tacoma, Kozi?"

"Wet," Kozik answered on a frown. "And boring as fuck. I swear, Charming sees more action. Must follow her."

Happy let out a lengthy sigh, a tired look on his face as he glanced at his cousin. "Like a fuckin' magnet."

Angela scowled at the two of them. "It does _not_," she defended, stabbing viciously at her eggs. "I just like to live dangerously."

"Well stop," her cousin said, giving her a half-hearted glare. He knew Angela didn't bring this stuff on herself but sometimes it sure felt like it.

The rest of the time was spent talking about the past and making fun of Angela. She loved both men dearly, but the two of them together usually meant they were protecting her or teasing her. Happy didn't tease much, but his one-liners always had everyone laughing.

Once in the truck and on the road, Kozik reached over and set a hand on her knee, patting it lovingly. "Wasn't so bad. Was it?"

Angela shook her head slowly, a content smile on her face. "It could've gone a lot worse."

"Nah. Hap just wants ya to be happy. We both do."

"My two dads," she teased, squirming as Kozik squeezed her knee cap, tickling her. She leaned over and pecked his cheek as he pulled up in front of the house. "Love you, Koz."

"Love you too, kiddo," he said, giving her a warm smile. "You and the little squirt."

Angela smiled back at him, ruffling his hair before hopping down from the truck and heading inside. It was just about seven in the morning, and she could hear the sound of gunshots and bombs coming from her room, joined every now and then by Juice's cursing. She headed towards the sound, throwing herself on the bed next to him. He paused the game, tossing his controller onto the bed and lifting his arm so she could cuddle up against him. He wrapped his arm around her back, his hand splayed across the koi fish on her hip as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "How was breakfast?" he asked.

"Good," she said on a sigh, her fingers traced over the tattoo of her name over his heart. "Told Hap about the kid. Well…Koz did 'cause he's an asshole."

Juice tensed slightly. He didn't mind her telling people. Hell, he wanted to shout it to the world that he'd not only knocked her up, but she was _willingly_ going to have his kid. But the fact that Happy knew scared the crap out of him, mostly because he didn't know how the Tacoma Killer would react to someone knocking up his baby cousin."What'd Hap say?"

"He…thought it was interesting," she answered on a sigh. "There's not much he can say, Juice. This isn't his call. Just…if him and Koz try and convince you to do something that you don't…don't want to do. Don't do it."

His brows furrowed together in confusion. "Something like…"

"Don't even ask. They're ridiculous," she said, rolling her eyes before staring at the screen. "What game is this?"

"Angel, you gotta give me more than that. Let me know what I'm walkin' into here," he said on a light laugh. She only changed subjects like that when it was something that made her nervous. If something the Tacoma Killer was going to say to him was making her nervous, it probably didn't bode well for him.

She frowned and shrugged a shoulder. "It's stupid. Don't worry about it."

He didn't look convinced. His brain worked over previous conversations he'd had with Kozik and Happy about her before it came to him. "This about gettin' a crow or getting hitched?"

With a groan, she buried her face into his chest. "The second one," she replied, her voice muffled slightly by his skin.

He chuckled, running a hand over her soft hair. "Baby, you don't want to marry me?" he asked, though he knew that wasn't the case. She wouldn't have stuck around as long as she had if she didn't plan on spending the rest of her life with him.

"No, no, it's not that," she replied, lifting her head. "It's just…I don't want you to be forced into it. Marriage is serious, Juice. There's no fuckin' around."

"Fuckin' around? Angel, you're the only girl I been with for _years_. Who's fuckin' around? You?"

Angela scowled at him, shaking her head exaggeratedly. "Of course not."

"Well then?"

"This isn't you proposing is it?" she asked, a confused look on her face.

Juice laughed and shook his head. "Nah, 'cause I don't want you to think I'm doin' it for the kid or for Koz and Hap," he said, taking her hand and working off the claddagh ring he'd given her. He grinned at the obvious tan line the ring had left behind before he grabbed her left hand and slid it on her ring finger. "This is me sayin' it'll happen just...not yet."

"You're giving me a promise ring," she said flatly, looking at the old ring's new placement.

"Re-giving," he corrected as though it was no big deal. "You'll know when I'm proposin'. The rock'll be so big; aliens will see it from space and know to stay away from my girl."

Angela laughed as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Oh, it's the aliens you're worried about?"

"Yeah. Got to be out of this world to top me," he replied cockily.

"That _is_ true." She slid her leg across his torso, moving on top of him as she captured his lips with her own. His hands moved down her sides before grabbing a handful of her ass, using his grip to push her closer to him. She moved her lips across his jaw and down his neck, gently kissing the dark bruise that marred his skin. "Love you, Juicy."

His hand smacked her ass lovingly. "Show me," he said, throwing her words back at her.

Angela smiled as she began to trail kisses down his neck, nipping gently at his collar bone. "Oh yes, I will."

* * *

><p>Angela walked into St. Thomas with a skip in her step. She'd had spent a great morning with her three favorite guys; life didn't get much better than that. There was no one to prep at the funeral home that morning, so she'd decided to go visit Tara. "Hey T," Angela greeted as she walked into Tara's hospital room. "Brought you somethin'."<p>

"Can't imagine what," Tara replied on a tired sigh. She waited for Angela to pull out flowers or a sympathy card, like everyone else had been giving her. If she saw one more "I'm sorry" card, she'd smash someone's face in, but the undertaker didn't seem to have any of those. Instead, Angela seemed to be studying the television and the DVD/VCR underneath it. "What are you looking for?"

Angela pressed the open button on the DVD player. "Asked Margaret for some neonatal surgery videos," she explained, pushing the DVD in, something that would've made Juice cringe. He always got on her case about not pushing the button to put the disc in.

Tara perked up at the explanation, sitting up just a little bit straighter. "Seriously?"

She nodded, grabbing the remote that was velcroed to the side and handing it to Tara. "Yeah. I know how it is to not be able to do what you love. Koz broke my wrist one time, and I couldn't work. So I made him go get me files from the most gruesome cases, and I sat and worked each one out, thinking of better ways to fix 'em. Called a few people, bent their ear a bit. I'm sure I was obnoxious, but I was young and bored and had Kozik to guilt trip into things."

Tara stared at her in shock; she didn't know whether to be grossed out or impressed by the story. "Kozik broke your wrist? The same one you sprained?"

"Yeah, but it was an accident. It still clicks some times, but it's mostly fine," Angela explained on a shrug. "You want to watch this or not?"

"Yes, definitely," she answered enthusiastically. Watching old surgeries was exactly what she needed, and she was touched by the fact that Angela had cared enough to seek out the videos for her. "Thanks, Ang."

Angela shrugged again. "Figured it was better than flowers."

"Much better. Want to watch?" she asked, patting the bed next to her.

"Sure," she replied, climbing onto the bed.

Halfway through the surgery video, Tara looked over at Angela who had her nose wrinkled in what she assumed was disgust. "It's a heart, Angie. Don't you see those all the time?" Tara questioned, slightly amused by her friend's reaction.

"Yeah but…they don't _move_ like that. _That's_ disgusting," Angela replied, sticking out her tongue. "You can see it beating and the blood...it just keeps coming out."

Tara just laughed in response, shaking her head at her friend. "That's what happens when the heart beats, blood gets pumped in and out."

"No shit," she said with a smirk. The heart on the screen was tiny too, unlike anything she'd ever seen. "It's amazing how small it is."

"I know," Tara replied reverently. "It's the first thing to develop too."

"I actually knew that," Angela replied with a secretive smile. Her fingers trailed absentmindedly over her stomach as she thought of the fluttering heartbeat she'd see on the ultrasound.

Tara's eyes fell on Angela's fidgeting hand, noticing the bright tan line on her right ring finger and the newly placed ring on her left. "That's different," she said, pointing at the simple ring. She wished she could be excited for her friend but all she wanted to do was scream at her to run fast and run far away from this life. "Are you two…"

"No," she cut her off quickly. "No, no, it's just a…promise of sorts, I guess. _Some_day but not _to_day."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Tara asked softly. At Angela's questioning gaze, she continued, "This life? This craziness? Look what it's done to my hand, to my _family_. We're not safe."

Angela knew where it was coming from, had known Tara wanted to get out for awhile now. "I'm pregnant," she said as if that would explain. "And Juice is…he's what I want, T. This life, the club…it's all he has. It's a part of him, and I can't take that away from him. I don't want to."

"Just be careful, Ang. I don't want you to get hurt too," she replied before trying to put on a smile for her friend's sake. "Congrats, by the way. I'm really…happy for you."

The words came out awkwardly, but Angela could understand that. After all Tara had gone through with Abel being kidnapped and Thomas being born without Jax there, she could see why she wasn't exactly gung-ho about another club baby. It seemed the ones that stayed around always were screwed over in one way or another. Even Kenny and Ellie had lost their mother because of club business. Those little facts had not gone unnoticed by Angela. She knew raising a kid in this environment was dangers, but she was going to do the best she could with what she was given. "Thanks," she said, deciding to leave it there to keep things a superficial as possible. The less she had to think about it, the better.

There was a knock on the door before Phil stepped in. "Tara? She said she was family," he said softly, looking behind him where none other than Wendy Chase was standing.

Angela's eyebrows shot up in surprise while Tara stared at Abel's birth mother in pure shock. "It's okay," Tara murmured after a moment.

"He's a big one," Wendy said on a chuckle. Her eyes followed Angela as she got out of bed. "Angela! Hey! Didn't know you were still around."

Angela gave her a friendly smile. She didn't have anything against Wendy, she didn't know her well enough to form an opinion against her. "Yeah, just…hanging out, I guess," she said, casting a quick glance at Tara as she wondered whether to stay or go. Tara briefly glanced at the door, giving her an answer.

"You still with that Juice guy? He's a real sweetheart."

"That's my man," she replied, heading to the door. "Good to see you, Wendy. I'll let you two catch up."

Once out the door, she let out a long breath. The tension in that room had been so thick, she could practically cut it with a knife. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, a call from the funeral home. She grimaced, briefly contemplating telling Skeeter she couldn't come in today because she had to make sure Tara didn't kill Wendy but decided against it. She had skipped out on Skeeter one too many times in the past couple of weeks. "Hey Phil," she said, catching the gentle giant's attention. "I got to go to work. Keep an eye on that. Things can get real ugly, real fast."

Phil nodded in agreement. "Okay. Take care, Ang. Watch out for zombies," he said, flashing her the cover of his comic.

She laughed when she saw it was _The Walking Dead_. "Any good?"

"Real good," he replied on an enthusiastic nod. "Want to borrow it?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I try to stay away from zombie literature," she said giving him a wink as she headed by. "Keep an ear out for Tara, Phil. I'm not kidding."

"Got it," he said, giving her a wave. "See ya later."

* * *

><p>After placing the order Skeeter needed at the flower shop, Angela headed home for a bit knowing that she had time to kill until the order was actually filled. She was surprised to see three bikes lined up nicely outside the house. Grimacing, she parked her car and headed in, hoping and pleading that Kozik and Happy weren't in the process of killing Juice when she walked in.<p>

They weren't. In fact, they were all in the kitchen talking when she walked in. Their voices all quieted once they saw her; obviously, they'd been talking about her. "Seriously? You guys are like high school girls," she murmured, rolling her eyes and nudging Kozik out of the way so she could get to her coffee maker.

Juice stepped in her way, stopping her before she could get started.. "How many have you had?"

"Seriously?" she repeated, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Didn't have any at breakfast today," Happy put in from where he was leaning against the counter.

Kozik nodded in agreement. "I _thought_ it was weird she was drinking juice, and then I thought it was probably a new habit. Just likes Juice inside her, I guess."

"Jesus, Koz!" Angela exclaimed, her jaw dropping while the guys just laughed around her.

"I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'," he said, draping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side. "We're just lookin' out for ya, kid."

Juice nodded in agreement as he started to make her coffee for her. He decided to go with the decaffeinated one to see if she noticed. They'd slept well the night before and despite her early wake up call, they _had_ eventually gone back to sleep after meaning she didn't necessarily need the caffeine to stay awake. He was thankful Kozik and Hap were distracting her as he put the little package in and pressed start. When it was done, he fixed it the way she liked it and handed it over to her. The bright smile she gave him almost made him feel guilty for tricking her.

"Thanks, baby," she said giving him a sweet kiss in return. She wasn't an idiot. She knew what kind of coffee he was handing her, but she also knew he was doing his best to take care of her, and for that, she was going to let it slide. Just this once.

Juice's phone buzzed and the room fell silent as he answered it. It was a two sentence conversation before he snapped it shut. "Chibs," he explained.

"Go time?" Happy asked, his dark eyes lit up with excitement. Angela shivered, that look in her cousin's eyes never amounted to anything good. At Juice's nod, the Tacoma killer pressed a quick kiss to his cousin's forehead before turning to head out the door.

Angela's cast a worried glance at his back before Kozik stepped in front of her. His large hand patted her cheek lovingly. "Stop that. We'll be back," he said, pulling her into a tight hug and dropping a kiss to the crown of her head. He ruffled her hair as he pulled away. "Love ya, kiddo."

She smiled up at him. "Love you, too, Kozi," she said, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. He gave her one last smile before chasing Happy out the door leaving her alone with Juice. "On a scale of one to ten, how dangerous is what you're about to do?" she asked him.

"Eight…maybe nine. Retaliation for Tara," he explained, pushing a stray hair behind her ear as he stepped in front of her. He let his hand rest on her warm cheek. "We'll be okay, though. Got some pretty heavy artillery."

"Okay," she said softly. There wasn't much more she could say. "Stay safe, Juice."

He nodded, dipping his head to catch her lips in a kiss. "I love you, Angel. Don't forget that."

Her eyes filled with tears. The last time he'd said that to her was the same night he'd tried to kill himself. She grabbed his wrist to keep him from moving his hand. "Come back to me, Juice. _Please_."

Juice felt his heart break at the fear in her eyes. He kissed her once more, enveloping her in his arms. "I'm not going anywhere, Angel. I'll see you in a little bit."

Angela nodded, hating the tears that leaked out of her eyes. "Damn hormones," she cursed, making Juice smile as his thumbs wiped away her tears.

"Coffee was decaf. You can have another one. Just…relax," he said, hoping the coffee might give her some comfort while he was away. "Stress isn't good for the kid, right?"

"Right," she said on a nod. "Love you, Juice. See you soon."

Juice nodded, kissing her forehead and giving her the best smile he could muster. "Give me three, four hours. Tops."

"Okay," she repeated, her stomach already in knots as she watched him walk out the door. Sighing, she took a seat on the couch to wait.

* * *

><p>After an hour of waiting, Angela picked up the flowers at Rita's shop. She was glad that the owner hadn't been in that day. Truth be told, she was avoiding her. Not because she didn't like the woman, to the contrary, she did. But she knew if she saw Rita, the anger she felt towards her husband might find its way into her veins and would probably get misdirected, and that was something she didn't want to risk.<p>

Sighing, she lifted the first vase out of the front seat, perching it on her hip and heading inside to look for Bones to help her with the rest. "Bones! Hey Boner!" she shouted, kicking the door closed behind her. She was met with silence. She knew her apprentice was there because his shitty little Volkswagen was parked in the lot. "Bones?"

She walked down to the workroom, surprised to find Filthy Phil standing there, arms crossed over his chest as if guarding the entrance to the room. "Phil? What are you doing here?" she asked, a confused look on her face. "Shouldn't you be with Tara?"

Phil looked down at the floor, embarrassed, he'd gotten that duty revoked after the whole Wendy incident. As soon as the brothers had gotten back from the retaliation run with a body in tow, they'd sent him to the funeral home with an order to keep Angela away from the work room at all costs. "Uh…I'm just…watching out for you, I guess," he said nervously.

"Oh. Okay. Bones in there?"

"Yeah, he's…working."

"Awesome," she said on a proud smile as she tried to move around him to get to the door. He stepped in her way. "Really Phil? You want to play this game?"

He stood firm. "You can't go in there."

"Why not? Skeet said I had two cases to do."

"Bones is already in there though, so you're good to go," Phil explained, hoping she'd relent and do something else.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Um…Bones isn't fully trained. He shouldn't be doing things alone. And why is my shade drawn? He definitely shouldn't be there alone with the shade drawn."

"Angie…"

"What's going on, Phil? Is one of your brothers in there or something?" she asked, not at all expecting that to be the case. At Phil's hesitance, her eyes widened, her heart hammering in her chest as panic slowly set in. A Son was in there, dead on the table. Just like Donna, just like Half Sack. "Is one of _my_ guys in there?"

His silence, once again told her, he was correct. She tried to move around him, but he easily kept her back. "Angela, you _can't_ go in there," Phil repeated, his voice pleading with her to listen.

"Who's in there, Phil? Is it Juice? Hap?" she asked, her eyes wild. He shook his head at each one and her breath caught in her throat when she realized there was just one left. "Koz?"

Phil hesitated again, giving himself away. "Angela…"

"It's Kozik? Kozi is…he's…" Tears clouded her eyes. No, there was no way. It wasn't Kozik. She'd just seen him only hours before. He was alive. He'd been breathing and smiling and laughing. No. _No_, this wasn't right, this wasn't okay. She tried to move around him to get to the door.

"Angela, stop," he repeated, a sad look in his dark eyes.

She tried desperately to get around Phil, but he caught her around the waist, holding her back. "No, Phil! Let me go! Let me go!" she screamed, struggling against him. "I need to see him! Please!"

Juice could hear her screaming from outside the home. He threw his helmet to the floor and sprinted towards the doors. "Angel!" he shouted, his heart pounding with every step as he ran towards the workroom. Phil dropped his arms from Angela's waist when he saw Juice giving her the opportunity to sprint to the workroom door. It opened easily, the door hitting the other wall with a loud bang.

Phil had been lying. Bones wasn't in the room. There was only one thing in there, a big cardboard box, blood soaking through the corner of it. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stepped towards it, hand reaching out to lift just one flap.

"Angel, don't," Juice called out, rushing over to her. He knew what was in that box. Kozik's arm. The only piece of him they could recover from the mine field because it'd fallen just close enough for one of them to pick up.

She didn't listen to him though. Carefully, she opened the box, her stomach churning when she saw its content. It was just an arm. That was it. There was no way they could say it was Kozik. It could've been anyone's arm. She took out the appendage and studied it, turning it in her hands totally unaware of the blood that was quickly covering her fingertips. Then she saw it. The ugly tribal tattoo she hated that was inked into his forearm. A soft gasp left her lips as she let the arm fall to the table, the metallic thud it made resonating through the room. "No," she breathed, clutching the sides of the table as her vision began to blur with tears.

It was Kozik. There was no doubt in her mind that it was him…or at least a piece of him. This was the same arm that had only hours been a part of one of his infamous bear hugs, the kind of hug that made you feel safe no matter what the circumstance.

Angela felt sick to her stomach as she looked at the remaining piece of the man she thought of as a brother. He'd been her best friend, the one she ran to when things got hard. The one who _always _knew what to say even if it was a corny line. She'd never get another one of those hugs or hear another pep talk. He was gone forever.

They'd talked about this moment. The moment he'd be lying on her table because he was sure he'd die before his time. He'd told her he didn't want her to cry. That he wanted her to make him pretty, burn him, and then bury him under a fancy white veteran headstone like all of his other fallen comrades. She'd explained how they didn't bury cremated people there, but he'd insisted that's what he wanted and that he was sure she could pull some strings to get it for him.

But now she couldn't even do that. How was she supposed to make him pretty when there was only one piece of him left? The last thing he wanted from her, the only thing he'd ever asked her for, and she couldn't even do it. She bit her lip, trying to keep back the sobs that were clawing their way up her throat. "Damn it, Kozik," she said on a soft sob as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

Juice watched as she tried her best to keep it all in. Turning, he glared at Phil. "Get out of here. Now," he ordered, waiting until he was out of the room to close the door. Slowly he approached her, running a finger down the length of her arm. "Angel?"

"Give me a minute," she asked softly. "Please."

He swallowed hard, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple before he walked out of the room. As he closed the door behind him, he could hear her start to cry. Slowly, he slunk down against the wall, tilting his head back against the doorjamb as his own tears fell down his face. He hated that she was shutting him out, hated that there was nothing he could do to help her.

Happy stormed through the funeral house like a bat out of hell. He needed to find his cousin, to make sure she was okay. The white look on Phil's face when he'd arrived back at the clubhouse and his description of Angela's screaming had him practically running to his Dyna to get to her. Now as he approached the workroom, he was shocked to find Juice sitting outside the door. "The fuck ya doin'?"

"She told me to go," he said softly, his voice coming out slightly choked as he scrambled to his feet.

"And you listened?" Happy asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. At Juice's nod, he sneered, a disappointed look crossing over his features. "The fuck is wrong with you?"

Juice just stared at him open mouthed as Happy opened the door and strode in, not bothering to close it behind him. What was he supposed to do? Angela wanted space, had asked for space, so he had given it to her. He didn't see the problem in it. She so rarely asked him for things, that he just did as she wanted.

Angela was still crying softly when Happy entered. Her head was hanging down, blood covered her hands and fingers that had a white knuckled grasp on the raised edge of the work table. "Stop cryin'," Happy stated, catching her attention.

"Leave me alone," she shot back, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"No," he said, grabbing hold of her arm and turning her to face him. "Ain't gonna leave you alone, kid. Ain't ever gonna leave you alone."

Angela shook her head slowly, more tears slipping down her cheeks. "That's what he said too."

"I know, kid, I know. But…Koz woulda wanted you to be strong now. He wouldn'ta liked you cryin' over him. Not even him, his fuckin' _arm_, Ang. This ain't good for you. Ain't good for the brat inside ya," he pointed out, taking her face in his hands. "So cut it out, kid. 'fore you hurt yourself and the brat. Breathe."

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to breathe and she shook her head. It wasn't working. She couldn't breathe. "Hap…I can't…I can't _fix_ him," she gasped out, her chest rising and falling heavily as she tried her best to breathe. "I can't… do anything."

Happy understood what she was saying. It was hard enough that Kozik had died, but she couldn't even give him the proper send off that she'd promised him. There wasn't enough of him left. She couldn't get the closure that would've come with following Kozik's last wishes. Happy didn't want to baby her, didn't want to be the sop that took the crying girl into his arms to comfort her, but he knew that was what she needed. That's what Kozik would've done. Sighing, he pulled her into a hard hug. "It's okay, kid," he murmured. "You're okay. Stop cryin'. Be strong."

Juice hated to hear him talk to her like that. Hated that Happy had the good sense to walk in on her while he'd literally sat around. Why hadn't he tried that? This was his girl. He should be the one there trying to calm her down.

Happy glared at the idiot from over his cousin's head. Her shoulders were still shaking as she clung to the back of his cut. He ran a hand over her soft hair, remembering the only other time he'd ever heard her cry like this, one of the rare times when she'd broken down in his arms. She'd been three and her dad had just passed away. He'd been the one to tell her then, had to break her little heart. It was hard to explain to a three year old that their father wasn't going to be coming home, but Angela understood fairly quickly. She'd climbed into his lap and wrapped her little arms around his neck, pressing her face to his throat, and just cried. This time wasn't so different.

Juice shrugged of Happy's heated glare as he closed the distance between them. He reached out a hand, rubbing it across her shoulders. "Angel," he murmured, getting her attention. She turned her head, looking at him with red rimmed eyes.

Happy pushed her away from his chest gently, holding her out at arm's length. He lifted a hand and brushed away her tears. "You're okay. Breathe."

She nodded, taking a quick breath in and out. "Okay."

"Wash your hands and get your boss. Need to figure out a stone," he instructed, knowing that given clear directions, Angela would follow them. "Mel's on his way."

Her eyes filled with tears once again as she nervously raked her hands through her hair. "Oh God _Mel_. Does he know?"

Happy nodded slowly. "Chibs called him."

"Shit," she said, moving her hand to wipe at her face. Juice caught her wrist before she could do it. She glanced quickly at him then at her bloody hand, a surprised look coming over her face as if she just realized that her hand was covered in blood. "Oh. It's not…it's not mine. It's…"

"I know, baby. C'mon, let's go," he said, taking her hand in his. "I'm sure Bones'll let you use his bathroom."

* * *

><p>Juice could hear the shower running from where he was sitting on the bed. The same bed where they'd first made love. He ran his hands over the unfamiliar comforter thinking of how much things had changed since that first time. He'd broken down in front of Chibs. Had confessed everything and cried like a baby all for nothing because he was an idiot. He'd sold out his brothers for no damn reason. Who his dad was didn't matter. Chibs had made that perfectly clear. And now he was stuck helping the feds. All because he'd bought into the idea that his brothers would turn on him for something as simple as his father's race. He lay back down on the bed, running a hand over his face as he listened hard for any sound coming from the bathroom. She'd been in there for almost an hour, and he knew the hot water was going to run out soon; it always did in that shitty apartment. He had to suck it up now. Now it was his turn to be strong for her.<p>

He sat up with a grunt, easily opening the bathroom door and letting himself into the steamed filled room. He heard her sniffle a bit and felt another piece of his heart break. Happy may have gotten her to stop crying briefly, but Juice had known it wouldn't last. He knew Kozik's death had cut her pretty deep, and she wasn't going to recover anytime soon. "Angel?"

"I'm fine," she called back, her voice shaking slightly.

He shook his head to himself. No, she wasn't, and he wasn't going to be fooled again. No, this time he was going to be the one to step in. He shrugged off his cut and the rest of his clothes, sliding open the door and stepping in under the spray of warm water. She turned around, stepping into his embrace, her face pressed against his neck as he held her tightly. "I'm here, Angel," he whispered into her ear, rubbing his warm hands up and down her bareback. He felt her move her head in a nod against his neck and tightened his grip on her. "I got you, baby. You're gonna be okay."

Wrapped in his arms, Angela found it just a little easier to breathe. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple. Tilting her head back, she caught his lips with her own. He'd never know how much she appreciated the space he'd given her earlier. She needed that time alone to cry without someone telling her it was going to be okay or to stop. And now, just as the water was starting to lose its heat, he'd stepped in to provide her with the warmth and strength she needed and found within the circle of his arms. This was why she loved this man. Why she would stick with this life despite its ups and downs. The dangers of the MC lifestyle were worth risking if it meant she got to be with him.

* * *

><p><strong>Gah! I hated to write this, but it had to happen. :( As always, feel free to tell me what you think in a review! Good, bad, whatever. ;) <strong>

**Disclaimer 2: I do not own the _Walking Dead _comics, nor have I read more than the first couple of pages of it, but I started watching the show and its awesome. :)**

**Coming up next: Coping with losing Koz, Mel comes to visit (finally), and more... **

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	51. Fire

**Thank you all so much for being so patient for me! The first couple of weeks of the new year have been crazy busy!**

**Thanks so everyone who reviewed! I know I PM'ed most of you but thanks also to: _Guest1_**_ (I haven't finished TWD yet. I'm still lingering on Season 1. :\), **Guest 2 **(I'm sorry you didn't like it! I'm just sticking with the story, I swear!)__, **dannygirl**_(_I'm honestly going to miss writing Koz's character. I love that guy!), **Just Me**__(Honestly I don't plan on ending it anytime soon. I'm following the episodes because I love them, and I love the story and want to keep it as canon as possible. I'm sorry if you feel its starting to drag. I don't know how to fix that, but if you have any ideas, I'm all up for hearing them! I swear I'm not writing this for the mere goal of getting reviews. For me, writing is a stress reliever and the fact that people like the story enough to review it always makes me happy. Sorry again if this story isn't what you want it to be, but I like it just fine, and I don't plan on changing it anytime soon. :) Thanks so much for your opinion, though!), **VomittheSoul6 **(Thanks so much!), **and MsExpendable402** (As soon as I get all caught up with TWD, I will check out your fic! I promise!)._

**Onto the new stuff! A bit more sadness and the introduction of Mel Kozik! Yay! :) This chapter takes place between Season 4 Episode 11 "Call of Duty" and Episode 12 "Burnt and Purged Away". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela...and Mel now too! Woo! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 51: Fire_

_By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the crackling flames as they licked the sides of the small cardboard box. That was her brother in there…or at least a part of him. She'd gotten over the initial shock and tears and was left feeling numb, empty. She just couldn't believe he was gone. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. It had all just happened way too fast. Happy had explained that Kozik had stepped on a landmine. A _landmine_ of all things! Kozik had survived a war in a foreign country only to be killed by a landmine in his own. It wasn't right, it wasn't _fair._ How could this have happened?

Sons had been coming in and out of the crematorium to say their goodbyes despite the fact that there'd be a small memorial the next day. Most of them wouldn't attend. Death was harder to come to grips with in the light of day. _Cowards_, she thought bitterly. She had to admit she was surprised that Happy was still standing there at her side, watching the flames. He didn't do grief. She knew that well. When her father had died, he'd disappeared for a day before coming back and acting as if nothing had happened. She'd asked him what he'd done, where he'd gone, and he just told her he got away and left his feelings there._  
><em>

She could feel Juice's worried gaze on her back. After holding her in the shower until the water had gone cold, he'd tried to get her to talk about it, to stop her from cremating Kozik that night to keep her stress level down since stress was bad for the baby, but she'd pushed him away. She'd seen the hurt in his eyes when she'd refused to talk it through, when she refused to cry anymore. It wasn't that the tears weren't there. They were, but she was done crying. It wouldn't bring Kozik back. She wished Juice understood that, wished he would stop worrying about her.

In all honesty, Angela was annoyed by both of them. It was probably the hormones, but the fact that they both seemed more worried about her than upset about losing Kozik was pissing her off. They'd seen it happen! Shouldn't they be a little more upset? All of SAMCRO should be there paying tribute to him just as they'd paid tribute to Donna. Hell, the bodies they'd burned the first day she'd met them had gotten a better send off! She understood that they were in deep shit with the cartel, but Kozik was one of their _brothers_. He'd died helping _them_. And where were they? Getting drunk somewhere or fucking some stupid Croweater, no doubt. Her anger at the club started to build as the fire started to wane. It was all SAMCRO's fault. If it hadn't been for the stupid MC Kozik would still be alive. He'd still be _whole_.

A cold breeze blew into the hot room as the door opened again. She didn't turn to see who'd walked in, but she did feel a rough hand on her shoulder, the cool metal of the rings on his fingers sending chills down her spine. She flinched at the touch, clenching her fists in an effort not to swing at whoever's hand it was. A second passed before she heard the voice that went with the rough, ringed hand, "Give me a minute."

Juice looked hesitantly at Tig who hadn't taken his eyes off the fire in front of them. He didn't like the idea of leaving him alone with her. Especially not after the way Tig had treated Kozik prior to his death. He was worried as hell the SAMCRO SAA would say something to upset her. Happy clearly did not share his worry. The Tacoma killer just nodded and headed out. "Angel," Juice said, trying to catch her attention. She flinched again, as if the words hurt her.

" 'm fine," she ground out through clenched teeth. Juice locked eyes with Tig briefly, trying his best to convey a warning through his look before he walked out of the crematorium leaving just Tig and Angela alone in front of the fire. Once he was gone, Angela glanced briefly at Tig. "Come to spit at him?"

Tig smirked at the anger in her voice. He'd seen it as soon as he walked into the room, though it'd been clear his other two brothers hadn't. He recognized that dangerous look in her eyes. It was eerily similar to the look Happy had before he put a finishing bullet in someone's head. "Nah, doll," he assured her, holding up Kozik's cut. "Came to put this in with him. You mind?"

Angela shook her head, her dark eyes following his every movement as he opened the heavy metal door and tossed the leather cut into the flames. He turned back to her and pulled out an manila envelope from inside his cut, flipping it over a few times in his hands before handing it to her. She gave him a questioning look as she ran her fingers over the familiar handwriting that spelled out her name on the front of it. The envelope had an oddly shaped lump and was a bit heavier than it looked. "What's this?"

"Koz's bucket letter. You know for when he...kicked the bucket," he explained, his blue eyes back on the fire. "Wrote one for you, one for Mel."

She carefully unwound the string that kept it closed and lifted the flap. She slid her hand inside of it, surprised when she felt a cool metal chain against her fingers. Gently, she tugged the chain out, surprised to find a pair of dog tags hanging on the end of it. Tears blurred her vision as she moved the tags into her palm, her thumb gently rubbing over the letters of his name: _Herman E. Kozik_.

Tig's voice cut through her thoughts. "Keep those close, Ang. Means a lot for him to give 'em to ya. He'da given you the Reaper on his back if he coulda."

"I wouldn't want it," she spat, closing her hand around the metal tags. "I hate that damn Reaper."

"You can't blame this on the club, doll," he stated. He knew Happy's family was the vengeful sort, and he worried what Angela's anger could lead her to do. The girl knew enough about the club to send them all inside for a good while. If her anger wasn't contained, they'd all be in trouble.

She tore her eyes away from the flames to glare at him; her dark eyes alight with their own angry fire. "Who else am I supposed to blame then, Tig?"

"The guys that put the mines in that field are a good place to start," he said as though it was obvious.

"He wouldn't even _be_ on that damn field if he hadn't come down from Tacoma to help out with all this stupid ass cartel bullshit!" she seethed.

" 'ey, he voted it in, doll. No one made him do it," he explained, not at all fazed by that dangerous look in her dark eyes. Angela may be furious, but she wasn't an idiot; she wouldn't try to take him on alone. "Coulda happened to any one of us."

"But it didn't. It happened to Kozik," she said, wiping furiously at the tears that had escaped her hold. "And it could've easily been Hap or Juice or all three and I would've lost everything…I can't…I can't _handle_ this. I can't _help_ them! I can't _do_ anything to save them! I feel so fuckin' _useless_!"

Tig's heart went out to the girl. Watching her break down like this reminded him of why he kept his own kids so far removed from this life that took away as much as it gave. "I know, kid. I know," he said, awkwardly patting her shoulder. "Nothin' you can do. Just gotta get through it."

"Don't…don't tell me it's going to be okay," she said scowling at him. "I'm so sick of hearing that everything's going to be okay. Kozik is dead. _Nothing_ is okay."

"Did I say it was going to be okay? I don't think so. Koz was a selfish prick, but I know he'd want you to get over it. Fuckin' say some bullshit quote or some dumbass line," he stated, watching the corner of her mouth lift slightly, "And I know you're thinkin' of one right now. Keep it. Hold on to it. Tattoo it across your damn forehead. That's the shit Koz woulda loved. You know that."

Angela looked back to the fire, clenching her jaw in an attempt not to say something she'd regret. Tig took her silence as a good omen and continued. "Koz loved the club, doll. This is how he'd a wanted to go out...defending his club, his family."

God, she hated that he was right. Wiping at her eyes, she let out a long breath. "I know," she said finally.

"So stop blaming us. Ain't going to lead you anywhere good. You're gonna end up putting that shit on Hap and Juice, and I _know_ you don't want to hurt them," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "Right?"

She nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah."

"You good? Want me to send the guys back in?"

Angela sighed and shook her head. As much as Tig had helped soothe her anger, it hadn't gone away in its entirety. "Not yet."

"Want to be alone?"

She nodded again before glancing up at him. "Is that bad?"

Tig shrugged a shoulder. "Nah, 'course not," he said, squeezing her shoulder once more. "Take care of yourself, doll."

"Thanks, Tig."

He nodded, patting her shoulder lovingly before heading out the door and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>Mel Kozik's hands were shaking as he opened the door of the rental car. He took in a deep breath before stepping out of the car. He'd been in a daze since he'd gotten the call about his brother. It'd taken him a minute to really understand what the heavily accented Son had told him. A whole two hour plane ride before it really sunk in. It wasn't until he was sitting in the car, an hour away from going to watch his brother burn, that he'd really broken down. Now that he was standing in front of the funeral home, he felt that wave of emotion coming over him again. He raked a hand through his blonde hair, smoothing it over to the side out of habit. Unlike his older brother, he liked his hair to be somewhat neat. Letting out a shaky breath, he started towards the funeral home.<p>

He looked at the white building, remembering the few days he'd spent moving Angela in with Happy and Kozik. They'd all had fun with that one. Too much fun, probably. A small smile turned up the corner of his lips as he remembered Angela all but shoving them out the door telling them that she was a big girl and could handle the rest. They'd gone back to the clubhouse and shot a few games of pool. It was a rare event that Koz let him into the MC world, but that night he had, and it was one of his favorite memories.

"Mel," the rough voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned his head towards the sound, not at all surprised to find Happy there. The tattooed man extended his hand which Mel quickly met with his own. He pulled him in, slapping him on the back. "Good to see you, brother."

Mel nodded in response. "You too, Hap," he said, stepping away. "Did I miss it?"

Happy shook his headed and nodded towards the double doors on the side of the building. A light shone out from underneath, the only light in the dark parking lot. "In there."

"Gee in there too?" he asked his stomach in knots at the thought of seeing her again, despite the situation. It'd felt like years since he last seen her, though she'd visited him in San Diego a few months before. She'd been there for some funeral convention, and they'd only gotten coffee, but that'd been enough for him. Angela was like a drug he couldn't get over. Just a simple call from her could make his day. And he knew she had someone, knew that she loved him, but that didn't change the way he felt about her.

At Happy's nod, he headed towards the double doors only just noticing that another Son was standing nearby, leaning against the building. He didn't pay him any attention as he opened the doors and slipped inside the warm room. The sight of her made his heart race. She was standing in front of the large oven dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a black tank top, her thin fingers playing with a pair of dog tags that hung around her neck. "Hey Geela," he greeted softly.

His heart almost broke in half when she turned to him, her eyes lighting up slightly as she threw her arms around his neck. "Mel," she said as she hugged him.

Mel held her close, one arm around her waist, another smoothing over her soft hair. It felt so good to have her close. Turning his head, he kissed her temple. She let go first, she always did. "That him?" he asked, glancing at the window of the oven. There wasn't much left in there, just a low burning fire and the cut.

Angela nodded slowly. "What's left of him."

He sighed, running a hand over his face. "What _was_ left of him?"

"His arm and his cut."

"Shit," he muttered shaking his head. "You get to see him before all this?"

"Yeah. We went to breakfast," she said, a small smile crossing her face at the memory. "At five in the morning."

Even Mel smiled at that one. "You know he does that to piss you off. He called me late last night to tell me he was going to see you and wake you up early. He was very proud of that."

"Oh, I know. Same reason he calls you late at night," she said on a laugh. Her face grew serious after a moment. "I'd let him wake me up early every morning if it brought him back."

"I know how you feel. I almost didn't answer him," Mel said, a hint of relief in his voice. "It was midnight. I finally got to sleep after a long day at the hospital and my phone woke me up. I was an ass to him, but he just laughed it off like he always did. Told me he loved my cranky ass."

Angela laughed, a tear sliding down her cheek as she picture Kozik saying that. "God, I miss him."

"Me too." He draped an arm over her shoulders, holding her close as they watched the fire die down. The soft ping of the snaps of Kozik's cut falling into the tray made both of them wince. It meant that the process was almost over. Once the fire was done, he'd be gone forever.

* * *

><p>Juice waited anxiously outside of the crematorium. After Happy had explained that the well dressed man who had stepped out of the cab was not, in fact, a fed, but was Kozik's brother, he'd been a little on edge. He wasn't a complete idiot. He'd heard Kozik tease Angela about her relationship with his little brother. As soon as the man had disappeared through the double doors, he'd wanted to go in there just to make sure nothing else went down, but Happy wouldn't let him in. A sense of doubt filled him as he paced back and forth. Kozik's brother was a <em>doctor<em>. The man could give Angela so much more than he ever could. He was normal. He was safe. Things like this didn't happen to a doctor...well, except Tara, but her situation was a bit different.

He stopped pacing when the door opened, and they both stepped out. The blonde man held a small box in his hand, an enveloped tucked under his arm. Angela had a similar envelope clutched in her hands, a pair of dog tags hanging around her neck. All of his doubt went out the window when she walked to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into his chest. The fact that she'd gone straight to him, with no hint of reluctance or hesitation proved that he was the one she wanted, that she was his girl, through and through. Nothing would change that. "Hey baby," he murmured, his lips at her ear as he hugged her to him. "You okay?"

Angela nodded, tilting her head back to look up at him. She put her lips to his in a quick kiss, not at all ashamed to do so in front of Mel. She needed the kiss, needed the rush of emotions that came when her lips met his to show her she was still alive, that she could still feel. As his lops moved against hers, her heartbeat quickened, the familiar rush of butterflies danced through her belly, her knees went weak. Yes, she was still alive. Kozik may be gone, but that didn't mean life was over. She still had Happy, still had Juice, still had the little being that was growing inside of her. Everything was going to be okay.

Juice moved his lips away from hers, pressing kisses across her cheek towards her ear. "I'm here, Angel," he whispered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"I know," she replied on a breath. "Love you, Juice."

An almost relieved look crossed his face as he nodded. "Love you too, baby."

A throat cleared from behind them causing them to break away from each other. Happy stood with Kozik's brother looking a bit irked. Juice sighed, wondering if Happy was ever going to truly accept him in Angela's life. He dropped his arms from around Angela and nodded to the blonde man. "You must be Kozik's brother."

Mel looked at the hand the tattooed man was holding out for him to shake, a little surprised by the almost friendly look on his face. "Uh yeah. Mel," he said, awkwardly shaking the man's hand. "You are?"

"Juice," he put in on a smile. "I'm Angela's…" He paused. What was he? They'd never had to introduce themselves like this before and he knew that saying he was her 'baby daddy' would probably not be the best idea ever. Still, boyfriend didn't sound right. Angela was more than just his girlfriend, the love that bound them together felt stronger than that simple title. Then it hit him. He knew exactly what he was, what he'd been for some time now. "I'm her Old Man."

The title shocked Angela, though Happy had just the smallest trace of a smile on his lips. Mel, however, looked like someone had punched him in the gut. "Right," he said, letting go of the handshake first. He was never one of those macho men who thought they had to prove something in a handshake. "Heard a lot about you."

"Yeah?" Juice asked, a little surprised. He glanced down at Angela who had one of those secretive smiles on her face. "I'm sorry for your loss, man."

"Thanks." Mel nodded and shrugged. "Nothing you could do, right?"

Happy watched as Juice just stared at Mel blankly, no doubt playing the moment over again in his head. He'd been the one that had been closest to Kozik on that minefield. If he had switched places with him, it'd be him that was in that little black box. Yeah, there was something he could've done, but they'd be in a much different situation then. He could see Juice paling before him and decided to save his ass. "Right," he put in for his brother before slapping Mel on the back. "Let's go, kid."

"I didn't...I didn't book a place to stay," he replied, grimacing at his own stupidity. "You think there's vacancy at the motel?"

"You can stay with us," Juice offered, surprising them all. "I mean, if you want to. We have a couch."

Angela glanced at him in pure shock. Maybe he didn't know about her past relationship with Mel. It was the only reason she could explain him offering up their place so willingly. She glanced at Mel who looked like he would rather eat dirt. "Best couch ever," she put in.

"I wouldn't want to put you out," he said awkwardly. "The motel is fine. Thanks for the offer though."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. He had to get over the fact that they weren't going to get back together, that she was with someone else. "You know where it is?"

"I'll figure it out," he said on a shrug. He handed her the little black box in his hands. "Keep these safe, yeah?"

She took it from him, moving to give him a hug. "Of course."

He hugged her back, kissing her temple as he was accustomed to. "See you later, Geela," he said, his eyes lingering on hers for a brief moment.

"Bye Melly," she said on a small smile. She kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand as she pulled away. "See you tomorrow."

He nodded as he walked towards his car. Angela's eyes followed him, a concerned look on her face as she took note of his slumped posture. Though she no longer loved him in a romantic sense, she still cared about him. He'd been her best friend in Tacoma, her partner in crime; though most of the time that just meant he bailed her out rather than him getting in trouble himself. There'd been many times when they'd comforted each other over a break up or a loss, and it always started out the same way. They'd sit and talk and drink and then one thing would lead to another and they'd end up next to each other in bed. That's how their relationship had started originally. His father had died, and she'd comforted him the best way she knew how. Looking back on it, it'd been a stupid, slutty thing to do, but she didn't really regret it. She wondered briefly if that's what he was looking for now, if that's what that lingering look in his clear blue eyes had meant.

"He'll be fine," Happy's voice cut into her thoughts. He knew all about their little ritual. Had heard Mel telling Kozik about it one too many times. Mel had earned himself a black eye and a broken rib because of his big mouth. Even if she didn't see that he'd been using her, Happy did, and no one got away with pulling shit like that on his little cousin. He glanced at Juice who seemed to be battling between jealousy and worry. "Take her home. She needs sleep."

"Right." Juice sighed as he nodded, slipping his hand into Angela's. "C'mon, baby. Let's go back."

Angela let him pull her towards the car wondering why on Earth he wanted to drive and not ride, though she had to admit she was thankful for his choice. She didn't want to be anywhere near a motorcycle right now. It was another reminder of Kozik that she didn't want to deal with. He opened the passenger's door for her before jogging around the nose of the car and getting into the driver's seat.

He started up the little Mazda, driving off the lot and pulling onto the main avenue. Looking over at Angela, he found her pulling out something from the envelope. It was a simple disc along with a few pictures. "He gave me a CD?" she said on an incredulous laugh.

Juice looked over at the blue colored case the disk was in, the color sparking his memory. "It's a DVD."

"What?" she breathed, playing aimlessly with the plastic case. "How do you know?"

"Look at it," he said on a nod as he pulled into their driveway. Their house was only five minutes away from the funeral home so the drive didn't take all that long.

She looked at it as she got out of the car, following after Juice slowly. "I dunno, Juice," she said doubtfully, studying the unlabeled disk. "Koz wouldn't know how to make a DVD. He's not _you._"

He smirked, only Angela would doubt his opinion on a piece of technology. "Only way to find out is to play it."

She sighed and handed it to him, taking a seat on the couch. He slipped it into the DVD player before hesitating. What was on that DVD had to be private, meant for her eyes only. He didn't know whether to stay or go. She grabbed his hand and tugged him onto the couch, giving him the answer. "Before you play it...will you tell me what happened? Please?" she asked. At his hesitant look, she sighed. "I just…I need to know that he died for something. That whatever he was doing in a minefield was something _good_."

Juice nodded, running a hand over his face as he pressed pause. He could understand where she was coming from. He'd want to know too. "We were going after the other cartel. The ones who hurt Tara," he explained. She turned her head to look at him, their eyes meeting as he continued, "We found 'em in this…field, I guess. Jax told Koz and I to stay close to Clay. Koz went first, then Clay, then me."

Tears started to well up in her eyes when she realized what that meant. If Koz and Juice had switched positions, she'd be left alone. Her child, _their_ child would grow up fatherless. Losing Koz was hard, but she couldn't even fathom what losing Juice would be like. She moved in closer to him as he slipped an arm around her waist, his hand resting on the warm skin of her stomach.

"One of Romeo's guys stepped on a mine first. That's how we knew they were there. The Lobos shot at us. Clay and I took cover, but Koz…he kept going," he explained, his voice catching a little at the end. Tears burned at the corner of his eyes as he swallowed at the lump in his throat. "Out of nowhere, he stepped on a mine, and he knew it. I heard him when he realized it. And that was it. All of a sudden, I see his arm lyin' next to me. His fuckin' _arm_. Rest of the guys got the big guns. Killed all the Lobos that were left out there."

He didn't feel the need to tell her how fast he'd walked back through the minefield or about his moment in the bathroom with Chibs. This wasn't about him. This was about her and Kozik. She didn't need more to worry about. Stress was bad for the baby.

"Good," she said in response, hatred apparent in her voice. "Fuckers deserved it."

Juice let out a light laugh. "Yeah...yeah, they did," he agreed before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Angel. This is…its messed up. Shit like this doesn't happen to normal people."

Angela could practically hear the tears in his voice. She lifted her head from his shoulder, sitting up straighter so her face was even with him. Her fingers carefully brushed away his tears before she leaned forward and put her lips to his in a soft kiss. "No, it doesn't," she stated honestly. "But we're not normal."

"Sometimes I want to be," he admitted softly. He'd seen the way everything with the club affected her. Had seen that worried, almost scared look on her face for far too long now. She deserved better than that. "For you, for the baby."

She scowled at that, rolling her eyes. "We're going to be just fine, Juice," she assured him. "I tried normal back in Tacoma. Worst couple of months in my life."

A small smile crossed his face before he kissed her again. "That 'normal' sitting in a motel right now?"

"Don't start," she said giving him a half hearted glare. "Thanks for that, by the way. You didn't have to invite him over."

He smirked and shrugged a shoulder. "I knew he wouldn't say yes." He looked at her skeptically. "I don't have to...worry about him, right? I mean, I trust you, but he's a fuckin' _doctor_, Angel. I can't compete with that shit."

Angela rolled her eyes and kissed him again. "Don't doubt yourself. Its unattractive," she said, her thoughts going back to Kozik and the many times he'd said it to her. "And there _is_ no competition. I love you. Plain and simple. He could be a millionaire, and I'd still want your goofy ass more."

He grinned at her, catching her lips in a quick kiss. "That's what I thought. I was just checkin'."

"Uh-huh," she said, taking the remote from his hands and leveling it at the television. "Let's get this over with." She settled into Juice's side before pressing the play button.

Kozik's bright smile and laughter were the first thing that came on the screen. She could tell he was in his dorm room at the SAMTAC clubhouse; she'd seen the messy room enough times. "Is it rollin'?" he asked, looking at someone behind the camera. His grin faded a bit after a moment as if he realized what he was doing. "Hey kid. I t's me…obviously. Shit, I don't know how to do this. Got this kid, Juice, to set this shit up. New guy from Charming up here for…stuff. Nice guy. You'd like him. Got these tats on his head, cheesy ass smile. Too bad you don't go for Sons otherwise..." A knowing smile spread across his face before he shook his head. "Sorry, kid. I swear, I'm tryin' to do somethin' other than give Juicer here an ego boost."

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she pressed pause and looked up at Juice. He looked surprised for a brief moment before it clicked. "I _remember_ this now! I thought he was so weird for asking me to do this, but he said he was a crap writer and his sister would like this better. I didn't really think about it 'cause he called you his sister, and I didn't put it all together until right now."

Angela laughed at the irony of it all. Of course Kozik would predict that she'd like Juice; he knew her too well. "Huh," she said, shaking her head. "I wonder if he remembered saying that."

"Nah. He'da told you," Juice said confidently. If there was one thing he knew about Kozik, it was that the blonde biker loved bragging about being right. If he remembered the video, he'd have pulled it out and shown it to them both before gloating like he'd just won a gold medal.

"He'da told everyone," she agreed on another laugh as she pressed play again.

Kozik ran a hand through his hair, spiking it up a bit as he took a deep breath and let it out. "If you're seein' this, I'm probably already laid out on your table," he explained, scratching nervously at the back of his neck. "And I'm sorry for that, kiddo. Trust me, I don't want to be there either. Don't cry too much, all right? I love you to death…'til death," he said, a small smirk turning up the corner of his lips at the joke.

"Asshole," Angela muttered under her breath.

"Call me whatever you want, but that's funny," he said on a chuckle. "Anyways. I just wanted to thank you for savin' me. I don't think I could ever thank you enough, kid. Without you, I'da died a long time ago with a needle in my arm."

Juice remembered the next part now, and it was only because he'd never seen the Tacoma Sergeant tear up like he was about to. He looked over at Angela who's smile was starting to fade as she watched Kozik's blue eyes get glassy with tears. "I love you, Angie-pie," Kozik stated, his voice cracking, "And I…I want you to keep livin'. Don't get wrapped up in the past, kid. Move on. Start a family like you wanted. And maybe by the time you see this you'll already have one, and I'll be there teachin' your kids shit you don't want me to…maybe not. If I'm not…just…tell 'em their Uncle Koz is watching them, all right? I may be gone, but I'll always be with you, watchin' you in the least creepy way possible, protecting you. Don't forget that, Angie."

He sucked in a deep breath before shaking his head. "I'm gonna leave that there before I start crying like a baby in front of this idiot. I love you, kid. Stay strong for me," he stated winking at the camera before looking behind it.

"That it?" Juice's voice questioned off screen. At Kozik's nod, he said, "That was some deep..."

Then the screen went black. Angela sat there for a moment, just trying to soak it all in as tears slid down her cheeks. "Stupid hormones," she muttered wiping at her eyes. She grabbed the envelope off of the table and dumped out the rest of the contents onto her lap. She flipped through the many pictures that spanned from when she was eighteen to the present. All of them had little notes on the back. Mostly comments about what a pain in the ass she was.

"Look at my little _chola_," Juice said, chuckling at one of her at eighteen dressed in a tiny tank top and khaki's that were far too big for her. Her lips were painted a dark red, eyebrows filled in, and large hoops hung from her ears. "Sexy."

She elbowed his side but smiled anyway. "I clearly had some issues," she said, shaking her head at her terrible make-up. A ticket stub fell out from the pile. She picked it up curiously, studying the faded lettering on it before a wide smile spread across her cheeks.

"Finding Nemo? Really?" he questioned, his eyebrows shooting up.

Angela nodded as tears filled her eyes once again. "Just keep swimming," she said softly. Those were the words Tig had been hinting at, the ones she needed to hold on to. Kozik had said them to her many times, and she always ended up getting through it. And yes, it was hard to lose him, and she'd miss him like crazy, but everything would be all right. She wouldn't forget him, but she wasn't going to stop living because he was gone. No, she was going to keep swimming because that is exactly what he wanted her to do.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Disclaimer 2<span>: **I do not own _Finding Nemo_ but it is an amazing film and I love Dory and her little "just keep swimming" speech. (Can you tell?) ;)

**Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know in a review! I love hearing from you! **

**~Love Ink**


	52. Swing, Swing

**I am so incredibly sorry for the delay in posting this! At first it was because I was bogged down with grad school apps and then it just turned into me hating everything about it. This is the third re-write, and I'm still not sure if I really love it or not. :\ I will try and post the next chapter a LOT sooner! **

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow! You all are amazing and make me smile with your kind words of encouragement! :) Thanks also to: _Guest 1 _**(I_ also hated the way the did Kozik's death on the show. I'm doing my best to make it a little different_), **_chels_, _Vomitthesoul86,_**and**_ dannygirl_**(_Thank you! If it wouldn't effect the rest of the story, I would've loved to keep Kozik around. But his death is a big deal for Angela and needed to happen.)_

**This chapter takes place during the first part of Season 4, Episode 12: "Burnt and Purged Away". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 52: Swing, Swing_

_By Love Ink_

Mel stopped his car outside of the simple one story house that he'd followed Happy to. It was a quaint little beige house with green shutters on the windows, not at all where he'd envisioned an outlaw living. Sighing, he followed Happy to the front door shifting nervously when he pulled out a key ring and let himself in rather than knock. Mel sort of wished they'd at least given the couple a warning of some sort. Maybe if they had, he wouldn't be looking at the scene in front of him.

Juice was stretched out on the couch, his head against the arm rest with Angela on her stomach top of him, her head pillowed on his chest. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt that just barely covered the curve of her ass. Juice had one arm draped across her back, his other hand was entwined with hers resting on his chest close to the intricate tattoo of her name. Their clothes littered the room around them. Mel spotted her bra, a black, lacy one, draped over a lamp, Juice's jeans were gathered in a heap on the floor nearby. He glanced over at Happy, waiting for the man to explode.

Happy should've been pissed, should've wanted to beat the shit out of Juice, but he couldn't find it in him. Maybe it was because, despite the lack of clothes, there wasn't anything remotely vulgar about the way they were situated. It was the way Juice's fingers were laced with hers and pressed close to his heart, almost as he'd wanted to keep her as close as possible. Happy had no doubt that Juice had done his best to comfort Angela, and for that he was thankful. There was only so much he could do to make his little cousin feel better. He was more than content to pass that torch on to someone else. "'ey, idiot," he said, lightly nudging Juice's thigh with the toe of his boot. As Juice started to stir, he quickly put in. "Don't move."

Juice blinked his eyes open, glancing down to find Angela still asleep against him. "Shit," he groaned, lifting his arm from her back to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He looked up at Happy and panic flowed through him. He was just in his boxers and he knew for a fact that Angela wasn't wearing anything underneath his sweatshirt. "Hap…I…"

"Shut up," Happy cut him off. He didn't need to hear any apologies, didn't want to have that verbal confirmation of what the two had done the night before. "She all right?"

He sighed in response, his hand smoothing over her hair as he shook his head. "Spent most of the night cryin'. Stopped a few hours ago," he said with a frown. He left out the part about the way she'd come onto him after. The way her hands had slipped under his shirt, that needy, almost desperate look in her eyes. And he'd done his best to make her feel good as they made love right there on the couch.

"She eat anythin'?"

Juice nodded slowly. "Got her to eat a slice of pizza. Well…half."

"Pizza," Happy said wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"I didn't have time to make much else," he justified. He'd shoved the pizza into the oven as Angela watched Kozik's video for the tenth time and had to force her to eat more than the four bites she thought she could get away with.

"Surprised she didn't down a handle of tequila," Mel said with a smirk. He'd picked up a bottle of Jose on the way home the night before and had made a reasonable dent in it. Luckily, he'd woken up with a headache and not many other symptoms. In the past, he and Angela had shared many handles, passing them back and forth during the wee hours of the morning as they drank away their troubles. It wasn't a good fix, but it'd served them just fine in the past.

Happy grimaced at that. He knew Angela turned to alcohol when she was feeling wounded; it was her way of running. He blamed that habit on her mother who'd emptied out many a bottle of wine after a hard day. "She even try?"

"No. Of course not," Juice said, looking almost angry that Happy even dared to ask. Sure, Angela was hurting, but she wouldn't hurt the baby intentionally like that. "She wouldn't do that."

Mel snorted, shaking his head. "You obviously don't know her as well as you think."

"Know her just fine, asshole," Juice muttered, glaring up at the blonde. He played with her hair idly. "She wouldn't do that to…"

Happy cut him off with a quick slap to the side of the head. "Shut up. Both of ya," he said, shaking his head at Juice. If Mel didn't know she was pregnant, he wasn't going to tell him. "Wake her up."

Juice didn't want to. She hadn't been asleep all that long, and after all she'd been through, she needed all the sleep she could get. "Hap…"

He ignored Juice, reaching out a hand to shake his little cousin's shoulder. " 'ey, kid. Wake up."

Angela's eyebrows pulled together as she groaned sleepily. She turned her face, nuzzling her nose into Juice's chest for a brief minute before she sat up with a jerk. It'd been Happy's voice that had woken her, not Juice's. "Crap!" she exclaimed, untangling herself from Juice and managing to stand up without flashing the other two men in the room. Juice moved so that he was sitting on the couch, feet flat on the ground. She sat back down next to him with a sigh, raking a hand through her hair as she looked between Happy and Mel. "How the hell did you two get in?"

"He's got a key," Mel answered. Her sweatshirt wasn't zipped up all the way, giving him a good view of her chest. He did his best to avert his eyes, but he knew both Hap and Juice had caught him looking. Angela was oblivious to it until Juice reached over and tugged the zipper up all the way before shooting Mel a dark glare.

She didn't pay any attention to the exchange, more concerned about the new information she'd just gotten. "You _have_ a key? I thought you used the spare."

"Got tired of tryin' to find it every time. Koz made copies," Happy explained on a shrug. He knew blaming it on Kozik would save him a headache.

The anger she'd felt towards Happy's invasion of her privacy deflated when she heard who really was to blame. She didn't have Kozik to be mad at anymore. He was dead and gone. Just a bunch of ashes in a little black box. The thought made feel sick to her stomach. She could taste the bile in her mouth and quickly shot up and sprinted towards the bathroom.

Mel watched her run by, an amused look on his face. "Guess she must've hit the bottle after all," he teased. "She's sneaky like that."

Juice stood quickly. If his girl hadn't just run off to the bathroom, he'd have given Mel a good shiner for that dumbass comment, but Angela needed him more and when it came down to helping her or beating the shit out of some dumbass, he'd always choose her. "Fuckin' dumbass," he cursed, glaring at Mel before heading down the hallway to help Angela.

Mel watched him leave and looked over at Happy. He knew he wasn't Juice's favorite guy in the world, but he had been doing his best not to piss him off. "What's his problem?" he asked, still smiling as though it was funny. "I was kidding."

Happy pinched the bridge of his nose wishing like hell he didn't have to deal with all this shit. His cousin had been complicating his life since she was born; he was a fool to believe she'd grow out of it. "Ain't doing that shit 'cause she drank," he said on a sigh.

"She sick?"

For a minute, Happy contemplating lying to the poor sucker. Mel had done a lot of things wrong in the past, but when it came down to it, he'd been there for Angela more times than not. He knew she'd have gotten into a lot more trouble in Tacoma if she hadn't had Mel by her side to reign her in a little."Knocked up."

Mel felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. He blinked at Happy, hoping like hell he'd heard him wrong. "Pregnant?" he repeated. At Happy's nod, he shook his head. "How could she...what...is she _keeping_ it?"

"Yeah. 'course."

"Fuck, man," Mel said, sitting down heavily on the couch. "Gee is..._my _Gee is..."

"Ain't yours anymore, kid," Happy put in quickly. "Let it go."

He ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head again. He kicked the coffee table angrily, wincing as his toe jammed against the wooden leg. It wasn't supposed to go like this. She was supposed to wait for him. They were supposed to have a family. He knew she'd been joking when she'd said if they weren't married by the time she was thirty, they'd should give it a try, but he'd been waiting it out just to see if she'd give him a shot. It wouldn't happen now. He'd lost her. And to a Son, no less. The one kind of man she'd always sworn she'd never end up with. "I can't just let it go, Hap."

"Way I see it, you don't got a choice."

Mel clenched his teeth, anger flowing through his veins. How much more was that damn club going to take away? First his brother, now the love of his life. What more could he lose?

* * *

><p>Juice found Angela bending over the toilet, throwing up whatever was left in her stomach. Sweeping her hair off her shoulders, he knelt down next to her. After one last heave, she sat back on her heels feeling totally drained. He let go of her hair and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she buried her head into the crook of her neck. Her whole body was shaking as she leaned into him. "He's gone," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart ached as she thought of her lost brother. "He's really just…gone."<p>

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered as he felt her hot tears on his skin. "Tell me what to do to make it better. Please just…tell me what to do."

Her fingertips gently smoothed over the fading bruise on his neck. "Don't go anywhere, Juice," she answered softly. "Please."

He held her tighter then, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I won't, Angel," he promised her. He hated himself for trying to leave her like that in the first place. How could he have been so stupid? "I'm sorry, baby. So sorry."

Mel sat the shot glass down on the coffee table with a loud _thunk_ as he sank down into the couch. He knew they'd had sex on that couch, the evidence of it was everywhere, but he ignored it. His mind just kept circling back to the fact that his dream girl was having a baby with another man. A man who had just reappeared in the hallway, holding up the fresh pair of camouflage pants he was wearing. He walked over to where his dirty pants were on the ground and easily pulled the belt out of them before slipping it around his waist. The word "SAMCRO" that was emblazoned across the silver belt buckle gleamed at Mel in the early morning light. He scowled at it. He hated that damn club and everything it stood for.

Juice caught Mel's glance and looked at Happy with an eyebrow raised. Happy just shook his head, a movement that said _don't ask_. "What happened?" the Tacoma killer asked, nodding towards the hallway. Juice had been in the bathroom with Angela for a good fifteen minutes.

"Morning sickness," Juice explained on a shrug. He left out the part where she'd broken down in his arms knowing that Happy would try and use his "tough love" on her which was the exact opposite of what she needed at that moment. "Takin' a shower now. Heard anythin' from Clay?"

Happy nodded in response. "Should head over there soon."

"I can't just leave her," Juice said, sighing as he ran a hand over his mowhawk. "She's _not_ okay."

"I can take care of her," Mel piped in softly. He had dealt with enough pregnant women during his residency at the hospital to know how to handle them. Morning sickness was no sweat compared to some of the other things he saw on a daily basis.

Juice shook his head at him. "No. I got this, thanks."

"I'm a doctor. I know what I'm doing," he replied, getting to his feet. "I can take better care of her than anyone here."

Juice scoffed in response, a sense of protectiveness coming over him. "Says who?"

"Four years of college, four of med school, and a residency at a hospital, douche bag. This stuff is my profession, and I'm fuckin' _good_ at it."

Happy grimaced. There was that Kozik arrogance that both Mel and his older brother shared. He walked back to the kitchen to get a beer knowing that whatever was going to happen between Juice and Mel needed to happen if they were ever going to move on from the past.

"Good for you!" Juice exclaimed, rolling his eyes at the blonde man as he shrugged on his sweatshirt. "She's _my_ girl. I got it."

"Do you though? Way I see it, you're probably not even going to stay. Club's gonna call and you're just gonna leave," Mel spat, crossing his arms over his chest. "What does she even see in you? What can you possibly give her?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he seethed in reply. Mel's words had hit a nerve, a niggling doubt he'd always had about their relationship. "Get out of my house."

"And leave her alone in the state she's in? Fat chance."

Juice shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere," he insisted just as his phone went off. Gritting his teeth, he resisted the urge to answer it.

Mel crossed his arms over his chest, a cocky smirk on his face. "Go 'head and answer it. Bet your club needs to use you for some bullshit, dangerous plan."

"You don't know shit about my club!" Juice shouted, anger coursing through his veins.

Mel shook his head. "I know you're going to end up hurting her! And that poor kid is going to end up fatherless because of all the dangerous shit you guys do! Angela doesn't deserve that! She deserves better than some idiot outlaw!"

A growl escaped Juice's lips as he lunged at Mel, but Happy was there in seconds, easily stepping between them and holding them both at bay. " 'ey! That's enough!" Happy shouted, pushing Juice back before turning around to hold off Mel who was trying his best to get around him.

Angela had heard what Mel said and could tell how much those words had stung by Juice's reaction. He didn't lash out like that without good reason. As soon as she saw Happy step between him, she stepped in. Setting her hand on Juice's chest, she gently pushed him back. "Hey, hey, calm down," she urged gently. He was zoned in on Mel, though, his chest heaving up and down, a dangerous look in his dark eyes. She turned towards Happy who was working on getting Mel calmed down. "Hap, get Mel _out_ of here!"

"Let's go, kid," Happy said, glaring down at Mel. The blonde didn't budge. Happy rolled his eyes and grabbed Mel's arm. "Move. _Now," _he ordered, yanking him towards the front door.

Juice's eyes were on the door long after Mel and Happy had gone through it. "Hey!" Angela shouted up to him, her fingers curling into the soft material of his shirt and tugging down to catch his attention. "Juice! Look at me!"

He looked down at her. To his surprise, she met his lips with a soft kiss, her arms snaking around his neck to hold him to her. A sense of calm filled him at the feel of her soft lips pressed against his own. She pulled away, pecking his lips quickly once more. Juice swallowed hard, trying to swallow his anger. "I'm sorry," he said, exhaling a long breath.

"Don't be. He's an asshole," she said on a smirk. "I would've hit him myself if he talked to me like that."

"Yeah, well, didn't get very far," he muttered, looking down at his hands that were still itching to beat that dumb smirk off Mel's face.

Angela grabbed onto his hand and squeezing it. "That's okay. If I know Mel, he's not going anywhere anytime soon. You'll get your chance."

Juice laughed, surprised by her response. "Are you giving me permission to hit him?"

"If he keeps spewin' lies like the ones he just said, then yeah. You can hit him. Hell, I know Koz would've," she said on a light laugh. Her face grew serious for a moment. "Mel doesn't get to decide what I deserve. He doesn't know you. He doesn't get it. What we have is...it works, Juice. I don't need a guy to be on my ass every second of the day. I need someone who has their own life. And yeah, this club shit is dangerous, but you're smart. You walked though a _minefield_ and survived."

"Twice," he said on a smirk. Her eyes narrowed at him in a glare. He shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

"Regardless," she said, sighing heavily. "I don't see this kid being fatherless anytime soon."

Juice nodded slowly, reaching a hand out to brush a wet strand of hair from her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, kissing him once again. She pulled away when he tried to deepen it. "You walked through that minefield twice?"

"Don't worry about it," he repeated, catching her lips in a kiss to cut her off the lecture that was sure to follow.

That familiar fire spread through her veins as his tongue swept into her mouth. She'd never say it aloud but seeing Juice all fired up turned her on like no other. She'd heard that pregnancy hormones made you incredibly horny, but she didn't believe it until right at that moment when she was battling between asking him more about the minefield incident and jumping his bones right there in the living room...again.

His rough hands slid down her back and over the curve of her ass, pulling her into him so she was flush against him, and her hormones won out. Her hands tugged down the zipper of his sweatshirt, pushing it off to reveal his cut and a tight white t-shirt that clung to him in all the right places. Slipping her hand under his shirt, she raked her short fingernails over his abs, smiling as a soft moan escaped his lips, his hips bucking forward slightly. One of his hands left her ass to unbutton her slacks before sliding inside her pants, fingertips gently sliding over the lace of her panties. A soft gasp escaped her lips as he teased her. Just as it was about to get good, his phone went off. The ringtone loud and obnoxious. He pulled away his eyes on the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed heavily. "Damn," he cursed, trying to slow down his own heartrate. "Baby, I gotta..."

"Yeah, I know," she said, swallowing hard. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she took a step back, buttoning her pants back up. "That hasn't happened in awhile," she commented, to herself as he answered the phone. She played with the front of his cut while he talked, idly snapping the buttons one by one. She stopped at the last one, her fingers slipping down to his belt buckle and tracing over the top of the metal oval.

He caught her hand knowing if that she managed to pull it open, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. As it was, he was going to have a very uncomfortable ride to the clubhouse, he didn't need her making it any harder. He brought her hands up to his lips, kissing her fingers. "I'll be back in awhile, baby," he said, chuckling as her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. He went over the past couple of hours; thinking of the range of emotions each of them had burned through in that short amount of time and yet here they were, back to the beginning when they couldn't take their hands off of each other.

She gave him a sound kiss on the mouth. "Go do your club stuff. I have my own job to go to."

"You do?" he asked playing dumb. He squeezed her ass cheek through the soft fabric of her black slacks. "Was wondering why you were dressed so nicely."

She rolled her eyes at him, pushing him away. "Go! Before I handcuff you to the bed and have my way with you."

"Promises, promises," he teased, kissing her nose. He turned to leave, hesitating slightly at the door and turning. "We're going to be okay, right?"

Angela grinned at him and nodded. "Yeah. All three of us."

Juice jogged back to her, taking her face in his hands and giving her one long kiss. If she said it was all going to be okay, he believed her. "Good. I'll see you soon, baby," he said, his hand slipping down to her belly. "Babies."

She scoffed, pushing him back again. "Get out of here, goof!"

* * *

><p>Angela was watching Bones prepare an old man feeling completely bored out of her mind as she flipped through a baby name book they kept in the office. The name book was worn and all marked up, mostly for Skeeter's own entertainment. He liked to put a tally next to each name to see which ones were the most popular. Apparently it was a tradition he'd started with his father who owned the funeral home before him. Once the book started to fall apart, Skeeter would replace it with a new one. The one in her hands was over twenty years old and, so far, 'John' was winning. Angela ran her finger over the tallies after that name. One of those belonged to John Teller.<p>

"You think of names yet?" Bones asked, looking up from his work to glance at her.

"Nope," she said on a sigh as she turned a page. "I haven't really had time to think about this poor kid at all. There's just been too much going on."

He nodded in understanding, going to massage the corpse on the table. "I get it. What's the dad's name?"

"Juice," she answered distractedly. Her head was somewhere completely different now. She was in over her head with this baby thing. As good as she was with kids and babies; she didn't really know how to _raise _one. Sure, she could play aunt all she wanted but playing mom was quite different. Not to mention that raising a baby with a Son was like being a single mother on most days. The way Tara had a constant babysitter for Thomas and Abel told her that. Could she handle raising a kid on her own? The thought alone scared her. Sure, she could take the kid to her mom's place when she needed a break, but her mom and aunt were still a two hour drive away, a long drive just for a babysitter.

"His name is _Juice_?" Bones' exclamation brought her out of her thoughts. "Okay, we can work with that. What if you name him like… Soda? Or if it's a girl name her Margarita. That's cute, right? You'll have a Juice and a little Margarita."

Angela laughed at that one. "How 'bout no," she said, shaking her head at him. "This kid is going to have a nice, normal name. I'm probably not going to be good at this parenting thing to begin with, might as well give them a name they can't get made fun of for."

"That's total bullshit, Ang," he said on a scowl, "And you know it. Yeah, right now you're thinking of other things because your friend just died so of _course _you're distracted but that doesn't mean you're going to be a shitty parent. I think you'll be awesome at it. You're a great teacher, and that's kind of the same thing."

"Thank you, Boner," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Now stop brown nosing and get back to work."

He gave her a small smile before doing just that. "What about the name Leonard?"

"That's your name," she said, flipping another page.

"I know."

She shook her head, smiling at his suggesting. Here was yet another pseudo-uncle vying for the honor of having a child named after him. "Has to sound good in Spanish."

"Fair enough," he said on a chuckle. "Leonardo?"

"No."

"Raphael?"

"No, and no to Michelangelo and Donatello too." Angela smirked, shaking her head at him. "Those are Ninja Turtles, Bones."

"Yeah and _painters_."

"Is that what you're planning on naming your children?"

Bones shook his head. "Nah, I always wanted to name my boy James Tiberius and my girl Nyota Uhura."

"Poor child. I hope you never have a girl," she said on a laugh. "The mood swings are crazy though. One minute I'm crying, the next I'm so horny I just want to jump his bones."

He pulled a face, shaking his head at her. "Too much information, Ang."

"Sorry, but its true!" she exclaimed on laugh. "I mean is that normal?"

Bones chuckled and nodded. "My Mom would go from laughing to full on sobbing in like five seconds. The other part, I'm not sure about. Didn't really care to ask. You get weird cravings?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I feel like I haven't had time for them yet. Yesterday I wanted tequila. _Badly_."

"Yeah, that's a terrible craving for a pregnant lady," he said rolling his eyes at her.

Angela groaned raking a hand through hair. "Tequila, coffee, and Juice."

"Everything that's bad for you," he commented before replaying the comment in his head. "Shit, I didn't mean…"

"My big, bad biker man?"

Bones nodded, a blush rising to his cheeks. "Its not that I think he's bad for you…I mean, I'm sure he's awesome. I just…worry. And not in that weird like jealous way, but like I worry about my sister, y'know? I don't want anythin' to happen to you. And I'm like five million percent sure he knows how to take care of you and you know how to take care of yourself but I just kind of…worry. So this is awkward now. Awesome."

She smiled at his rambling, wondering if this was how Juice acted when he was younger. Bones' reminded her a lot of him, actually. The kid was a typical nerd with a big heart just like her goofy intelligence officer. "Not awkward. It's actually really sweet," she said with a light laugh. "Don't worry about me, Boner. I'll be just fine."

The door to the work room opened, and Skeeter walked in, pulling one of the gurneys behind him. Sweat was beaded across his forehead as he grunted with the effort of moving the gurney that was topped with what looked like a very heavy individual. The smell of decomposition hit both Angela and Bones at the same time. "Shit, Skeet," Angela said, covering her nose with a hand. "How long has that guy been dead?"

"Dunno," he said, moving the gurney into the corner. "A while, I assume. Got some news to break to you, though, kiddo."

Her eyes widened as her heart sunk in her chest. She knew what that look meant."_Another_ one?"

"Another what?" Bones asked looking between his superiors completely confused.

Skeeter ignored his question, wiping his sweat away with the sleeve of his shirt. "Piney Winston."

Angela exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. Thankful that it wasn't one of the younger Sons. Piney was old and had a long list of health problems. It wasn't that she'd been expecting him to die soon, but if he died naturally, she wouldn't be surprised. She almost hoped he'd died in his sleep rather than the alternative. She could deal with that, it made sense. "How'd he die?"

"Gunshot wound to the chest."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, swallowing hard as she shook her head. "Shit," she murmured. His death only added to the heavy feeling in her chest. It seemed the Sons were dropping like flies. "Gotta get some air."

Bones watched as his mentor rushed out of the room leaving him behind with Skeeter. "Is that another Son?" he asked, still a little confused.

"Yeah. Founding member," Skeeter answered on a sigh. "Real good guy too."

The younger man glanced at the door that Angela had disappeared though. "Should I?"

Skeeter held up a hand and shook his head. "Nah, I got this one. Don't worry about preppin' him. Gonna burn him after hours," he explained as he lumbered out of the room. He walked out the front door, not at all surprised to find Angela sitting on the front steps just staring out at the cemetery in the distance. He set a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. This is number five, Skeet. Five people associated with the club have died since I've been here. Donna, Luann, Sack, Koz, and now Piney."

"It ain't you, sweetheart. I can promise you that. 'fore you came we had just as many. You've hit a peak. Club must be doin' something dangerous. It happens every so often, y'know? Other times, we get a lull where it's almost too quiet."

She nodded, wiping at the tears she felt gathering in her eyes. She knew for a fact that the club was doing something more dangerous than usual. "I hate it. I hate getting close to these people and then having them ripped away. No one in this club dies a normal death. It's always bloody. When you said it was Piney, I'd hoped…God, this is going to sound so bad, but…I hoped his heart or his lungs just gave out on him. How awful is that?"

"I get it, actually," Skeeter replied on a sigh. "Whatever went after him could easily go after your guys. If he'd just keeled over, there wouldn't be that danger."

Angela nodded again, leaning her head against Skeeter's shoulder. "Pretty much," she said, frowning. "Ope coming later?"

"Yeah. Told him I'd burn him after hours," he answered, draping his arm over her shoulders. "You going to be around? Think he might appreciate you being there more than me."

She sighed lengthily, raking a hand through her hair. "Yeah, 'course."

Skeeter kissed her temple. "Thanks, Ang." He smiled as he heard her phone start up with its tell-tale Jimi Hendrix ringtone. "Weed shop?"

"Mmm," she said, glancing at the screen with her eyebrows raised. "You need me for anything?"

"Bones all right with the body down there?"

"Routine embalming. He'll be fine," she answered confidently. "Just make sure he doesn't get sick with the decomp smell. I don't think he's used to it yet."

Skeeter chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll check on him. Go do your thing."

Angela smiled, getting to her feet and extending a hand to help him to his. "Thanks for understanding, Skeet."

He waved off her thanks, a big smile on his face. "Shit would fall apart around here without you, Ang. I know that. I'm not gonna keep you here if there's nothin' for you to do 'specially with the past couple of days you've been havin'. Go distract yourself or somethin'. Be back by six."

"I'll be here," she replied heading to her Mazda. "Thanks again!"

"Drive safely, Ang!" Skeeter shook his head as he watched his young employee leave. He hadn't been lying when he said the place would fall apart without her. Ever since he'd hired her, she'd kept the funeral home running smoothly. She'd organized everything and digitized their files so they were more accessible. She was also a lot better at dealing with their different associates that he didn't have the patience for too. Often times, she managed to talk her way into getting things half priced or for free which saved them a lot of money. Funeral supplies were not cheap and a half-priced coffin thrown their way because of Angela's people skills definitely put more money into his bank account.

He'd been toying with the idea of asking her to be his official partner for awhile now. She'd done more than enough to prove she deserved it, and with a baby on the way, he was sure she'd accept it too. He even planned on giving her the place once he retired. He had no kids of his own to hand it down to, and in the three and a half years they'd worked together, he'd come to see her as a daughter. He wished she wasn't so wrapped up in the Sons stuff. He had buried enough Old Ladies to know how dangerous being in that life was. He just hoped she wasn't next.

* * *

><p>Angela trudged towards the weed shop, a heavy weight on her shoulders. Her head was starting to pound, hands shaking as the lack of caffeine was slowly getting to her. She was about to pull open the door when it swung open, smacking her in the face. <em>Great, that's what I need, a huge bruise to explain to Juice and Hap later<em>, she thought as she rubbed at her head.

"Shit, I'm sor…Angel?" Juice's voice questioned. His hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her hand away from the bump to inspect it. He rubbed his calloused fingertips over it, feeling all sorts of guilty. "You okay?" he asked on a light laugh.

She smacked his hand away, glaring up at him halfheartedly. "It's not funny," she said on a scowl. "That hurt."

He moved her hand away again, pressing a kiss to the little red mark on her forehead. "I'm sorry, baby," he said, rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms. He placed a sweet kiss on her lips, fighting the urge to grin when her arms slid around his neck, pulling him in closer as she deepened the kiss.

Juice responded in kind, turning them and pressing her against the wall. His hand skimmed over the soft fabric of her blouse, cupping her breast and squeezing. She pulled away from him, a laugh escaping her lips. "Damn hormones. This is definitely not what I came here for."

He squeezed again, a teasing grin on his face. "You started it," he reminded her. "What're you doing here?"

"Besides getting to second base with my Old Man?" she replied, a smirk tugging up the corner of her lips. It was the first time she'd ever called him her 'old man' and the nickname felt foreign on her lips. Not bad though. She liked it a lot more than "boyfriend". "Doc had a problem apparently. You fix it?"

Juice nodded. The feeling that came over him at hearing her address him as her 'old man' was indescribable. The love he felt for her always surprised him. He still couldn't believe after all these years she still found ways to make his stomach do that strange flipping thing. "Domestic dispute between him and Haze. Figured it out."

"All by yourselves, imagine that," she said with a roll of her eyes. She sighed again, her fingers toying with the pockets of his hoodie as she looked down at his boots. "So much for a distraction."

He recognized the sad tone in her voice. Whatever joking mood she'd been in was gone. Worry and sadness had taken over. He hooked a finger under her chin lifting it to meet her eyes. "What happened, baby?"

Angela bit her lip. He didn't know about Piney yet. She doubted any of his brothers did. It wasn't her place to tell him either, so she shrugged. "Just dealin'," she answered vaguely. "Mood swings are making life difficult."

"Little sea monkey's messing with ya, huh?" he said, his fingers moving under her shirt to caress her lower stomach.

"Mmm-hmm."

He poked her stomach gently. "Stop messin' with your Mama, monkey," he said on a laugh feeling ridiculous for talking to her stomach but loving the fact it got her to laugh too. "It should stop now. Kid listens to me."

"Uh-huh," she said, rolling her eyes at him. Her eyes were drawn to a black car that had just pulled up in front, a curious look in them. It was a nice car, so it could've been one of Doc's clients; he always seemed to get wealthy people looking for an easy fix to their digestive problmes. She knew she was wrong when two suited men stepped out. That could only mean one thing. Feds.

"Mr. Ortiz," the one closest to him addressed him as though they knew each other.

"What the hell is this?" Juice demanded, gently pushing Angela behind him so that he was between her and the strange men.

"We need some bud advice," he replied, opening the back door. "Get in."

He felt Angela's hand grab onto the back of his sweatshirt and glanced over his shoulder to find her glaring at the two men, a deadly look in her dark eyes. He turned to her, taking her face in his hands. "I'm gonna be okay, Angel," he assured her, pressing his lips to hers. "You didn't see shit here, okay? Anyone asks, you don't know where I am, all right?"

She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. "Okay," she said softly.

Her eyes were glassy with tears as she nodded. It killed him to see her like that. His thumbs caressed her cheeks briefly. "I love you, baby," he whispered, kissing her one last time. "Stay safe."

"Love you too," she replied, her words choked. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it one last time before he got into the back seat of the car. The suited driver had the gall to nod at her to which she responded with a simple, rude hand gesture that she wouldn't have done in a million years had her hormones not been bouncing off the walls.

* * *

><p>Angela was shaking with her pent up feelings once she got back to the funeral home. She was furious with the awful way her day was going. Losing Kozik was still fresh in her mind and then everything that happened with Mel and finding out about Piney just pissed her off more. The feds taking Juice away was the straw the broke the camel's back. She practically sprinted into Bones' apartment, scaring the crap out of the poor kid who was just settling down for some GTA on his new couch. "I'm going for a run," she explained, heading to the bathroom to change.<p>

"Sure," Bones said, still gawking after her. He could practically see the trail of smoke she left behind like when the Roadrunner sprinted by in those Looney Tunes cartoons. "Don't worry about me. S'not like this is my place or anything."

She came back out dressed in her tight spandex running pants and dark blue halter top. "Thanks, Boner," she said, ruffling his hair as she ran by him and out the door.

Sprinting out into the cemetery, she found her groove along her normal path. She felt the frustrations of the day slowly melting away as they were replaced with the burning sensation in her calves, the cramp in her side. It'd been awhile since she'd run, and her body was telling her that with its aches and pains. But this kind of pain was easier to deal with than the kind of emotional pain that'd been hovering over her like a black cloud lately.

She saw the hulking figure bent over a familiar grave and slowed down into a jog. There was no Reaper on his back, but she would recognize the gentle giant kneeling at the foot of his deceased wife's grave anywhere. She wasn't planning on stopping, but Opie lifted his head at the sound of her sneakers on the grass. His hazel eyes met hers, and she stopped dead in her tracks, just a few feet away from him.

The anguish in his eyes broke her heart. This was the second person the club had ripped away from him. He gave her a nod, acknowledging her presence. She nodded back, patting his shoulder as she walked by. Tears started to cloud her vision as she started walking faster before breaking into a run.

She hoped to God her family didn't end up like that, that her kid would have more than just a picture on a headstone to talk to. Whatever little being was growing inside of her had already lost an uncle because of the Sons; she didn't want them to lose any more. She knew the kind of contempt that bred. Had seen the resentment in Ellie Winston's eyes whenever the club was brought up. Kenny still idolized his dad, grandfather, and uncles, but it was obvious Ellie didn't feel that way anymore.

While she knew her child was going to grow up with the club, she didn't want it to define them, to run their lives. She wanted them to be free to grow into their own person without the influence of the outlaws around them. But that was impossible if it was a boy. Despite all that happened to Kenny because of the club, he _still_ talked excitedly about the day when he'd finally be able to prospect. The draw of the Reaper was in his blood, and if she was blessed with a son, there was no doubt in her mind that he'd one day grow to be a Son just like his father and uncles. The thought of that frankly terrified her. She knew how much the club meant to Juice and Happy, had meant to Kozik, but she'd never want this kind of life for her son. For that reason alone, she prayed that she had a girl. It was the best chance her kid would have for staying far away from this crazy outlaw life that was filled with heartbreak and death.

* * *

><p><span>Disclaimer 2:<span> I don't own the Ninja Turtles or the names Nyota Uhura or James Tiberius. Those two come from Star Trek. I'm a huge fan of both though and cannot wait for the new Star Trek to come out! :)

**Kind of a roller coaster of a chapter...lot of fun to write though! :) Let me know what you think in a review, please! **

**~Love Ink**


	53. Falling Apart

**Another long chapter! Yay! :) Thank you so much for putting up with my slow updates! For some reason, I've bee really struggling with the last couple of chapters and trying to fit everything in. :\ **

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! I'm so lucky to have such awesome readers! I know I PMed most of you but thanks also to: _Guest_**_ (There will definitely be some more Mel/Angela/Juice drama. Mel's a stubborn dude. ;])_ and _**Dinosaurs go RAW** (Awesome name, btw! Hope this is the fix you need! ;])_.

**This chapter takes place during Season 4 Episode 12: "Burnt and Purged Away" and a bit in Episode 13 "To Be, Act 1."**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 53: Falling Apart_

_By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the cardboard box that Skeeter and Bones had lifted into the older cremator. It was a simpler machine that allowed for the door to be kept open while the flames burned. Skeeter typically used it when the family wanted to watch or if he was doing it for free since the newer oven was bigger used more gas. In all honesty, she liked the older one better. It was a nicer way to send off a loved one than to lock them away in the hulking mass of metal next to it.

"That him?" the gruff voice made her jump.

She turned to find Opie standing at the entrance, a bloodstained denim cut in his hands. She was always curious as to why Piney had chosen denim over leather, but she'd never worked up the guts to ask him. Now she'd never know. "Yeah," she answered, playing with the cuff of the thick fire-proof glove she was wearing.

"Start it up," he said leaning against the nearby table.

She nodded, flicking the appropriate switches and taking a step back as she watched the flames start up. They both sat back in silence for a moment, just watching the flames lick at the box. "You want me to go?" she asked. She wanted to stay for Piney, but she also knew Opie was a very private man. If he wanted or needed time alone, she'd give him that.

Opie shrugged a shoulder in response. In all honesty, as long as she was quiet, he didn't give a shit what she did. He knew she and Piney had some sort of strange uncle-niece relationship, and if she wanted to say goodbye, he wasn't going to stop her. The moment she started talking or asking him things, he'd kick her out, but he had a feeling she didn't want to talk either. He knew this was the second body of a Son she had to burn, and he was willing to bet it'd started to make her nervous as to who was next. She didn't have to worry, though. His father's death was on Clay, and as far as he knew, Clay had no reason to kill Happy or Juice. Her loved ones were in the clear for now.

She hopped on to the table next to him, swinging her legs back and forth as she stared at the flames. This was the second time this week she'd watched someone she cared about burn. True, she and Piney hadn't been nearly as close as her and Kozik, but she had still cared about the old man. Piney had helped her through those long fourteen months when the boys had been inside. She honestly didn't know what she would've done during that time without his wise words, jokes, and his ever present bottle of tequila.

They weren't alone for very long. A few minutes later, the door swung open and Unser stepped in, his dark eyes sweeping over Angela before settling on Opie. Angela knew that look; it was one that told her she wasn't wanted. She slipped off the table, patting Opie's arm comfortingly. "You let me know if you need anythin', Ope," she said softly.

"Thanks, Ang," he muttered, without turning his head.

She squeezed his arm and headed towards the door, nodding her hello to Unser before leaving the room. She leaned against the doorway, pulling out her phone to see if Juice sent her anything. Save for a several missed calls, voicemails, and texts message from Mel, there was nothing. She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. Worry twisted through her gut as she thought about Juice. What more could the feds want with him? The longer they detained him, the more suspicious it looked, and the more likely he was going to get caught. She didn't like to think about what would happen if one of his brothers caught him.

The sound of a motorcycle caught her attention. Her eyes swept over the lot, praying for it to be the right bike. She spotted it easily and as she recognized the rider, her heart sank; it was Jax. He nodded to her, a concerned look in his eyes. "Hey Ang," he greeted, looking behind her at the door to the crematorium. "What's going on?"

"Um...Ope's inside," she stated vaguely. She was glad Opie had at least called Jax to be there with him. She was willing to bet Unser wasn't hurting more than he was helping in there, and Ope needed a good friend at a time like this. "I think you should ask him."

"You helpin' us out with somethin'?" he asked, confusion written all over his face.

Angela nodded. She'd leave the big reveal to Opie. If the big man hadn't told his best friend on the phone, she wasn't about to tell him now. It was clear Opie wanted to tell Jax in person, and she wasn't about to spoil that. "Just…talk to Ope. You'll get it."

"All right. Thanks," he said awkwardly. He patted her shoulder as he opened the door and headed inside. From her place by the door, she could hear the sadness in Jax's voice as he talked to Ope, the heartfelt condolences. Opie's voice stayed flat, emotionless. The tone of it put Angela on edge, something wasn't right there. Whatever happened to Piney, it was clear Opie blamed it on the club, and perhaps, a little on Jax.

Unser stepped out of the room, making sure to close the door behind him. He looked her over as if he thinking of what to say. "Thanks for all this, sweetheart," he said awkwardly.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Piney was a friend. I'm sad to see him go."

The old police chief nodded, gesturing over to his car. "Shall we give 'em some space?"

"Sure," she answered, unhitching herself from the wall and following Unser towards his truck. She leaned against the front of it, her eyes on the crematorium door, arms crossed over her chest. She thought about the week they were having. First someone tried to kidnap Tara, and then they lost Kozik, now someone gunned down Piney. They all had to be connected somehow. Leaving Kozik's situation out, she tried to think of something that tied Tara and Piney directly together. It didn't take long for her to find it. "This is about the letters," she stated in disbelief. She looked over at Unser. "Isn't it?"

Unser hesitated briefly, reluctant to admit it. He knew it was none of her business, but he also knew she was one of the few people still standing unharmed who knew about the letters. Maybe if he told her about Piney, her self-preservation instinct might kick in and she might get the hell out of Charming before something bad happened to her. "Ain't the cartel that shot Piney. That's for sure."

"Shit," she cursed, raking a hand through his hair. Her mind reeling as she came to one simple conclusion. This was Clay. It was all Clay. From Tara's abduction attempt to Piney's murder. All over a small bundle of old letters. "What the hell is wrong with this club? They're supposed to be brothers!"

He chuckled at her outburst. He understood where her frustration came from. As much as the Sons emphasized their brotherhood and loyalty to the club, it didn't take much for them to turn on each other. "Where do you want me to start?"

Angela didn't see anything funny about it. She stared down at her feet, torn between the urge to cry and ram her fist into the truck's hood. Her hormones betrayed her though and a tear slid down her cheek. She wiped at it angrily, hoping Unser didn't see it. He hadn't, he was too busy lighting up his joint. He took a long drag before offering it to her. "No thanks," she muttered, holding up her hand in a "stop" position.

"You sure? Helps take the edge off a bit."

"I'm aware of that," she said on a nod. Weed had never been her go to drug of choice; that was Juice's thing. What she was really craving was a shot of tequila, but she wasn't dumb enough to give into that craving. She's read the studies and knew what alcohol could do to a growing baby.

He chuckled again. "Right. You got that weed shop downtown, huh? Place has good shit."

"We sure do," she agreed, trying her best to be friendly. She was sick of this stupid small talk and really just wanted to go somewhere and sit in peace for awhile to regroup. "This is gonna take an hour or two. I'm gonna head inside. Get some of the paperwork done. You good out here?"

Unser nodded, waving her off. "Go 'head. I'll wait."

* * *

><p>The timer on Angela's phone went off, signalling that the oven was ready to be turned off. With a heavy sigh, she pushed away from her desk and headed down the stairs to the crematorium. She got there just as Opie was yelling at Jax, only catching the tail end of their conversation before a loud shot rang out through the night. Instinctively, she ducked, though she knew the shot hadn't been aimed at her. It was one thing Happy had hammered into her head from a young age; you hear a gunshot, you get <em>down<em>. Getting back on her feet, she ran outside. Looking around the lot, she spotted Jax trying his best to start Unser's old truck, but the engine would not turn over. Everyone looked as though they were in one piece, thankfully. Not that she could say the same about Jax's bike.

Digging through her pockets, she pulled out her keys. "Jax!" she shouted, catching his attention.

He looked over at her, a wild, worried look in his eyes. Upon seeing her keys, he held out a hand. She tossed them at him, pointing over to the little Mazda. He caught them easily and sprinted towards her car, pulling out of the drive with a screech of the tires. She held her breath as she watched the taillights disappear, a bad feeling swirling around in the pit of her stomach. The little she'd heard of their conversation told her that Opie knew Clay was responsible for Piney's death. The man was out for blood now; Clay's. A sick part of her hoped Jax didn't get there in time to stop him. Clay needed to die. Like a lot.

* * *

><p>Angela finished preparing Piney's ashes before getting in the hearse. It was odd driving the incredibly fancy, incredibly slow car, but she didn't mind it. People tended to stay out of it's way. She was happy, excited even to get home, take a long, hot shower, and at least try to get some sleep. It'd be hard without Juice there, but with the day she was having, she figured she could manage it somehow. Her hopes were dashed when she turned onto her street and saw Mel's rent-a-car sitting in her driveway. The lights of her house were on inside which meant either Hap had told him where her key was, or he'd found it himself. "Shit," she cursed to herself. He was the last thing she wanted to deal with at the moment.<p>

Sucking in a deep breath, she headed up the walk and into the house. Mel was sitting on the couch, head in his hands, a picture in his hand. She could see the picture as she neared. It was one of him and Kozik on his graduation day, both of them with their matching grins spread across their faces. Her heart went out to him; he'd just lost the only person he had left in his blood family, and he obviously wasn't dealing with it well. "Hey Mel," she greeted, making him lift his head. His blue eyes were red tinged and watery, stubble had grown in on his usually clean shaven face. He looked exhausted. "You look like shit."

He smiled at her, shaking his head. "You've always had a way with words, Geela," he said on a scoff. Angela sat down next to him, keeping a considerable distance between them. The distance made him feel even worse. There'd once been a time where she was so comfortable with him, she'd lay down and put her feet in his lap or rest her head on his shoulder. Now, she wouldn't even touch him. "Do you hate me?"

"No," she answered, honestly. He wasn't her favorite person at the moment, but she could never hate him. "You said some awful stuff this morning, though."

"I know," he said, raking his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry. I just…losing Kozik and you in the same week is…tough. I don't know how to handle it."

Angela frowned, reaching out a hand and setting it on his back. "You didn't lose me, Melly," she assured him. "I'm right here."

"Yeah, with that stupid asshole," he said on a laugh. "God, Gee. You really know how to pick 'em, huh?"

She took her hand back. It was one thing to be nice to him when he was being nice, but she wasn't about to comfort him if he was going to trash talk Juice. "He's not an asshole. You attacked him. He defended himself. He's been doing his best to stay civil, and you keep antagonizing him."

"Big word, G," he commented on a smirk.

"Shut up, Melville," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I'm trying to lecture you here."

Mel smiled. He hated his full name, but he loved the way she said it. "I know. I get it. I'm an asshole. I just…Hap said you were pregnant and…it threw me. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Bit preoccupied," she answered, hinting at everything else that had gone on since they'd last seen each other.

"We talked on the phone just a few weeks ago. You couldn't have told me then?"

Angela sighed and raked a hand through her hair. "I hadn't told Juice yet. Wasn't about to tell you first."

"I never come first with you, do I?" he asked, his blue eyes pensive as they studied her face. "Even when we were together, you'd go to Hap and Koz first for everything. I hated that. I always felt like I had the bronze in your heart."

She smiled softly at the analogy. It wasn't true. She loved each men in her life differently. Juice may have won her heart, but she still loved Hap, Kozik, and Mel. That love was just different. "I'm sorry if you felt that way."

Mel shrugged a shoulder. "I don't even medal any more, do I?"

"Why do you think like that?" she asked, changing the subject, her tone frustrated. "Why are you obsessed with this…this _order_? You always have been. I don't get it. Life doesn't work that way, Mel! I don't make lists of who I love more like some eight year old kid. I love you all in different ways. That's all that should matter!"

"Because you're my number one, Gee!" he exclaimed, a little louder than he'd meant to. "Don't you get that? I've been…_waiting_ for you to come back to me. I applied for a fellowship in Sacramento to be closer to _you_ because I remember coming here and looking at this stupid town and thinking that it'd be a good place to start a family, raise kids, and I…I want that with you."

Angela blinked at him, truly speechless. She had never dreamed Mel's feelings for her went that deep. "It's not going to happen, Mel," she said, trying her best to break it to him easily. "I'm with Juice now. I'm having his _kid._"

He shook his head at her, laughing at himself. "I don't get what you see in him, Geela. I honestly don't. I can give you _everything_. Picket fence, a dog, hell, I'd raise his kid if that's what it took. I just…I want _you_, Gee."

"Raise his _kid_?" she exclaimed, standing up and stepping away from him. For some reason, the thought of that disgusted her. Did Mel really think it was that easy? That she'd just leave Juice because he suggested it? Leave him and take his child? What kind of woman did Mel think she was? "Are you crazy? I can't just _do _that to him! You think _he'd_ let you do that?"

"He wouldn't have a choice, G!" he replied, standing up with her. "You're the mother! I'm sure you have enough shit on him to get full custody!"

Her mouth hung open as she tried to process what he was saying. He'd been thinking about this way too much. "Jesus Christ! Are you serious, Mel? You really think I would do that?"

He reached for her hands, grabbing them with his own. To be honest, he'd known she wouldn't, but he had to try or else risk losing her forever. "Yes! It's what you deserve, Gee. We could have a family. I can give you _everything_. I can make you happy."

She pulled her hands away from his as though she'd been stung. "No, Mel! You can't!" she shouted, taking a step back. "_He_ makes me happy! He is great man, Mel. And I…I love him and he loves me."

"Oh does he? Where the hell is he now if he loves you so much, huh? Its pretty late. Shouldn't he be here?"

"He works too, asshole!"

"Right, with his band of brothers, huh? Probably out killing and torturing people! Very nice! Good environment for a _child_!"

"Shut up, Mel," she ground out, a warning in her tone.

"How can you love him, Geela?" he demanded. "You've seen what the club does to its members! Look at what happened to Kozik! What's happened to some of his brothers! The kidnapping, the killing! _That's_ the life you're bringing your kid into! Is that what you want? You or your _child_ being gunned down because of what daddy does?"

"No!" she shouted, her hands clenched into angry fists.

"Cause that's what's going to happen, Angela! That's what this life is about! Your cousin is a goddamn _assassin_, I would've thought you of all people would understand the fucking _danger_ you're putting yourself in! Your kid in! Are you stupid? Is that what you want for your kid? He'll be lucky if he lives long enough to see his eighteenth birthday!"

Angela's fist shot out, catching him in the cheek. Happy had taught her not to slap, that it was a pussy move. He'd always said that if someone fucked with her, the best thing to ward them off was a wicked right hook. "Fuck you! You don't know _shit _about this life, Mel!"

It wasn't the first time she'd punched him like that. Usually he saw it coming and ducked, but this time, he'd been too deep inside his own thoughts to notice. "Jesus, Gee! Are you crazy?" he asked, testing his split lip and grimacing when his fingers came away stained red with his blood.

"Are _you_?" she shouted back. Her went off, the Jimi Hendrix song filling the air. She clenched her jaw shut. The weed shop and all of its problems was the last thing she wanted to deal with at this moment. "Shit! What now?" she exclaimed, grabbing it out of her pocket and pressing it to her ear. She ignored Mel's dark look as she answered it. "Yeah?"

"Miss Angie, I hate to bother you," Beth started, her voice shaking slightly. "I just wanted to let you know the dispensary's been raided. They took in Doctor Simon and Mr. Hazer. Juice may be next if he's around."

"Shit." Angela pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried her best to keep calm. She knew the raid was a cover for Juice. Something to protect him and was glad for it, though it was sure to be a pain in her ass later. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but the place is a mess. They took the marijuana and asked for the deeds. Your name never came up though, so I think you're okay."

She raked a hand through her hair and sighed. Of course, her name didn't come up. Juice had made sure her name wasn't on any legal documents in case something like this happened. He wanted to keep her out of trouble. "Thanks, Beth. Just lock up and go home. I'll deal with it later."

With a final goodbye, she ended the call and took a seat on the couch. She put her head in her hands. Running a hand over her face as she tried to keep it together. "Damn it," she exclaimed, kicking out at the table. She tried her best to breathe, to keep the tears at bay but was finding it hard when she felt like the whole world was crashing down on her shoulders. Everything was falling apart. "Shit."

Mel sighed, sitting down on the couch next to her and rubbing a hand down her back. "It's all right."

She tensed under his touch, quickly standing up and backing away from him. After everything he had said, just looking at him made her skin crawl. He did not get to pull the friend card now. Not after all that bullshit. "Just...go home, Mel," she said, shaking her head at him. She was done with fighting, had lost all her steam. Her words sounded choked even to her own ears and the tears in her eyes were making everything blurry. "Leave me alone."

"Gee..." he started, but she shook her head at him, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Just go away! I don't need you!" she shouted, her hands shaking as she wiped at her eyes. She needed Juice or Kozik, someone who'd understand, who'd let her cry without having an ulterior motive. Both men were inaccessible to her now, and that made her feel even worse.

Mel stood, putting his hands in his pockets to keep him from reaching out to her. "Gee, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

"Go home, Mel," she interrupted, her voice sterner this time. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold it together. She hated herself for crying in front of him. For being so weak and vulnerable. If she'd been in a normal frame of mind, she would've been able to hold everything in and just breathe, but with her hormones in the state that they were in it was virtually impossible to do so. "Just go. Please."

He nodded once and headed for the door. He paused there to look back at her, his hand on the door knob. What he saw broke his heart. The way she was sitting, leaning forwards with her arms wrapped around torso made her look small and almost broken. Her hair hid her face from view, but he knew she was crying or at least about to. "I'm always here if you need me, Gee. I may be an asshole, but if you call me I'll come running. Just know that."

To his surprise, she nodded. "Okay," she whispered, the world barely audible.

"See you later then?"

"Maybe," she answered, wiping at her eyes again. Deep down, she knew there was no way she'd ever be able to completely cut Mel out of her life. They had too much history for that. He was a pain in the ass and a complete dick, but she loved him the same way she loved Kozik. Not any more or any less. He would always be the person she called when she needed advice that wasn't tainted by the club.

Without another word, he walked out of the house, gently closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, Angela sprinted back to her bathroom, throwing up the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Apparently, her morning sickness only kicked in when she was at her wit's end, though it could've also been a mixture of her caffeine withdrawal and the crazy range of emotions that had just torn through her system. She sat back on the cold tile of the bathroom floor feeling absolutely miserable. Things were going from bad to worse. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Sucking in a deep breath, she got to her feet and sat down on the bed, grabbing Juice's pillow and pressing her face into it. She needed him then, as she always did when she was feeling weak. Mel's words played through her head: _Where the hell is he now if he loves you so much?_ It wasn't fair of her to hold Juice's absence against him, it wasn't directly his fault after all, but waiting for him was starting to wear on her. She needed him, now more than ever, and where was he? Locked up in some cell, more for his own protection than anything else. Was this how she was going to raise her child? In a world where daddy only came home every once in awhile, and she'd have to explain where he was the rest of the time?

Angela closed her eyes and sighed, feeling terrible for the doubts that were filling her head. She loved Juice, and she knew he would do his best to be there for her and their child. It was just hard to feel reassured of it all when he wasn't there to ease her worry.

* * *

><p>The next morning, she called Bones to see if he'd give her a ride back over to TM, so she could pick up her car. He arrived in his shitty little '95 Volkswagen Jetta that had seen much better days. The thing still had a tape player and the sounds of Led Zeppelin filled the car further proof that Bones was the little brother she'd always wanted.<p>

"You're sad-mad," Bones stated, interrupting Angela's thoughts. "I can tell because you get all quiet and haven't once complained about how slow I'm going."

Angela raised her eyebrows and looked over at the speedometer. He was under the speed limit, something he knew drove her crazy. "Seriously, Boner. Can you at least go the speed limit?"

"See! Told ya. I was going ten a few minutes ago just to see if you'd notice," he answered on a laugh. He loved messing with his mentor like that. "What's goin' on?"

"Hormones," she said vaguely. "Sad-mad isn't a feeling, by the way."

He rolled his eyes at her. "It is when you're pregnant."

"What are you, the pregnancy guru? You're nineteen!"

Bones chuckled, shrugging a shoulder. "Just sayin'. How's the hearse run? I've wanted to drive that thing for weeks now, but Skeet won't let me near it. Said I can barely handle the van, why should he trust me with the hearse."

She was glad for the subject change. "It's bulky and slow. You'll love it, you damn turtle."

"You ever sleep in the back?"

Angela smirked. Back at the funeral home she'd worked at in Tacoma, she'd taken many naps in the back of a hearse to get away from her awful boss. With Skeeter, it wasn't really necessary. He didn't give a shit what she did as long as she finished her work on time. "Not here, but in Tacoma, yeah. All the time. Not the most comfortable place in the world, but its a great if you're avoiding your boss."

"Awesome. I'll keep that in mind," he said on a approving nod.

"You're going to go far in this industry, Boner," she commented. Most people would think sleeping in the back of a hearse was creepy, the fact that Boner seemed to think it was the coolest thing ever meant he was in the right field.

He grinned in response, hoping she was right. "Well with a teacher like you..." he started, turning into the TM parking lot and parking next to her little Mazda.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're such a brown noser," she said, smiling as she got out of the car.

"Eureka! There's that smile!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air triumphantly. "I knew I could get it outta ya!"

"Shut up and get back to work, Boner," she said, trying hard not to smile. In the five minute car ride from the funeral to TM, her young apprentice had successfully made her feel a hundred times better. She loved him for that. "Tell Skeeter I'll be over soon."

Boner nodded, starting up the engine again and driving out of TM at a painstakingly slow pace. She rolled her eyes at him as she slid into her car. Glancing over at the garage, she wasn't surprised to find it cordoned off with crime scene tape, blood on the ground. A message from Happy on her phone had told her what happened to Clay the night before. Apparently Opie's aim hadn't been as good as he'd hoped, though it had landed Clay in the ICU. A part of her wished Opie had aimed just a little better.

Happy's message had also given her specific instructions to meet them at the hospital as soon as she woke up, but she didn't want to. Waiting for someone you wished would die at a hospital was not something that sounded like fun at the moment. Instead, she decided to go to Tara's house since she needed someone to talk to, and she was sure Jax had said something about Piney to his fiance. She knocked on the door, not at all surprised when Phil opened it, shot gun in hand. "Hey Phil," she greeted, trying her best for a smile. "Tara in?"

"Hey Angie," he replied, grinning at her. "Yeah, yeah. Come in. The guys send you over? They're all about protecting you ladies."

Angela shook her head. "Nope. Just wanted to visit my friend. I get a bit more leniency. No crow," she answered, winking at him. It wasn't true, but as a prospect, Phil was still learning and if the lie meant that he wouldn't call Hap to let him know she was there, she was going to use it.

"You going to get one soon?" Phil asked, letting her in.

"We'll see," she said, grinning as she heard the sound of little feet heading down the hallway. Abel screamed her name as he headed towards her. Squatting down, she caught him easily in her arms. She stood, spinning him around and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Hey there, Abie baby! Where's Mama?"

"Room!" he shouted as she settled him on her hip. His little hands tugged on the chain around her neck until they found the dog tags hanging at the end of them. He 'oohed' and 'aahed' at them, his fingers rubbing over the lettering.

"Those are your Uncle Kozi's," she explained, smiling fondly at the little boy. "They're called dog tags."

"Woof, woof!" Abel exclaimed in response.

Angela laughed and nodded. "That right, Abie baby. Doggies go 'woof, woof'," she murmured, kissing his cheek before setting him down on his feet and watching him run off to his own room, all the while barking like a dog. She found Tara sitting in Thomas' bedroom, folding his clothes and putting them into a suitcase. "Hey T," she greeted, stepping into the warmly decorated room. She peered into the crib to find Thomas sleeping, his little fist in his mouth. "So you're really leaving then, huh?"

Tara nodded, watching as her friend sat down on the floor next to her and started helping to fold the clothes. "I'm going to try."

"Let me know if I can help," Angela offered, still helping her fold clothes.

For a moment, Tara felt a lump rise in her throat. Out of all the people involved with the club who knew she wanted to leave, Angela was the only one who'd offered to help her do so. "Thanks, Ang. I really…really appreciate it."

She shrugged, smiling at her. "Yeah, 'course. That's what friends are for, right?"

Tara nodded, exhaling a long breath as she tried to keep herself together. "Did you hear what happened to Piney?"

"Yeah. We burned him last night, after hours," Angela said softly. "Pretty messed up, huh?"

"You know it was about the letters right? All of this. My hand, Piney…just because I found some dingy old letters," she explained, her voice shaking. "Maybe you should come with us to Seattle. You could be next in line. Clay knows that you know. Something might already be in motion."

Angela sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Nah, he won't go after me. Not yet."

"What makes you say that?"

"The night of the garden party, Clay threatened me. Said if I told anyone about the letters, he'd turn in Juice or Hap," she answered, looking down at her hands. "I had nothing to gain or lose by showing those letters, so he gave me something to lose."

Tara's face fell as she tossed in another of Thomas' onesies with a little more force than usual. "Shit. I'm sorry, Angie. I never wanted this…any of this."

Angela shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "It's all right. I was never going to say anything anyway. This is your shit, _club_ shit…not mine."

"I told Gemma where the letters were. She says she'll give 'em to Clay, but I'm sure she'll take out the ones that dirty her name and give 'em to Jax. Use it as an incentive for him to kill Clay."

She winced in response. "Shit. Why would she want him to kill Clay? Doesn't she love him?"

"Have you seen her lately? The bruises on her face? Clay beat the crap out of her. She wants him gone and Jax at the head of the table," she said, still brutally tossing things into the suitcase. "It's her last attempt to keep him here, but I will _not_ let that happen."

Angela shook her head. She hadn't seen Gemma in a few days, but she'd seen the scratches and bruises on Clay's face a few nights before. "Do you really think you're going to get out, Tara? Is that even a possibility for Jax if Clay goes?"

Tara sighed, her jaw clenching as she looked up at Angela, a fire in her green eyes. "It is. It has to be. I have to believe that, Angie. For my own…my own _sanity_. He is going to kill Clay and then we're going to leave. Bobby can be president for all I care."

"Okay, okay. So say Jax kills Clay. How's he going to do it? Just waltz in and shoot him? That's more jail time, T. You don't want that."

She nodded in agreement, though she'd already been thinking of a way to do it. "Do blood thinners come out in autopsy?"

Angela thought about it for a minute before shrugging. "Not right away. It'll show up later in tox but…"

"If he dies in the hospital, they won't run tox," Tara finished off, the wheels in her head turning. "Right?"

"In most cases, they won't, but they'd have to already know his cause of death. If he just dies in the night then that's a problem. I mean, yeah, he could've succumbed to his injuries, but I heard he was doing better, so that wouldn't work too well," she explained, trying her best to align her thinking with Tara's. "Plus, blood thinners could take days, right? You don't have that kind of time."

"Not if his chest tube comes out. He'd drown in his own blood. The blood thinner would just accelerate the process."

"And he could accidentally pull out his own tube. Happens all the time," Angela filled in. "And that's a reasonable cause of death. No tox needed."

Tara nodded emphatically. "I could get a blood thinner. Easy. Jax could pull the tube next time he visits. No one needs to know."

"Shit, T. You really want to do this? Jax goes through with it and someone finds out, you could go to jail. _Both_ of you!"

"It's the only somewhat clean way out of this mess," she said on a sigh.

Angela sat back with a sigh as she played nervously with her rings. "Goddamn," she said on a breath, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe they'd both just mapped out how to commit murder. Right there in Thomas' room. "This is crazy. We are conspiring to _kill_ someone, Tara."

"You're not a part of this," Tara corrected quickly. "I won't let this blow back on you; I've already put you through enough."

"No way I could be tied to it anyway," she assured her on a shrug. "No one knows this conversation even happened. 'cept Thomas."

Tara laughed, looking over her shoulder at where her son was resting peacefully in his crib. "Not sure he'd be much of a witness."

She grinned in response. "I don't know, T. It's the quiet ones you have to look out for," she teased.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Angela's vibrated loudly from her pocket. She pulled it out, grimacing at the blocked number that flashed across the screen. "Shit. It's Hap. It's like he can sense we're plotting a murder and wants in," she said rolling her eyes. "Weirdo."

"Ang, you can't…"

"I know, I know. I was kiddin'," she said rolling her eyes at her friend as she stood. "I do have to go though. Have a good trip. Keep in touch."

Tara nodded, standing up to hug the undertaker as best she could with her bum arm. "Yeah, of course. I'm sure Abel will want to call to talk to his favorite Aunt."

Angela grinned at the title. "You got my number. Call me anytime."

"Thanks," she replied on a sigh. "For everything."

"Don't thank me. We're Daughters of Disorder, right? If you can't plot a murder with me, who else can you do it with?" Angela joked, winking at her friend. "Love you, T. Stay safe, all right?"

Tara smiled back at her. She'd had to ask Gemma and Jax to say it, but Angela had just told her straight out. It was nice to have someone like that in her life. Someone who understood the extremes this life took her to, who didn't judge her for wanting to kill Clay. Angela was her closest ally at the moment, and she was grateful for that. "You too, Ang."

* * *

><p>Juice stared straight ahead at the tiny television screen, the lumpy pillow clutched to his chest. His cell was colder than he'd have liked it so he tried to keep his body curled into a ball to keep somewhat warm. The cell wasn't unlike the prison cell he'd spent fourteen months in. It did have a shower though and a television set that got cable which was nice. The padding of the little shelf bed was a little comfier too, but it wasn't like the bed he had at home and the pillow in his arms was a poor substitute for the girl he knew was waiting for him. His girl and his baby.<p>

He was going to be a father. The idea of that was alien to him. He'd never had a real father. His own had left a few weeks after he was born only to return to bite him in the ass twenty-eight years later in the form of a simple photograph. The only father figures he had were the mobsters back in New York and the older MC members. All of them dangerous men with skewed moral compasses. How could he be a father when he wasn't even sure what that entailed?

The kid wasn't even born yet, and he was letting it down by sitting there locked up in the cell instead of being with Angela, helping her through this rough patch. The shit just kept piling up, falling down on her shoulders, and most of it was his shit too. All the stuff with Miles and Roosevelt plus losing Kozik had broken her. He had seen it the second she realized who the arm in the box belonged to. She was falling apart, and he couldn't do anything to help her because he was stuck there in government holding.

And how was he going to explain this to his brothers once he was out? They'd know he was the rat. The one who had brought the government down on their heads. Why else wouldn't he have been at the meet as expected? They'd find out and they'd kill him and all this worrying about being a father would be for naught. He'd be lucky if he could talk his way into holding off his own execution until the baby was born. It'd be an unprecedented action for the club to take, but a few of his brothers might go for it. More than one had a soft spot for his Old Lady and her baked goods. He wouldn't count on Happy being a part of that, though. A rat was a rat to the Tacoma killer regardless of how his cousin felt.

Juice tilted his head back against the cold cement wall behind him. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. That somehow he'd make it out of there without his brothers finding out where he'd been, what he'd done. Maybe he'd jump charters then. Move Angela and the kid somewhere safer where they could live in relative peace. He could join up with the Anchorage crew since he heard his Alaskan brothers were pretty low key. He didn't mind freezing his ass off it meant his family was safe. He was willing to bet Angela might not like the idea too much. He'd find a way to convince her, and if not, he was sure they could find somewhere else. The Sons had charters all around the world, she was bound to like _some_ location.

Truth be told, he didn't want to leave Charming. It was where his family was. The members of SAMCRO were as close to a family as he ever had and it hurt him to think he'd have to leave them behind because of his own stupid mistake. He wanted his kid to grow up playing in the bays of TM, trying to decipher Chibs' accent as the Scot told one of his tall tales, learning how to shoot a gun from Hap, going to Gemma's big family dinners, and playing with Abel and Thomas in the little playground the prospect's had built for the SAMCRO kids awhile back. He wanted his kid to have a big family filled with love and laughter. That was the life he'd always wanted when he was growing up, and he'd be damned if he was going to let assholes like Roosevelt and Potter take that away from his kid. Swallowing hard, he glanced at the ceiling and, for the second time in months, he prayed that life would get better. That he'd get himself out of this mess and his child would live his or her life surrounded by the big SAMCRO family, safe from harm, and above all, happy.

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><p><strong>Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think! :)<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	54. Promises

**Thank you so much for sticking with me! I'm sorry for my slow updates! There's just so much I want to add and I never know where to cut it off!**

**I just saw Maroon 5 Thursday night and since their music has inspired a lot of these chapters, I came home and finished off this chapter and half of the next! :) **

**THANKS so much to everyone who took the time to review! I know I PM'ed most of you but thanks also to those who left unsigned reviews: _WapahaniRaiders _**_(That is awesome!)_ &_ **Kylie **(So glad you like it! As for your idea, all I can say is it seems great minds think alike. ;) I'm _terrible_ at writing smut. Just awful. Even attempting it makes me giggle because its just so terrible. There are so many good smut writers on this site and I just can't compare. Sorry! I've been trying to put a little more, but its a little hard. ;])._

**This chapter takes place during Season 4, Episode 14: "To Be, Act 2"**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Mel**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 54: Promises_

_By Love Ink_

Angela knelt in front of the white headstone, a beautiful bouquet of fresh white roses and blue daisies in hand. She set the flowers down in front of the stone, running her hands over the soft, newly laid grass underneath her. "Hey Kozi," she breathed, reaching a hand out to brush her fingers over the dark lettering that spelled out his full name. There were supposed to be more people there, it was _supposed_ to be a proper memorial service, but so far, she was the only one there. "You got prime real estate here. Right in the sunshine like you like, lemonhead."

She sighed looking around to see if someone else was coming. The cemetery was empty though. Totally empty. "Sorry about the turnout. Guess your club brothers were busy and I punched your real brother last night, so he's probably avoiding me. You know how he is. Weirdo."

"I love you, Kozi," she said, looking at the silver Reaper inlaid into the white marble. Tears slowly slid down her cheeks, but she did nothing to wipe them away. Koz never cared if she cried. Unlike Happy, he understood. "And I miss you so incredibly much. I wish...I wish you'd be around to meet the baby, Koz. I know she...he...whatever...would love you. But I'll tell them about you. All your stupid stories and fish analogies. They'll love 'em."

She sat there for a few more minutes, memories going through her head on repeat. They'd both known he was going to be the first to go. He was older than her, had been a hardcore addict, and put himself into dangerous situations on a daily basis. But knowing it was going to happen and having it actually happen were two different things. She'd never thought it'd be so hard to lose him. They spent so much of their lives apart anyway; she figured it she'd just move on. It wasn't that easy. The thought that she couldn't call him when she needed advice or someone to listen to her made her cry all over again. He'd been her 'go to' person since she was eighteen. They'd been through drug addictions, break ups, moves, and all sorts of dangerous situations together. She still couldn't believe he was gone.

"Nice stone," a familiar voice said from behind her. She craned her head back to find Mel standing above her, a sad smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of nicely tailored jeans and a light blue button down dress shirt unbuttoned just enough to show the white undershirt underneath. His hair was neatly styled, face freshly shaven to the point where she could see the dark bruise she'd inflicted on his face. This was the put together Mel she was used to. He didn't sit, instead holding out a hand to help her up. She didn't take it, just looked back at the stone, ignoring him. "You still mad?"

"You still an asshole?" she countered, her jaw clenched tightly.

Mel smirked, he knew that was coming. He couldn't count how many times she'd called him an asshole throughout their whole relationship. It didn't bother him much anymore. "Look, Gee, I'm sorry. I don't know him or how he is with you. I just lost my head for a minute. It won't happen again."

"You need to lay off, Mel. We're not in Tacoma anymore. Me and you...that's never going to happen," she said bluntly. "I don't know how many times I have to say that before it gets through."

"I'm going to do my best, all right? No promises," he said on a breath. His eyes fell on the tombstone in front of them. "Just like you said, bro. She's been caught. Hook, line, and sinker."

Angela laughed, the first real life she'd let out in awhile. She could honestly see Kozik saying something like that, completely serious about it too. "Koz and his fishy crap. What is that about?"

"He told you about the fish?" Mel asked, finally taking a seat next to her in the grass. "Did he say you don't need a fish, you need an octopus?"

"Octopus?" she repeated, her nose wrinkled in distaste.

Mel nodded emphatically. "Because, apparently, they're really smart and pretty. Why? What'd he say to you?"

"Said I needed a damn shark because I'm a pain in the ass and only a shark is tough enough to put up with my crap," she said rolling her eyes. She sniffled, wiping at her nose as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "Obviously we both need different things."

He sighed, digging in his pocket and handing her a miniature pack of tissues. "Obviously," he scoffed, watching her as she took the tissue and wiped at her nose. He wasn't so sure that was true, but he didn't want to say so. He'd already dug himself a pretty deep shit hole with what he'd said to her earlier, he didn't need to make it any deeper. "Sorry for being such a dick, Gee."

"You said that already," she pointed out, surprising him by leaning her head against his shoulder. She honestly just needed the contact, needed to know someone was there. With Juice in holding and Kozik gone, she felt so lonely that it was nice to have someone else there. Someone who understood her pain.

Mel shrugged a shoulder. "It merits repeating," he said on a sigh. He wanted to put his arm around her but stopped himself. She'd willing made contact, and he knew trying to pull her in closer would only push her father away.

They were silent for a moment before she spoke. "You gonna disappear on me, Mel?" she asked, a hint of worry in her tone. "I mean, I'd understand if you had to but…"

"I'm still taking the position in Sacramento. It's a good program, and I could learn a lot there so no, I'm not disappearing," he answered on a small smile. He liked that she wanted him to stick around, that the idea that he might disappear worried her. "Maybe I'll make friends with your idiot or something. We can go fishing. Hap can come too."

Angela snorted at that idea. Happy didn't do boats unless he was dumping a body. They were too claustrophobic for his taste, not that he'd ever admit it. Juice, on the other hand, would not be able to sit still enough to catch anything. She had visions of him jumping to his feet in excitement as he caught something, the boat flipping with his movement. "Good luck with that."

"You don't think we can be friends?"

She rolled her eyes. The concept of Juice and Mel ever being friends seemed a little far-fetched. Juice would never trust him enough for that bond to form, and she really couldn't blame him. "No, no I don't," she said on a laugh. "Do _you_?"

"Not really, no," he replied honestly. They were silent for a moment before he sucked in a long breath. "I'm going to ask you something that may or may not piss you off."

Angela grimaced at the statement before sighing. "What?"

"In another life…one where this guy didn't exist…you think we would be together?"

The answer to that one was easy, but she knew where it would lead. It'd give him hope, something to hold onto and that was something she didn't want to do. In another world, another time, they might be able to be together, but they'd never be truly happy. They were too different for that. She'd realized that when they'd been dating. He wanted to change little things about her that she just didn't want to change. "No, I don't think so. You need that octopus, Melly. Not me. I'm…I'm like whatever eats the octopus. We'd end up killing each other. We're meant to be friends, siblings. _That's_ how we work well together. Not the other way."

Mel knew she was lying and was silently glad for it. Turning his head, he placed a kiss to the top of her head. "Whatever you say, Gee."

She lifted her head from his shoulder, scooting away to put some space in between them. At one point in their lives, they'd been okay giving each other little kisses like that, but after hearing him berate Juice and offer to raise his child, she wasn't so comfortable with the action anymore. It almost felt like a betrayal to Juice, though she'd done nothing wrong. A hurt look flickered across his face, but he didn't say anything, just turned his head back to the headstone. "Mel..." she started but was interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone. She pulled it out, getting to her feet as she answered the call. "Angela Ruiz."

"Ms. Ruiz. It's Lieutenant Roosevelt. I just wanted to let you know I'm on my way to release Mr. Ortiz from holding. I suggest you come to pick him up. I'd hate for him to show up on your doorstep in a cop car."

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Juice was coming home. Everything was going to be okay. "Thank you, sir. I'll be right there," she said on a quick breath before hitting the end button. She glanced down at Mel who was staring ahead at the white stone obviously in deep thought. "I've got to go pick something up."

He looked up at her, squinting in the sunlight. "All right. I'm headed back to San Diego tomorrow. Is it all right if I swing by to see you before I go?"

Angela hesitated briefly. Was it all right? Juice would be home then. If Mel said anything remotely similar to what he'd said the night before, she couldn't guarantee that Juice wouldn't beat the shit out of him...and she couldn't guarantee that she'd stop him. At Mel's downtrodden look, she softened a bit. "Of course it is, Melly. See you tomorrow," she said, squeezing his shoulder briefly before heading out.

Mel watched her go before heaving a long sigh. He looked at the headstone and shook his head. "I can't let her go, Hermy. I just can't do it. I don't give a shit what you say. She _is_ my octopus."

* * *

><p>Eli Roosevelt watched as Juice hooked his wallet chain onto one of his belt loops before tucking the wallet in his pocket. All the while his eyes kept flitting to the window that over looked the parking lot, his shoulders tensed. He'd assured him that he'd gotten a hold of Angela and she was on her way, but he obviously didn't believe him. Roosevelt watched as he took special care in shining one ring in particular; a heavy looking ring with wings and SAMCRO stamped across it. His best guess was the ring was from Angela which would account for the way he gingerly slid it on his finger, his thumb rubbing over one of the wings on the side. A dark silver Mazda pulled up in front of the building and the young man's shoulders relaxed, the smallest hint of a small appearing on his face. He thought briefly that maybe Juice had doubted she was going to come. Maybe their relationship wasn't as strong as he'd thought. "You didn't thinks he'd show?" Roosevelt asked him, eyebrows raised.<p>

Juice shook his head. He never doubted Angela, not for a second. The mere knowledge that she was close helped alleviate the pressure he'd been feeling on his shoulders. His girl was there, everything was going to be okay. "She always shows," he said, his voice holding anger and annoyance that had nothing to do with Angela but everything to do with the bald policeman in front of him. "Can I go now?"

"Go right ahead," he answered on a nod. "Enjoy your day."

With one last glare, Juice turned and headed towards the exit moving as fast as he possibly could without running. He practically ran into Angela as he opened the front door. She took a step back, allowing him to get completely out of the building, the heavy metal door shutting behind him with a loud _clang_. And then she was wrapped up in his arms, every inch of her body pressed tightly against his. He buried his face into her neck, inhaling her warm scent. After only having the pillow to hold onto for the past two nights, it felt good to have her in his arms, holding him back. She clung to him tightly, her hands smoothing over the back of his head. "Missed you," she whispered, kissing the side of his head.

"Missed you too," he replied, his words muffled by her skin. He pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck before pulling away, just enough to see her face. He brushed a stray hair from her cheek, his fingers curling around the back of her neck. "You look tired, baby."

"I'm exhausted," she admitted, sighing and leaning into his chest, her head tucked under his chin. "There's just too much going on."

Juice nodded in understanding, one hand smoothing over her soft hair and down her back before coming to rest lightly on her ass. "Want me to drive?"

Despite the fact that she loved driving, especially her car, she nodded. She really was thoroughly exhausted. It'd been easy to stay awake when she was on pins and needles waiting for Juice to come home. Now that he was there and safe, she felt the heavy cloud of fatigue fell on her shoulders. She wasn't sure if she could keep her eyes the whole drive home. "Please," she answered around a yawn as she handed him the keys.

He held the passenger's side door open for her, handing her the folder Roosevelt had given him before heading to the driver's side. As he adjusted the seat to fit him, he noticed her looking curiously at the folder, though she hadn't opened it yet. He knew she wouldn't open it unless he told her to; she wasn't nosy like that. It wasn't that he didn't want her to see his file, he just didn't want to explain it to her quite yet. He pulled out of the parking lot slowly, rolling down the windows as he picked up speed on the freeway.

Angela loved watching him drive almost as much as she loved riding on the back of his motorcycle. He always looked so sexy with his one hand on the wheel, his muscles outlined by the sun streaming in through the open window. His other hand was free to either move around as he talked or to hold hers as they drove. At the moment, he'd taken her hand in his, loosely entwining his fingers with hers. Despite being the badass bike that he was, he liked holding her hand and did it often. He always seemed to be touching her in one way or another when they were together. Sometimes it was innocent like holding hands or an arm draped across her shoulders. When he could get away with it, it was a bit more naughty. She couldn't count how many times Happy had smacked him for putting his hand in the back pocket of her jeans, or her personal favorite, dipping his fingers under the waistline of her jeans to see what underwear she was wearing. She didn't mind any of these. In fact, she craved them. The feel of his hands on any part of her body was like a drug, and she was a complete addict.

"What'd I miss?" he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

She sighed lengthily, running a hand through her hair. "Koz's memorial was today and no one but Mel came, Clear Passages was raided to give you a cover story, and Clay was shot in the chest last night," she told him on a single breath. "That's about it."

He grimaced, cursing softly under his breath; he'd missed a lot. "Clay all right?"

"Yeah. Doctors say he'll live," she replied, frowning. That hadn't been the outcome she'd wanted. When it came down to it, she held Clay responsible for Kozik's death. After all, he'd been told to protect the President. For that as well as a long laundry list of other things, she decided it was totally fine by her if he died. Especially if it was Opie who killed him.

"We know who did it?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not exactly privy to that information," she answered vaguely. It wasn't exactly a lie. Had she not been at the funeral home, she wouldn't have known, and no club member would ever tell her. She kept that secret to herself to protect Opie more than anyone. He needed someone to look after him since everyone else didn't seem to care.

He let out a long breath and nodded. "Right. Doc and Haze pissed about the raid?"

"Nope. Doc headed to his place in Tahoe for the weekend and Hazer went down to visit family in Marin. DA didn't arrest 'em, just made it look like they did," she answered, shrugging again. Like his brothers, he didn't seem to care about missing Kozik's memorial or what it meant to her. She had to admit, she was disappointed in him for that. He knew how much Koz meant to her, and she'd thought he'd be a little more sympathetic. "Scared Beth a bit though. She called me in a panic."

"Got to make it look real, otherwise the club won't buy it," Juice explained, distractedly. "They didn't bother you, right?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I wouldn't even have heard of it if Beth hadn't called."

"Good," he said, relieved that his careful paperwork had kept her safe. She was quiet for a few moment, lost in her own thoughts as she stared out the open window, wind whipping her hair into her face. He squeezed her hand, catching her attention. "How have _you_ been?"

"Fine," she lied. She didn't feel like telling him about the turmoil she'd gone through in his absence. The sleepless nights, crying over Koz, losing Piney, fighting with Mel. Those were all things that would just make him worry. She could handle it all on her own. "My first doctor's appointment is tomorrow."

He smiled slightly and nodded. "I know. I was worried I wouldn't get out in time," he admitted. "My little sea monkey treating you better?"

"Mmm," she hummed indifferently. She stared back out at the scenery, still a little hurt that he hadn't asked about Kozik. Closing her eyes, she tried to let the sound of the wind blowing in her ears drown out the painful thoughts going through her head, but it wasn't helping much. Juice had just gotten out of holding to learn that his club president had been shot and his store had been raided. Obviously those were more pressing matters than a ceremony he'd missed only because he was locked away. A part of her wondered if he'd have missed it anyway like the rest of his brothers.

She was quiet, too quiet, Juice decided as he turned his eyes back to the road. Though she was never a chatterbox, she usually started up some kind of conversation or asked him a question to get him talking. The fact that she hadn't actually answered his last question told him there was something she was holding back. Her simple answers were a tell tale sign she was holding something back. "Say it, Angel. Whatever it is you're keeping in, say it."

A small smile turned up the corner of her lips as she looked down at his hand that was still holding hers. He knew her too well. "Koz's memorial was today. Mel was the only one that came," she repeated.

"Shit," he cursed, feeling incredibly guilty. He'd heard her say it the first time and had meant to apologize for it but had been distracted with the new information about Clay and the shop. No wonder she'd been so quiet; she probably thought he didn't care. "I'm sorry, Angel. I would've been there if I could've."

She tried for a smile but failed miserably. "I know," she breathed, swallowing hard at the lump that was rising in her throat. She hated these damn pregnancy hormones that had her crying at the drop of a hat. "I don't know why I expected there to be more of your brothers or at least Hap or someone. I don't know. It just felt…wrong."

"I'm sure this thing with Clay threw them all off, baby," he assured her, squeezing her hand again. He also knew the Irish meet had been set for that morning which meant most, if not all, of his brothers would be there. Koz's stone would always be there to visit, the meet with the Irish was a bit harder to reschedule. "Had nothin' to do with Koz."

"I know. I don't know what I was expecting anyway," she said on a laugh as she wiped away a tear that had escaped her hold. "I just…I see so many funerals that are packed with people who hated the person that died. I mean, _despised_. It's surprising what people will say once you're dead. I thought Koz's would be crowded with people who loved him, you know? He was a great friend, a good brother. He deserved that."

Juice nodded in agreement. "Sounds like the people he loved the most were there, Angel. You and Mel," he said, squeezing her hand as another tear slid down her cheek. "We all had a drink for him the day he died. That's how we usually say goodbye. Everything else is just extra. It's rare that we do up something big because it's a risk. Getting all of us together in one place is dangerous. I mean…look what happened at Sack's wake. Rivals see us vulnerable and take advantage."

Angela sighed, relieved by his words. She brought his hand to her lips to dot kisses across his knuckles in a silent thank you. She hadn't thought of it that way before. What had happened at Half-Sack's wake had been awful. Three innocent people had been left dead in the streets. She understood why the Sons wouldn't want to do something like that again. The anger and frustration that had been swirling around her head for days eased, and she felt she could breathe just a little easier. "Didn't think about that," she said smiling sheepishly at him. The way he eased her worry reminded her of just how lucky she was to have him in her life...which reminded her of why she'd gotten so mad at Mel for all the crap he'd said the night before. "I punched Mel last night."

At his curious look, she elaborated. "He was being an ass. Saying all sorts of shit, and I couldn't take it anymore so I punched him to get him to shut up."

"That's my girl," he said, pride in his voice. He took his eyes off the road to briefly glance down at her right hand. Her knuckles looked a bit bruised, nothing too serious. He was more worried about how it would affect her wrist. She never said a word about it, but he knew it bothered her sometimes. Every so often, he'd catching her flexing her fingers or rolling her wrist as if she was trying relieve the pain. "Your wrist okay?"

"I'll survive," she answered on a shrug. Yeah, punching Mel had done a number on her wrist, but it was worth it if it got the point across. Nothing a little ice and ibuprofen couldn't cure anyway. "He apologized for it this morning. Said he wanted to be friends with you."

Juice didn't like the idea of that too much, but if it made Angela happy, he was willing to give it a shot. "That what you want?"

"It doesn't matter what I want," she said on a laugh. "I can't make you be friends with anyone. He'll always be my friend and yeah, it'd be easier if you two liked each other, but I don't expect it. I'm not going to force anything on you. Just…be civil."

He wasn't at all surprised by her answer. Angela was never one to make him do things or order him around. Sometimes, she'd suggest something, but it was always up to him. Its one of the things he liked most about her. She gave him space to do what he wanted, and he did the same. "I can do that. He sticking around much longer?"

"He's moving to Sacramento," he said, watching as his jaw clenched briefly.

"For you?"

"For a job," she corrected, though she knew Juice was right in a way. "A fellowship at a hospital."

Juice shook his head. That was bullshit. He'd seen Kozik kick a brother's ass in the ring to win over a chick. If Mel was anything like his older brother, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. "I don't believe that."

Angela shrugged a shoulder; he could believe whatever he wanted to. It wouldn't make Mel change his mind. "Does it matter?"

"Does it?" he asked right back.

"No," she said on a scowl. She unlaced her hand from his and pressed it to her lower stomach. "This is your baby. Our baby. Its going to be you, me, and this little monkey for the rest of our lives. Mel can move next door for all I care and it wouldn't mean anything except that we had one hell of a babysitter to watch our kid while we practice making more."

Juice grinned at her, flexing his fingers against her belly and making her smile. "I like the sound of that," he admitted, pulling into the driveway of their house. "Home sweet home."

She handed him the folder as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. He tucked it gingerly under his arm before he got out of the car. "Do you have to go to the clubhouse?" she asked, smiling as his arm slid around her waist, his fingers dipping under the waist of her jeans.

"Not yet," he said pulling her into his side and pressing a kiss to her temple. He moved to stand behind her as she opened the door, pressing himself up against her so she could feel just how much he wanted her. His lips made a trail down the soft skin of her neck, making her shiver in delight. "Thought we could get some practice in now while we don't have to worry about our little monkey."

"I like the sound of that." She turned in his arms, grabbing his hands with her own and pulling him into the house. Once the door was closed, he grabbed her thighs, lifting her up so that she could hook her legs around his hips. She laughed as she draped her arms over her shoulders, dipping her head to press a smacking kiss to his lips. "You know I love you, right?"

He squeezed her ass in response, grinning up at her. His folder slid to the ground, forgotten, just as it had been "forgotten" from the government record. As far as he knew he was free, and it felt so good. She laughed again, throwing her head back as he walked them back to their bedroom, his nose buried in her chest. How he managed to walk there blindly, without hitting anything, she'd never know, but he did so just fine. He laid her down on the bed, his eyes raking over her body appraisingly."Love you too, sexy lady."

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><p>Angela smiled when she heard the blender whirring. It wasn't an unusual sound by any means; Juice loved to make his own healthy smoothies. To be honest, she loved that sound; it meant her man was home which was rare nowadays. After going at it for a few hours, he'd gotten out of bed, said he needed replenish his energy and promised he'd be back with a cup of coffee for her. Now she sat with her back against the headboard, flipping through the latest Victoria's Secret catalog while she waited for him to get back. The catalog was covered in big red circles; Juice's suggestions for what to buy next, he'd even gone so far as to circle which colors he thought would look best on her.<p>

After a few minutes, he walked in with two matching glasses of some kind of green shake, the folder he'd brought back with him from the station tucked under his arm. Angela wrinkled her nose at the color of the shake. "That's not coffee," she said, eyeing the glass warily as she set down the catalog.

"Nope," he said, putting one glass on the bedside table and extending the other one for her to take. "Health shake."

She took it hesitantly, looking over the rim of the glass and smelling it. She wrinkled her nose. "It smells like grass."

"It's got wheat grass in it," he replied on a shrug. "Just try it. It's got all your pregnancy needs. Vitamins A through C, Folic acid, Zinc, Riboflavin, Thiamin."

"And you have the same one?"

He nodded, shrugging. "Vitamins are vitamins. It's good! Try it," he coaxed, taking a sip himself. It wasn't the best shake he'd ever made, but it tasted fine. Her eyes studied the glass, a hesitant look on her face. "It's not going to bite. Just try it."

Angela took a deep breath and put the glass to her lips. She took a small sip and wrinkled her nose. "Juice, I love you, and I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but this is gross," she said, too put off by the grainy texture to drink more. "How much vitamin powder did you put in this thing? It's like drinking sand."

"It's not that bad. Plus, it's good for you and the sea monkey," he insisted, taking a big gulp of his own to prove his point. He pulled a face at the grittiness of it, maybe he _had_ been a bit heavy handed with the powder. "Yeah, its pretty bad. Next time I'll add more juice. It'll be less sandy."

"You know I love my Juice," she teased, watching in mild amusement as the double meaning slowly dawned on him.

He smirked. "I see what you did there," he said, kissing her cheek. He leaned his back against the headboard, sighing as he looked at the folder in his lap, thumbing the edge. "The reason you hit Mel…it was because of me, right? He doesn't think I'm good enough?"

Angela could hear the insecurity in his voice and frowned. When was he going to get over this? How many times did she have to tell him she didn't want Mel before he got it through his thick skull? "Mel's a dumbass," she said on a scoff.

Juice nodded in agreement, still looking at the folder in his hands. "He's a doctor."

"Yeah. So?"

"I'm not. I'm a criminal, Angel. I got a record," he replied, his fingers rubbing over the embossed insignia on the folder. "This is everything I've done. Sheriff said the DA purged the information about my dad's been purged."

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"He has no leverage over me anymore," Juice said on a sigh. "I'm clear. There's no record of what I did except this file right here."

Angela smiled up at him, a sense of relief filling her. It was all over. Finally, they'd be able to have some peace without worrying when Roosevelt was going to drop in next to fuck things up. "Really?"

He nodded, a small smile gracing his face at the excitement in her voice. "I want you to read it," he said, handing it over to her. At her curious glance, he sighed again. "I'm no doctor. Hell, I barely got my GED. While you were goin' to college and gettin' your shit together, _this_ is what I was doin'. This is the kind of example your kid will have to follow."

"Juice…" she started, but he shook his head cutting her off.

"I just want you to read it, Angel. Please," he insisted, sighing as he swung his legs off of the bed. "I'm going to...get some air"

She watched him with worried eyes as he pulled on his boxers and walked across the bedroom, disappearing out the door. The sound of the back door opening and closing told her he went to toke up. He'd been being more conscious about not doing it around her since he found out she was pregnant.

Sighing, she flipped open the file. The first thing she was met with was an old picture of an African American man standing in front of some type of oven. It had to be Juice's father. The smile on his face was eerily similar to Juice's. This was the picture that had been wreaking havoc on their lives for the past couple of weeks. She wondered if the man in the picture even knew about his son, about the strong man Juice had become without him.

On the other side of the file was Juice's mug shot, more recent than the one hanging on the walls of the clubhouse. His chin was lifted just a bit as if he was trying too hard to appear tougher than usual. She smirked at the picture, her fingers tracing over his face. This was not the man she was familiar with, the goofy guy who slipped Star Wars references into their daily conversations. She loved this tough side of Juice too; loved that he could be dangerous when he wanted to be, that she felt safe when she was with him. He'd proved more than once that he had what it took to protect her.

The rest was just a laundry list of arrests and convictions. Ten days for vandalism, thirty for illegal use of a motor vehicle, six months for hacking and identity theft, and the most recent, fourteen months for federal automatic weapons charges. She closed the file and tossed it aside wondering what about it had bothered him so much. Happy's record was a lot longer and a lot scarier than any of Juice's charges. Did he really think he was going to scare her off with hacking and identity theft charges? She was more impressed by those than anything. It took skill to hack into something well enough to earn six months of jail time for it. It was further proof that Juice wasn't the idiot that everyone took him to be. There were some serious brains between those two lightning bolt tattoos.

Juice sat on one of the two big, wooden Adirondack chairs out in the back yard, a joint pressed between his thumb and forefinger. He sucked in a toke, holding the smoke in his lungs as he flicked some ash off into the tray that was conveniently set on the large arm of the chair. His thoughts were on the events of the past couple of hours. Technically, he was free. His record had been purged, there was no physical proof that he'd helped the feds, but a part of him knew that just because he had the file in his hands, didn't mean what he did couldn't come back to bite him in the ass. Roosevelt still knew he had ratted out his club and that information was just as dangerous as the file itself.

As if that stress wasn't enough, Mel's presence was driving him insane. He'd never encountered that kind of jealousy over anyone. He hated to think Mel had been alone with Angela, probably using every weapon in his arsenal to try and win her back. He had a strong case too. He was a fucking _doctor_, after all. He could give her the comfortable, happy life she deserved. If Mel was offering her a way out, a life away from the club, how could he compete with that? He wouldn't blame her at all if she took it.

He exhaled the smoke as he shook his head. That idea in itself scared him. He didn't want to lose her. Didn't want to lose the family that was just within his reach. He knew it was selfish to want her there with him, that it might hurt her in the long run, but he couldn't lose her. She was a big part of his life now, the _best _part of his life. He'd never loved anyone the way he loved Angela. It was an easy kind of love that came naturally, like they were meant to be together. Losing her would be like losing a piece of himself.

He set the joint down in the ashtray and ran his hands over his head, feeling the prickliness of his scalp on either side. The day and a half he'd spent away from home had left him all out of sorts mentally and physically. He needed a break, some time away from Charming. Maybe once this was all over with, he'd ask for a week off and take her on a trip somewhere. He knew she needed the escape as much as he did what with all she'd had to go through. That is…if she stuck around after reading that damn file.

He was so wrapped up in how own thoughts, he didn't hear the door open, didn't know she'd joined him until he felt her warm hand rubbing circles on his back. He lifted his head to find her perched on the arm of the chair dressed in his big black hoodie as she usually did when she didn't want to bother with changing into normal clothes. Her dark eyes glittered in the light of the fading sun as they regarded him with an curious look. "You read it?" he asked, looking up at her.

"I skimmed through it," Angela admitted on a shrug. "I don't understand why you wanted me to read it so badly, goof. Doesn't change anything."

"I'm a criminal, Angel."

"I know. I visited you in jail, remember?" she reminded him. He didn't look too pleased with that statement, if anything it seemed to make him feel worse. She rolled her eyes in response, leaning forward so her forehead touched his. "I love _you_, Juice. I don't care about your past. All that file tells me is that you are an insanely good hacker which means our kid is going to be smart as hell just like his old man."

The smallest hint of a smile traipsed across his face. Her reassurance was just what he needed to hear. It was obvious she'd known exactly what he'd been getting at when he asked her to look over his file and, like always, she'd found the perfect words to say to make him feel better. He slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her down gently so she was sitting sideways across his lap, her legs draped over the arm of the chair. "Love you, too," he said, kissing her forehead as she settled against him, her head on his shoulder. He let one hand trail up and down her bare leg while the other stubbed out his joint in the ash tray. "You off this weekend?"

It was hard for her to think while his hands were on her like that. "Mmm," she answered noncommittally. "I think there's a funeral, but I can send Boner instead. He can handle it. Why?"

"I want to get away for a few days," he replied, knowing he'd made the right choice when a shocked gasp escaped her lips and her dark eyes lit up with excitement. "Yosemite, San Francisco, Carmel, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego…you pick. I just want to be away from Charming."

The idea of leaving behind all the shit that was going down in Charming sounded heavenly. She couldn't think of anything she wanted to do more than get the hell out of this damn town. Hell, he could want to take her to the snow, and she'd jump at the chance. They needed some alone time, away from the club drama. Time to relax and gather their thoughts. "The beach sounds _so _good right now."

Juice nodded in agreement. "Anything to see you in that bikini."

"Better enjoy it before I get whale sized," she said, her smile widening as his hand settled over her stomach. She could see the cogs turning in his head, coming up with a corny response, no doubt. "Don't you dare say there'll be more of me to love, you cheesy ass."

"Well, there'll be _two_ of you to love. Two in one beautiful package," he said, giving her an extra cheesy grin. "Like that better?"

She laughed as she nodded. Her face grew serious again as her fingertips trailed over his cheek. He was smiling at her, but it wasn't the same as it had been the first time she met him. In the three years they'd known each other; it seemed he'd aged ten. He'd been through so much just in the past couple of weeks alone. They both had. "We're going to be okay, right?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "This…craziness, it's going to end, right? We'll be okay?"

Juice sighed. He couldn't promise her the craziness would end. They were still neck deep in the cartel shit. With Clay out of commission and Jax at the head of the table, things were going to be rocky at best. Jax wanted change but change always came with a price. There was one thing he could promise her, though. "You and me, we're going to be just fine, baby," he said, sealing his oath with a kiss. "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>As always your thoughts, suggestions, etc. are very much appreciated! :) <strong>

**I have been writing one-shots of Hap, Koz, and Angela's past as well as little moments between Juice and Angela that didn't fit in with the story! If you have anything in particular you want to see, let me know in a review, and I'll do my best to write one out! :) I should be posting them soon! :D**

**Thanks so much for sticking with me! New chapter will be up soon, I hope! **

**~Love Ink**


	55. Gone

**Thank you so much for sticking with me and for taking the time to review! I PM'ed most of you but thank you to _Eleonora_ as well! :)**

**This update is not at all like my usual chapters. It takes place between Season 4 and Season 5. The story is taking a bit of a detour around the usual canon stuff. Just a small one. It'll get back on track eventually, but this idea came to me and I just had to explore it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Mel.**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 55: Gone_

_By Love Ink_

Mel sat at the dirty old bar, a tequila tonic sitting in front of him. He'd been there since he'd left his brother's grave earlier that morning. He'd lost count of how many drinks he'd had, but he knew his tab was getting up there. It didn't matter to him, though; he had more than enough money to foot the bill. He took out the manila envelope Tig had given him from his brother. There hadn't been much in there. A handwritten letter, some pictures, the numbers to his bank accounts, and his will. Not surprisingly, his big brother had left him everything, including his motorcycle. Mel was considering keeping it, learning to ride. Maybe it would make Angela like him better.

He was staring at one picture in particular. One he couldn't get out of his mind. It was the three of them laid out on the beach. Her head was on his stomach, his brother's head on hers. All three of them smiling and happy. One of Angela's friends had taken the picture because Happy had refused to. Hell, Happy had refused to do anything but lay out in the sun, drink beer, and toss around the ball with Koz. The only time he went in the water was to throw Angela in because she mouthed off to him.

"Beautiful girl there," the man next to him commented. "She yours?"

"Should be," Mel murmured, too drunk to be bothered by the man looking over his shoulder.

The man chuckled, slapping him on the back. "The one that got away, huh? We all got one," he said as he sat down next to him. "Get this man another of whatever he's got and one for me too. So what's the story?"

"She moved here. Fell for a fuckin' Son," he explained, glancing at the semi-bald man at his side. The side of the man's face was covered in a grotesque burn giving him an evil villain look. "He knocked her up, and they're going to live happily ever after while I sit here and rot in fuckin' Sacramento. But she's happy so I guess I just have to live with it."

"Ain't any of those Old Ladies happy," the stranger said on a chuckle before tossing back his whiskey. "Not really."

Mel shrugged a shoulder. "Nothin' I can do about it."

"Want to know what I'd do? I'd get her the hell out of here. Whatever it took. It's for her own good. Old ladies get killed all the time. One got gunned down a few years ago, shot up gang style. Another was beaten to death a few months after. Just a few days ago, one was almost abducted. Something has happened to every one of them. Yours might be next. If you gotta drag her outta here kickin' and screamin', do it. It's for her own good."

He considered the idea for a moment: going into her house, grabbing her, and forcing her out of town. It was a crazy notion. If her idiot was there, it was sure to get him killed, and even if he wasn't, Angela would never stand for it. She'd fight him tooth and nail, and he'd lose his nerve. One hit or slap from her, he'd back down. He couldn't do that to her. "I'm not that type of guy."

The man dug around in his pocket producing a small baggie of white powder. "This can make you that type of guy," he said, pushing the baggie towards him. "Go 'head. 's on me. Not a big fan of the Sons myself. Assholes have taken a lot from me. I'd be happy to save someone from them."

Before Mel could give the baggie back, the man was gone leaving behind only his empty glass and a few bucks. He picked up the small bag, considering it for a brief moment. No, he couldn't. After watching his older brother go through the ups and downs of a serious addiction, Mel had decided never to try them. He'd never even smoked pot. He knew what drugs like this did to your system. The long list of psychological effects included delusions of grandeur, invincibility, an increase in self confidence as well as obsessive behavior. He had no doubt that with this in his system; he'd have the balls to pull Angela out of this life no matter how hard she protested.

But was it worth it? She'd hate him for sure...but for how long? Once she got over the initial shock, she'd probably get used to the idea. He'd take her some place warm, close to the beach where they could lay out in the sun all day. It'd be a good place to raise a child. He wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize that kid. That was a loss he knew Angela would never come back from. He could see her accepting the idea of leaving Charming as long as her baby was not at all affected. Truth be told, he could live with that. He'd told her as much already. He loved kids, always had. If the child looked anything like its mother, Mel didn't think he'd have a problem loving it like it was his own.

He played with the baggie, rubbing his thumb over it. This was something he couldn't go back from. Once his plan was put into motion, it would only end in two ways. Either he won the girl, or they'd kill him. He had no doubt the idiot with those dumb lightning bolt tattoos on his head would kill him for kidnapping his pregnant old lady. If he didn't, her crazy cousin would.

"Fuck it," he muttered to himself, putting the little baggie into his pocket. She was well worth the risk. He was going to be with her or die trying.

* * *

><p>Juice sat at the edge of the bed staring at his file once again. He looked at the smiling man in the picture wondering who he was, what he was doing now, if he even remembered he had a son. He vowed that he would never be this man. His child was going to know him from more than just a picture in a file. He felt the bed shift behind him before Angela's warm arms slid around him one draped over his shoulder, the other around his waist, her sweet scent invading his senses. He relaxed into her embrace as she set her chin on his shoulder. He turned his head to press a kiss to her cheek before looking back at the picture in his lap.<p>

"I found him once," Juice told her, his fingers swiping over the face in the picture. "Hacked into his files and went to the diner he was working at. I sat there for hours watching him joke around with the other chefs, smiling and laughing like he was the happiest guy in the world. All the while I was wondering if he even knew I existed. If he even cared. I went to the diner everyday for a week and couldn't work up the nerve to talk to him. I didn't know what to say or if he'd even believe me if I told him. Then one night, he came around the counter for his break. Tried to talk to me. Called me son and I froze for a minute because I thought he knew. Turns out, he was just using it as a nickname."

He laughed lightly and shook his head. "I told him I wasn't his son and left. I never went back there again. I couldn't handle it." Carefully, he pulled the picture out from underneath the paperclip, studying once more before turning his head to look at Angela, a determined glint to his eyes. "I'm not going to be him, Angel," he said, his voice filled with promise. "I swear to God, I'm going to be there for this kid."

"I know. I never doubted that," she agreed, pressing a kiss to his shoulder before moving so that she was sitting next to him on edge of the bed. She took his face in her hands, leaning in to softly kiss his lips. "You're a good man, Juice," she murmured, her thumbs ghosting over his cheeks. "I love you."

Juice nodded, catching her lips in another quick kiss before turning back to the file. He set the picture aside gingerly before taking either side of the folder and ripping it in half, straight down the middle. Slowly, he stood, handing her the ripped file then grabbing his cut off the bed. He looked at it for a moment, considering the Reaper on the back before glancing at Angela. This was his family. This was his life. He'd made some mistakes, but in the end, it'd all worked out. He still had his club and still had his girl. "Love you," he said, meaning it with every fiber of his being. She gave him a soft smile in return as he pressed his lips to hers in one last quick kiss. "I'll be home soon."

"Love you too, Juice," she replied as he turned away. "Ride safe."

* * *

><p>As soon as she heard the door close behind Juice, Angela flipped open his laptop, determined to find a good weekend getaway. He'd long since told her the password, a long combination of words and numbers that she'd yet to make any sense of. She recognized her birthday and his birthday in there, but the rest was just random code. Why anyone needed such a long password was beyond her, but she was willing to bet at least part of the reason he'd gotten caught and sent to jail before was because someone had figured out his password.<p>

She smiled at the background picture. He was constantly changing it, but at the moment, it was of her lying stretched out on his motorcycle in her silver bikini. A shot he'd insisted on taking as soon as he discovered the bikini existed. She wasn't a big fan of the picture as it was incredibly staged and made her feel like a porn star. She took a brief minute to take a picture of her sticking her tongue out on the built in camera and set that as his wallpaper. He did the same to her cell phone whenever she had a shirtless picture of him as her background, which was often; her man had a beautiful body.

She took a few more for fun, playing with the different filters and effects trying to find the one that made her look the silliest. She was just posing for a particularly good one with the mirror effect when the doorbell rang. Laughing at herself, she took the picture then leaned over, grabbing her gun before heading to the door.

Standing on her toes, she looked through the peephole and was surprised to find Mel standing on the other side. She set her gun down on the side table and opened the door. "Hey Melly," she greeted, smiling up at him. "What's going on?"

Mel scratched at the back of his neck, his eyes sweeping over the house as he shifted nervously. "Your old man here?"

There was a strange energy about him that put her on edge. "N-no. He's at the clubhouse," she answered, catching a whiff of him as he walked by. It smelled like he had been bathing in alcohol. "Are you drunk?"

"So you're alone?" he asked, ignoring her question as he started pace.

She was starting to wish she hadn't told him Juice wasn't home. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones. "Yeah. Why?"

"I'm getting you out of here," Mel said, turning to her, a wild look in his eyes.

For the first time, she was able to meet his eyes properly. They were almost entirely black, nothing left of their pretty color save for a small rim of blue that was barely visible. She knew that look, knew it from the many times she'd seen his brother in a similar state. "Jesus Christ, Mel. Are you _high_?"

"This place is unsafe, Geela. I'm going to save you before you get hurt or worse," he explained quickly, ignoring her question as he grabbed her hands. She was going to listen to him, he could feel it. They were going to have their happy ending. "I've been thinking it over for awhile, and if we leave now, they won't be able to find us. You'll be free. We can raise this baby together, Geela. You and me together. Forever."

Angela pulled her hands from his grasp and gently pushed him away, trying to put as much space between them as possible. She knew she had to choose her words wisely now. He was high as hell and likely to be unstable. "I'm fine, Mel. Really. This is where I want to be. I want this life. I chose it."

"No, _no_, you don't know what you want," he said shaking his head quickly. He grabbed her arms again, his grip a little harder than was necessary. There was a dangerous look in his eyes that scared her. "We are meant to be, Angela. You _know_ that. Its always been you and me. We're going to be good. Just the two of us and the baby. I'll love it, I swear. I'll treat it right. I'll be the best father. The father it _deserves_!"

She swallowed hard, torn between wanting to smack him and wanting to call Juice or Happy to get him the hell out of there. The boys were in Church, though, so neither of them would answer their phones even if she tried. She was going to have to handle this one all by herself. "Let it go, Mel. It's not going to happen."

"I'm not letting shit go!" he shouted, shaking her. "You've been brainwashed into wanting this life because of your dumbass cousin. I can give you _everything_ you deserve! Don't you understand that? Can't you see it?"

Now, she was scared. Mel had never, ever laid hands on her like that. He was gentle by nature, but she'd seen his dark side once or twice when he was really angry. Had seen him beat a guy's face in while drunk during a bar fight just because he'd said some stupid comment. As docile as Mel was sober, he had an angry streak a mile wide when intoxicated. She had no idea what he would do while under the influence of something stronger. "I understand," she said, trying to keep her cool, "but it's not what I want, Mel. I'm happy here, can't you see that?"

Mel shook his head once more. He wasn't going to believe that. She was lying. There was no way she could be happy here without him. They were meant to be; two halves of a whole. She didn't know what she was talking about. "No, no, you're not. You don't know what happiness is," he insisted. "I'm going to take you away and show you what it really means to be happy."

"No, you're not. You need to get off me," she said carefully prying her arms from his grasp. He let her go looking as though he'd been slapped. _Good_, she thought. Better that he feel like she slapped him without her having to actually slap him. "I think you should go home, Mel."

"Right, right. I'll go," he turned as if to go but stopped once his eyes fell on the table by the door. He spotted the Glock just sitting there right by her car keys. It was fate. He was meant to do this. There was no other reason that the gun should be so perfectly placed. It was as if someone was telling him to use it, to force her to go with him. He picked it up, its weight feeling just right in his palm. Turning, he leveled it at her head. "But you're coming with me."

Angela swallowed hard, fear coursing through her veins. She tried her best to remain calm as she stared down the barrel of her own gun, her hands raised ever so slightly in the air. This wasn't the first time she'd had a gun in her face, but it was still shocking nonetheless, especially considering who was on the other side of it. If he was so out of his head that he'd threaten her with a gun, there was no reason that he wouldn't pull the trigger. The Mel she knew and loved was gone, and though this Mel wanted the same things, he was dangerous, scary. "Mel, put it down. You don't want to do this," she stated, hating the way her voice shook. "This isn't you."

"No, it isn't. But you like these type of guys, don't you, Angela? The dangerous ones. The ones that can get you killed. If that's what you like then that's what I'll be. I'm not living without you, Gee. I won't do it," he said, flipping off the safety with an audible click, "and if I can't have you, no one can."

* * *

><p>"How is she?" Happy asked Juice as they walked towards their bikes together.<p>

Juice had stopped asking him whom he was referring to a long time ago. He knew better now. "She's doin' better, I guess. Was really upset that no one showed up to Koz's thing. Cried a little about that," he explained honestly. At Happy's surprised look, he shrugged. "Hormones. She cries a lot easier now but not about stupid shit. She's always got a reason for it. Mostly it's just Koz stuff. Little things remind her of him, and she'll tear up."

"You handling it?"

" 'course," he answered on a nod. "Been tryin' to get her to take some vitamins too. Thinking of asking for some time off to get her out of here. Relax, you know? I think it'd her some good."

Happy nodded in silent agreement. He was always impressed by how in tune Juice seemed to be with Angela's needs. Sometimes, he got mad at the idiot for his different decisions, but in the end, they'd been exactly what Angela needed. "You got plans tonight?"

"Not really," Juice replied, only half lying. His plans with Angela were not something he liked to discuss with Happy. He was pretty sure most of them would get him killed. "You should stop by. Explain the Koz thing to her. I tried, but I think it'd mean more comin' from you."

"Yeah," he agreed, swinging his leg over his Dyna. "I'll follow you over."

Juice nodded, starting up his own motorcycle and pulling out of the lot. As he pulled into the driveway, he was surprised to see all the lights on, the front door hanging wide open. His heart rose to his throat as he hastily turned off his engine. Angela didn't leave the door open like that, especially not with all the cartel shit going on. Nor did she ever leave the house with the lights on. "No," he breathed, his helmet falling to the ground as he sprinted towards the door. The living room looked the way he'd left it. "Angel!" he shouted, panic racing through his veins as he practically ran down the hall to their bedroom.

Her drawers were all open, clothes spilling out of them onto the floor as if she'd gone through them in a hurry. Had she left him? Why would she leave him now? It didn't make sense! They were good! She'd told him to come home safely! Why would she do that and then leave?"Shit! Shit, Hap! Did she leave? Did she say anything to you? I don't…

Happy stepped around him, walking through the mess and heading to her bedside table. While Juice was panicking, he was taking stock of everything around the room. He opened the drawer he knew she kept her Glock. It was empty save for a bag of cough drops, a pregnancy book, and a box of her birth control. Fat load of good that had done her. "Gun's gone," he commented, shutting the drawer. At Juice's panicked look, he shook his head. As much as he wished that whatever had happened to his little cousin was as easy and safe as her taking off on her man, he knew it wasn't. All the signs pointed to something else, something more dangerous. "The Mazda's still in the garage. Kid wouldn't leave without that car."

Juice nodded, exhaling a shaky breath. Angela loved that car. If she was going to leave, she sure as hell would take it with her. He thought back to the day Tara had first gotten the death threat in the car. Angela had admitted that she'd gotten one too. He'd forgotten all about it after the whole mess he'd been in with Roosevelt! Was this the cartel making good on their threat? "The cartel," he said, running a hand over his hair. "Hap, what if it's the Lobos like Tara?"

Happy's dark eyes looked over the room again as he shook his head. There was no way. The room was too neat for that. The living room in even better condition. There were no broken windows and the door had been intact when they'd walked in. If someone had taken Angela, it was someone she knew and that was impossible. "No blood. No bullets. If the cartel came after her, she'd put up a hell of a fight. Shit'd be broken," he explained. "She probably went for a run. Forgot to close the door all the way or some shit."

"Went for a run with her _gun_?" he asked, a doubtful look on his face.

"Shit that happened to Tara and Koz...can you blame her?"

Juice shook his head; Happy had a point. Quickly, he squatted down looking under the bed where he'd last seen her running shoes. They were still where she'd left them, kicked haphazardly on her side. "Her shoes are here," he said lifting his head up and looking at the laptop sitting on the bed. That's when he saw it. The light of the camera was lit up, the screen showing the backboard of the bed, little white numbers ticking by seconds. He rushed over to it, stopping the recording. It'd be running for just a little over an hour. "She left the camera on."

"What?" Happy questioned looking over Juice's shoulder.

He was quickly going through the memory, watching as picture after picture of Angela popped onto the screen. Each more ridiculous than the last. "She was taking pictures of herself and must've hit the record button by accident. She does it all the time," he explained, queuing up the vidoe. He didn't explain that sometimes she did it on purpose to record a little strip tease for him so that he could watch them on their longer runs. He was pretty sure Happy would skin him alive if he saw those. "Check it out."

The video started with Angela pulling a face before laughing at herself. Someone must've knocked on the door because she hopped off the bed, grabbing her gun before she was off camera. "Good girl," Happy commented, nodding his head in approval.

Muffled voices were barely registered on the video, but it was clear that some type of heated discussion was going on between Angela and whoever had been at the door. Juice wondered briefly if it'd been Roosevelt. The Sheriff had been awfully curious about their relationship. Perhaps, he'd gone over to tell her to stay away. Whatever the case, it was obvious she'd known the person well enough to let him in.

A minute later and the sound of her opening drawers came over the camera. "Pack a bag. Make it look like you're running," a male voice ordered. Juice couldn't place it, but it was obvious Happy could. The Tacoma Killer's jaw had clenched after the first word, his whole body going rigid.

"They won't buy it, Mel," she said, revealing the man's identity. Juice felt his heartbeat kick up a notch. Mel wasn't a small guy by any means. He'd seen them standing together. Mel towered over her easily. "You don't have to do this. I swear if you leave now, I won't tell them. I won't say a word."

"Not without you," he said, his voice practically a growl. "This is for your own good, Gee."

Then she came into view, her hands shaking as she went to grab something out of her dresser drawer. Juice could see her hands shaking as she picked up a book she kept in there, discreetly taking her knife and phone along with it and shoving them deep into the bag in her hand. Then her eyes landed on screen. It was obvious she knew it was recording by the hopeful look the swept across her face. "Mel, put the gun down, please," she said, clearly trying to convey the situation as discreetly as possible. "Taking me by force is only going to land you straight in jail or worse…"

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't know that your stupid ass old man and psycho cousin will come after us?" Mel answered and for the first time, he came into view. Angela's gun in his hand, pointed straight at her forehead. She dropped the bag in her hand, holding up her hands as he backed her into the wall. He moved the gun down the side of her face in a caress as his other hand held tightly to her chin. "But that's okay, Gee. We'll be fine. We'll go home. Start our own little family where you'll be safe."

"Home?" she breathed, her hands clenched into tight fists as if she was fighting against the urge to push him away.

Mel nodded, smirking a bit. "That's right, baby. We're going to make a home," he said pressing his lips to hers despite her best attempt to turn away. His hand settled on her belly. "A family. You, me, and the baby."

Juice saw red as he watched Mel touch _his_ girl, talk about _his _family. He started to pace, his mind racing as he thought of the best ways to track them down. The rest of the video was filled with Angela doing her best to stall him. Drawing out time so that they could get there. Why hadn't he hurried home? He didn't need to have a beer with his brothers, didn't need to shoot the shit with Chibs. If he'd only come home, he could've stopped Mel, could've killed him before the asshole had a chance to even think about taking her anywhere.

Happy kept his eyes glued to the screen. Proud as hell of his little cousin for the way she was trying to stall him. The steady manner in which she was attempting to talk him down. All the training he'd given her was paying off. He knew she didn't engage in any defensive moves out of fear that his retaliation might hurt the baby. He did, after all, have a gun to her head and while they'd gone through this scenario before, it always ended up with her getting somewhat hurt. Happy had prepared her for that. A gunshot wound to the torso, arm, leg was survivable, and he'd taught her jump for the gun but make sure to push the shooter's arm down first. In this situation, pushing the shooter's arm down would mean the gun would be leveled at her stomach, and he knew she wasn't about to put her baby's life in danger.

He watched as Mel ordered Angela to keep packing. The guy was a total rookie at the whole kidnapping thing. Obviously he hadn't thought it through very well. Making her take the time to pack was risky and unnecessary, but Happy was glad the blonde idiot didn't know any better. It meant they hadn't gotten far. Then Mel reached into the bedside table drawer and picked up a pair of handcuffs, pocketing them as quickly as he could. "Why the fuck do you have handcuffs?" he growled at Juice in frustration. If Mel used them, they'd be just another obstacle for her to overcome. She didn't have time for that.

Juice stopped pacing again, his eyes going wide. He and Angela had constantly teased each other about handcuffing one another to the bed. One night, Angela had surprised him with the silver cuffs and had done just that. They'd only used them a few times, though; after being in jail for fourteen months, handcuffs really didn't turn him on like they used to. "I…we…just for…you know…I mean…," he stammered out, nervous under Happy's intense glare. "You don't think he's going to hurt her, do you?"

Happy was glad for the subject change. His question to Juice had been rhetorical. He wasn't an idiot; he knew why his little cousin kept handcuffs in her bedside table. In fact, this wasn't the first time he'd seen a pair of them get pulled out of one of her drawers. He himself had used her last pair to handcuff her to the door of the moving van when he and Kozik had taken her from Oakland to Tacoma. "No. Didn't think he'd do anythin' like this either though," he answered, gesturing to the laptop. He knew his cousin was probably thinking the same thing. The way she was looking at her former friend told him Mel was most likely in an altered state, unpredictable. Angela was making all the right moves to protect herself and her child. "I'ma put a call into Jax see if we can get back up. You got a way to track her?"

Juice nodded, going back to the computer and raking his fingers over the keys. "Her phone."

"You bugged her phone?" Happy questioned, a mixture of anger and astonishment in his voice. Though he was upset at the invasion of his cousin's privacy, he had to hand it to the guy, it was a smart idea. After she got kidnapped with Tara while they were in Ireland, he couldn't blame Juice for doing it. In fact, Happy couldn't believe he'd never thought of it. "She know?"

"Maybe," he answered distractedly. He'd bought her the latest iPhone as a gift for her birthday and had hacked his way into it to put in a tracking device before he'd given it to her. There was too much danger in their life for him not to have a way to find her if he needed, and he knew his Old Lady; she didn't go far without her phone. A feeling of relief rushed through him when he saw the little radar map show exactly where they were. "They're heading towards the ninety nine. North."

Happy nodded, finishing up his phone call to Jax. "Guys are on their way. Phil's gonna watch the tracker, but I got an idea of where he's goin'," he said heading towards the front door. The sound of motorcycle engines filled the living room when he opened the door. Happy took on of his Glock's out of its holster underneath his cut. He flipped off the safety before slipping it back in and doing the same to the one on the other side.

Juice did the same to the gun he had hidden under his cut. If he saw Mel, he was going to shoot him. Right between those pretty blue eyes. He didn't give a shit that he was Kozik's brother. No one messed with his family.

* * *

><p><strong>A bit different than my normal fair since it honestly has nothing to do withe the canon, but I know there's some time lapse between Season 4 and Season 5, and I thought I'd put a bit more action into it. ;) <strong>

**Let me know what you think, good or bad!**

**~Love Ink**


	56. Lost and Found

**Shorter chapter than usual. I've never written anything like this before so if there's anyway I can improve it, let me know! :) **

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review! I know I PM'ed most of you, but thank you to those who didn't sign in as well: _Guest_ and_ Eleonora. __  
><em>**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Mel**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 56: Lost and Found_

_By Love Ink_

Angela stared out the front window of the rental car, her mind racing. She had one wrist handcuffed to the door handled. Mel had put the damn child lock on which meant she couldn't open it from the inside. She knew because she'd tried it at the last red light. Luckily, Mel hadn't noticed, he was too immersed in his own head to pay much attention to her. Though he had made a good choice putting the child lock on, he'd failed to change his rental car which was a huge mistake. She was pretty sure everyone in Charming had seen the ugly green sedan. It was a small ray of hope. Juice had the skills to trace the car and would find them easily...if he knew to look, that is. The fact that she wasn't sure he was out looking terrified her. What if he thought she left? If she came home and saw the house in the state it was in, she sure as hell would've believed that.

Pushing that thought from her mind, she looked around the car, trying to think of other ways to escape. Save for the growing baby in her belly, she was alone this time which meant escaping would be that much easier. She didn't have many options at the moment. Mel was flying down the highway at an unprecedented speed. Her hand itched to reach out and grab the wheel, start an accident so that the authorities would be alerted, but at his current velocity, an accident of any sort was sure to either kill them or the innocent people in whatever car was involved, a risk she wasn't willing to take.

Breathing in a deep breath, she tilted her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She was doing her best to keep calm, to think ahead like Happy had told her to. She had her phone and her knife in the bag at her feet. If Mel got violent, at least they were within arm's reach, handcuffs or not. Sneaking a peek over at him, she wondered what brought him to this. What made him so desperate? She knew he was on drugs but which kind and from where? Had he sought them out?

"Why are you doing this, Mel?" she asked calmly, turning her head to look at him. They'd been on the road for awhile now and whatever drugs he'd taken had to be wearing off a little. Maybe now she could actually talk some sense into him. Make him see that what he was doing was wrong.

"I told you why," Mel answered, staring determinedly at the road. "We're meant to be, Gee. I'm going to make you happy. We're going to be a family. It'll be just like it was back in Tacoma. One, big happy family."

Angela frowned at his words. He wanted a family. She knew that was at the heart of this whole thing. Kozik had been the only family he had left and without him, Mel had to be feeling a little lost. "This is about Koz, isn't it? About losing your own family?" she questioned softly. She watched him flinch at the question and knew she'd hit the nail on the head. "We'll still be like a family. Another uncle to add on."

"Screw that," he muttered, pressing a little harder on the accelerator.

"This isn't how you start a family, Mel. This isn't right," she said forcefully.

He gripped the steering wheel harder, his knuckles white. "How the hell else am I supposed to do it, Gee? Huh?" he shouted, his eyes angry as they looked over at her. "Not like I could just win you over! You're stubborn as hell! So I'm pulling you outta there just like they got you from Oakland. If it worked then, it'll work now."

She couldn't believe his logic! As forceful as Happy and Kozik had been when they'd practically abducted her and took her to Oakland, they'd never put a gun in her face. Had never threatened her _life_. "That was totally different, Mel! Hap wanted what's best for me!"

"So do I!"

Angela gritted her teeth together, pushing back the angry slew of words that was threatening to burst out. Arguing with him was futile. He had this idea in his head and whatever angle she came at it from, it kept circling back to the same conversation. Mel was under the delusion that he was saving her life. That this was what was best for her. He couldn't be more wrong. "I have to pee."

"What?"

"I have to pee. I'm fucking pregnant and I have to pee," she repeated angrily, coloring her words with curses because she knew he hated them. "You want me to go in the fucking car?"

Mel shifted uncomfortably, fighting the urge tell her to stop swearing. "No. What do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know. How about you pull over somewhere?" she replied as if he was an idiot.

He sighed, pulling over at a small park. He uncuffed her, brandishing his gun as he watched her rummage in her bag for her sweatshirt. She slipped it over her shoulders and zipped it up. It said SAMTAC across the chest. When he got closer to her, he could smell just the slightest hint of his brother's cologne. "That Koz's?" he asked, his tone softer than it had been all night.

Angela tugged the hood over her head, shoving her hands deep into the pockets. She felt the cool metal of her cell phone against her palm and sighed. "Yeah. Spent a lot of time at our place since he didn't have his own in Charming," she explained, leaving out the part that he practically lived with her the fourteen months while the boys were in jail. She knew mentioning their jail time would only add fuel to Mel's fire.

"The idiot okay with that?" Mel asked as he walked with her towards the playground they'd stopped at. He hoped the bathrooms there were open and somewhat clean or else he'd have to stop somewhere else and every stop just brought them closer to being found.

"Why wouldn't he be?" she shot back, giving him a sideways glance. "Out of all the guys I've ever been with, _you_ were the only one who had a problem with our relationship."

He was surprised by that. While in Tacoma, Kozik and Angela had been close. Annoyingly close. For awhile, they did everything together. Her excuse was that she was making sure he stayed clean, but Mel never believed that. It was another reason their relationship had ended so prematurely the first time; he couldn't deal with it, and she got tired of his constant questions. This time around, he'd be better especially since Kozik wasn't in the picture anymore. It'd be a lot easier for them to just be happy. "Must be a brother thing."

Angela rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. "Whatever. You gonna let me pee?"

Mel sighed as he nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll be out here."

She opened the door and slipped inside, closing it tightly behind her and leaning against it with a sigh. Pulling out the small phone, she quickly unlocked it. She tried Juice first, her stomach churning with each ring of the phone.

* * *

><p>Juice felt his phone vibrate from deep within his cut. He knew it wasn't safe to answer while riding, but he also knew Angela had her phone and if she'd risk calling him, he could risk answering it. Grabbing his phone, he checked the caller ID before pulling off to the side of the road. "Angel?" he asked, his heart beating fast in his chest. "Baby, are you okay?"<p>

"I'm okay," she said in a rushed whisper. "He took me at gunpoint, Juice. I didn't leave, I swear. I wouldn't…"

"I know. I saw the video. Where are you? Do you know where you're going?"

"At a park somewhere off the highway. He's crazy, Juice. I've never seen him like this. I don't know what to do," she replied, her voice shaking.

"Keep calm, baby. I'm coming to get you."

"Gee! You almost done in there?" Mel's voice came over the phone.

"Shit," she cursed before telling him she was almost done. "Juice, I love you. Don't forget that."

Juice felt a lump rise in his throat at her choice of words. He'd said the same thing to her the night he was going to kill himself. "Don't say it like that. This isn't goodbye, Angel. I _will_ find you. I promise. Keep fighting. Keep stalling. Don't give up."

"Okay, baby," she said, her voice a bit stronger now. There was a loud crash followed by her cursing.

"Is that a phone?" Mel's voice came clearly over the speaker. "What the hell are you doing, Geela? Who are you talking to?"

"I'm just using the light," she tried lamely.

Juice could hear a scuffling sound, heard her gasp in pain. "Angel!" he shouted, pressing his phone harder to his ear, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. Another loud grunt, this one came from Mel. He glanced at Happy who gestured for the phone. He didn't oblige him, there was no way he was going to let go of this call.

Happy watched Juice's face change as he listened to the phone, his fingers clenched around the plastic in a white knuckled grip. He desperately wanted to know what was going on, how he could stop it, but he was helpless from the other end of a phone. Instead he gestured to Tig. "You and me," he said heading back to his bike.

"Keep ridin'?" Tig asked, waiting for Happy's nod of confirmation before getting back on his bike. He nodded towards Chibs. "You hear anythin' new, you call."

Chibs nodded for him. "Go get her. Bring 'er home," he said, leaning back against the back of his bike, his eyes on Juice. The young man looked torn between punching a wall and crying. "What's goin' on, Juicy?"

He shook his head in response. Not daring to say anything out of fear he'd miss something on the other end. He heard Mel grunt followed by the loud sound of feet slapping against concrete. "Juice?" her voice came across, shaking. She was running.

"I'm here, Angel. Not goin' anywhere. Run fast. Get somewhere safe."

"Okay," she breathed in response. "Phone…pocket…easier."

He understood what she was saying between her heavy breathing. She was going to put her phone in her pocket so she could run faster. "I got it. Run, baby. Fast as you can."

That's when he heard it, the loud _boom_ of a gunshot. "Shit!" she shouted, though the sound of her feet hitting pavement did not falter. She wasn't hit. "Motherfucker shot at me!"

Juice was surprised at the outright anger in her voice. He thought she would be scared as hell, but she sounded pissed. Another shot rang out and he heard her gasp. His heart pounded in his chest as everything went quiet. "Angel!" he shouted as he ran to his bike, ready to get on it. "C'mon baby."

He heard her groan, another gasp escaping her lips. "Oh shit," she grunted, her words coming out choked. "You fucking asshole! You actually hit me!" she snarled and Juice could picture her glaring up at Mel.

"It's for your own good. Give me that," Mel's voice said muffled briefly before it came over the speaker loud and clear. "You want her to live? I suggest you stay away. If I can't have her, no one can."

Then the line went dead.

Juice frantically tried to call it again, only to get her voicemail. He dialed again, over and over, always getting the same message. "Shit," he breathed. He glanced over at Chibs who was on his phone, a frown on his face. He shook his head, muttered something to the person on the other line and snapped it shut. Juice had a feeling he knew what the call was about.

"Filthy lost the trail. Said the tracer was turned off," Chibs explained, confirming what he already suspected.

A sense of dread filled him, squeezing his heart and making it hard for him to breathe. "We're going to find her, Chibs," he practically growled. "And when we do, he's going to pay."

Chibs watched as Juice stalked to his bike, a sense of purpose in his walk. Juice rarely looked dangerous, most of the time they played him off as harmless, but there was a certain fire in his eyes that showed why Juice was a Son. They could call him an idiot all day, but he wasn't. He was a Son, and he protected what was his just like they all did. Chibs had never been prouder to call Juice his brother.

* * *

><p>Happy and Tig finally rolled up to the park Phil had given them the address for while Juice had been on the phone. A few streetlamps provided spots of light throughout the park but not enough for them to really see anything. Happy pulled out one of his Glocks and confidently strode towards the bathroom. It had to be the reason they pulled off. Mel wouldn't stop otherwise. Tig stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, his clear blue eyes focused on the cement. Happy followed his gaze to the bloody footprint on the ground. It was a bare footprint, too small to be Mel's. "You think she shot him?" Tig asked as they followed the trail to a puddle of blood.<p>

"No," Happy muttered, trying to steady the rapid beating of his heart as he saw bloody hand prints next to the puddle. The hand prints were small and smeared as if she'd been trying to get away. "He shot her."

"She was walkin' though. Can't have been too bad, right?" Tig asked, studying the evidence left behind.

Happy nodded in agreement, touching a finger to the stain. "Still wet. Can't have been too long ago," he said more to himself than to Tig.

Tig wasn't listening anyway. His eyes were drawn to something laying in the dark. "Aw shit," he said, leaning down to pick up the broken cell phone. He tried to turn it on but all he got was a blank screen. "Lost the trace."

"Damn," Happy cursed, shaking his head. He stalked towards the bathroom, determined to see if there was anything there. All he found was some blood, considerably less than on the sidewalk. A much larger bloody handprint was on the door, a few drips by the sink. He got a feeling it was Mel that was bleeding here. Girl probably went for his nose, if she'd done as he'd taught her, she probably broke it too.

"How we gonna find her?" Tig asked, glancing at Happy. The Tacoma killer's jaw was ticking like mad. He was clearly pissed off. If Mel was lucky, he'd be dead before Hap got his hands on him. Tig hoped that wasn't the case. "Our only hacker is out huntin'."

The sound of motorcycles filled the air. Chibs and Juice had arrived. Happy turned, watching as the idiot started to run towards them. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the dark spot on the pavement. "Oh shit," he breathed, squatting down to touch it. His panicked eyes looked up at Happy. "He shot her."

"You hear it?"

Juice nodded, swallowing hard for a minute. "She tried to get away, was runnin', and he..."

"Tried to stop her," Happy finished, his frown deepening. "Found her phone. Best if you go back."

"I'm not going anywhere," Juice said, straightening up. If Hap thought he was going to leave them to it, he was insane. There was no way he was going back to Charming. Not without his girl. "I'm going to find her."

"Best way to do that is back home. Can't nobody else use that fuckin' computer," Happy said, a challenge in his eyes as he stepped closer to Juice. He was taller than the other man, more experienced in combat. There was no question who would win a fight between them. "Best chance she's got."

Juice didn't back down, though a part of him knew he was right. "Fuck that. I'll find her. She's _my_ Old Lady."

"Funny, didn't see her crow," Happy spat, knowing it was a low blow but using in nonetheless. He was in the mood to hurt someone, and Juice was the easiest person at the moment.

"She's pregnant with _my_ kid!" he shot back.

The Tacoma Killer shrugged. "Don't mean she's yours."

Chibs held out an arm, holding Juice back just as he lunged for Happy. "'Ey! Easy there! Fightin' isn't goin' to help us find her! Relax!" His phone went off and he reached into his pocket to answer it, careful to stay in between the two men to keep them from killing each other.

* * *

><p>It was the wee hours of the morning, the sun had just barely started to rise when Bones' phone woke him up. It was an unknown number, probably from some type of pre-paid cell phone like the calls Angela was always getting. Sighing, he reached out a hand to pick it up. "Yeah," he grunted into the phone.<p>

"It's Phil," came the response. "From the club."

"Oh. Hi," he replied, a little surprised by the call. He'd talked to the large prospect a few times about geeky things but not enough to expect a phone call. He didn't even remember giving him his phone number. "What's up?"

"You're a hacker, right?"

Bones rubbed at his eyes as he yawned. Was he? It was too early for him to remember. "Sure," he answered around another yawn.

"Angela's been kidnapped. Juice is out lookin', and the tracker we had on her is out. I'm not good with computers, man. Figured you might help," he explained quickly.

"I'll be over in a second," he said, slipping on his shoes and throwing a hoodie and leaving the house still dressed in his Star Trek themed pajama pants. He didn't give a shit. If Angela was in trouble, he was going to help as best he could. He slid into his old ass Jetta and drove like a mad man to Angela's place. He'd only been there once before and he hadn't gone inside. After ringing the doorbell once, the door flew open to reveal an Asian guy in a cut. Bones nodded to him. "Sup? Phil here?"

The man looked him over, his eyes lingering on the Star Trek pajamas. "You must be the geek."

"That's me." He held back a sarcastic comment as he followed the guy into the house, all the while staring at the prospect patch on the bottom of his cut. Growing up in Charming, Bones was well aware of the Sons and their doings. They'd always been intriguing to him, but he never saw himself becoming one. They were like superheroes. You needed super strength or invincibility to be one of them, and unless he was bitten by a radioactive spider, Bones didn't see that happening to him. No, he was the nerd guys like that picked on.

Phil was sitting at the kitchen table, clicking around the computer. He was on a rent-a-car site, typing in different things into the search bar. "I know he had a rental, and I know it was a green sedan. Some cars have GPS tracking devices, so I narrowed down the car companies that rent outta Oakland."

"And you thought typing stuff into the search bar would get you personal information?" Bones asked, a doubtful look on his face.

"Don't be a dick. I'm out of my element here," Phil replied looking frustrated. "Just…find her."

Bones nodded, stretching out his fingers before getting to work. It was too early for him to really wrap his head around the idea that his mentor was in danger. He pushed it out of his mind which made it easier to focus on the task at hand. It took a while, but he finally managed to find his way into the database. "Got it. What's his name?"

"Mel Kozik."

His brown eyes got wide as he looked up at the bigger man. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Damn. I _knew_ something was off with that dude," he muttered, typing away. "I had to talk to him on the phone for arrangements and shit and all he wanted to talk about was Ang and her schedule. It was weird."

"You didn't say anythin' to him did you?"

Bones shook his head. "Nah, I'm not an idiot," he said, frowning when he didn't find anything on the first website. He pulled up the second one and started to work his magic. "What made you call me anyway?"

"Juice looked up your records. Said you spent a few months in juvie for hacking into a bank. Figured if you can do that, you can do this."

"Right," he muttered, not at all surprised someone from the club had looked into him. Angela had told him it would probably happen. He didn't really care all that much, to be honest. Hacking into that bank had taken months, and he was proud of his work. It had earned him an all expenses paid trip to Comic-Con before he got caught. "Eureka!"

"You get him?"

Bones nodded, his nerves teeming with excitement as his fingers flew over the keyboard. "He paid extra for GPS services," he explained before he found the location. "There."

Phil patted his shoulder, watching the little circle as it moved. He grabbed his cell and dialed Chibs, knowing he'd be the only one with a cool head that would listen. When the Scot picked up, he could hear fighting in the background, Juice and Happy's voices shouting at each other. "This better be good, prospect," Chibs said, frustration in his voice.

He grinned widely knowing Chibs would be proud and hoping it put him one step closer to getting his top rocker. "We found her."

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Let me know! Sorry if the action-y parts aren't up to par, but I'm doing my best. :) <strong>

**Disc. 2: I don't own Star Trek, but I'm a big fan! (If you couldn't tell...)**

**Thanks so much for reading! More on the way! **

**~Love Ink**


	57. Never Let You Go

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow! :D I'm so glad you're enjoying this story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Mel.**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 57: Never Let You Go_

_By Love Ink_

The pain was blinding. Angela understood now what Juice had been feeling the night he got shot. It felt like her calf was on fire. She gritted her teeth, trying to keep from crying out, but it was hard as hell. "Shit," she gasped, breathing heavily, tears of pain leaking down her face. "Mel, you need to take me to the hospital. _Please_."

Mel was too busy trying to focus on driving while holding his balled up shirt to his nose to think about what she was saying. His nose was broken, he could feel it. He'd gotten way too close to her when he'd tried to swipe the phone out of her hands and clipped her face instead. Her response had been to ram the heel of her palm up into his nose before jetting out of there. He'd never seen anyone run so fast. Her speed paired with the blood gushing from his nose brought him to drastic measures, and he'd done the only thing he could think of to get her to stop. He'd shot her.

He considered her request for a brief moment. He could set his nose by himself, and he had his medical bag to tend to her wound, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't let him anywhere near it. Blood was still oozing out of it, soaking her pant leg. "Elevate it and apply pressure. I'll stitch it up soon as we find a place to stay."

"Like hell you will," she grunted, shifting to put her ankle up on the dash and ripping the bottom of her yoga pants off where the bullet hole was to better expose the wound. She tied the bottom part of the pant leg around it loosely to act as a sort of bandage before grabbing an extra shirt from her bag as best she could while still cuffed, making sure to tuck her knife into the sleeve of her sweatshirt. Balling up the shirt, she pressed it to her wound, clenching her jaw to keep from gasping in pain.

"Fine. Tourniquet it and then I'll cut it off later. That what you want? You can walk around like a pirate for all I care," he said, slamming his hand down in frustration.

"Maybe then you'll let me go," she muttered, glaring at him. "Or I can beat you with it."

Mel glared right back at her. He was surprised by how well she was dealing with the pain. When he shot her, he figured she'd be a crying, terrified mess and turn to him for help, but she wasn't. In fact, she'd even tried to stand back up on her own and had vehemently resisted the attempts he made to carry her. He'd known Angela was stubborn but that was ridiculous and had cost her more blood than she really needed to lose. She was looking pale, too pale in his opinion. "You lost a lot of blood, Gee," he pointed out, watching as her eyes drooped closed. "You look pale."

"Fuck you," she bit out, pressing her sweatshirt harder into her wound. "You're the one that shot me."

"Let me fix it. Losing so much blood could be dangerous for the baby."

Angela was starting to feel dizzy. Despite how much she loathed the man sitting next to her, a part of her knew he was right. She gave in with a nod, raking a bloodied hand through her hair. Her braid had long since stopped being neat, so she pulled it out, more for something to do than anything else. The more she focused on the pain that was surging through her leg, the more she felt like crying, and she'd be damned if she broke down in front of Mel. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the faint scent of Kozik's cologne coming from the sweatshirt. It relaxed her slightly, reassured her that she could make it through this pain. She just had to focus on the endgame. Getting free. Getting home.

"I always liked your hair pulled back. The bun with the pens is my favorite," he commented trying for a normal conversation as he watched her play with her hair.

She looked at him like he'd gone mentally insane, which, she decided, he had. That was the only way she could describe what he'd done, what he was doing. "Oh yeah?" she asked, feigning interest. She let go of her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders. There was no way in hell she'd oblige him with doing her hair the way he liked it. "Well, fuck you."

He winced at her words. It drove him nuts when she swore. The act was so unladylike and beneath her. She was too smart a woman to stoop to using foul language like that. "Would you quit it with the language?"

A triumphant smirk turned up the corners of her lips. "Fuck you, motherfucker," she stated, emphasizing each swear word. "You fucking _kidnapped_ me, dumbass. You think I'm gonna cooperate with _you_? Fuck no."

Mel tightened his grip on the steering wheel to keep his fist from lashing out to smack her again. He'd hit her the first time on accident when he'd caught her in the bathroom and tried to take her phone. His hand had swatted her hard across the face, splitting her lip in the process; he didn't know his own strength. "I'm doing this for your own good," he said through gritted teeth.

"Is that why you shot me?" she shot back, anger clear in her words. "For my own good? Is that what you're going to tell them when they cart you off to jail? _Sorry I shot her officer, but it was for her own good. _Dumbass"

"What officer, Geela?" he asked on a condescending laugh. "You had your chance to call someone and you called that dumbass idiot and his gang instead of the authorities. Don't call me dumb when you made the dumbest mistake of all."

Angela clenched her fingers into tight fists. She'd been so desperate to talk to Juice; she hadn't even considered calling the police. Since she got in the car, she'd been thinking of all Mel's dumb moves, but she'd overlooked her own. "He's going to find me, Mel. He promised he would," she said, her voice full of conviction. "And when he does, you're going to regret this whole thing."

"When he does, I'll shoot him," Mel said on a chuckle. "Right between those stupid tattoos. We'll see how well he keeps his promise then."

"Fuck you." Her breath caught in her throat as the vivid image of Mel shooting Juice flashed through her mind. She'd never taken into consideration how dangerous Mel could be with a gun. Kozik had trained him just as Happy had trained her. He was a good shot too. The shot to her calf had been no accident. He knew where to aim to hurt her enough to stop her from leaving but not enough to put her in critical condition. Now he was threatening Juice's life. The idea alone made it hard for her to breathe.

She tried her best to remain calm, to breathe; all the while anger flowed through her veins like lava. There was no way in hell she would let Mel take Juice away from her. She'd do anything she could to protect him. If that meant killing Mel herself, so be it.

* * *

><p>Mel glanced over at Angela as he pulled off the main road and onto a dirt road. She was either sleeping or had finally given into the pain. She'd sat there biting her lip, her hands clenched into white knuckled fists as she fought against the pain. Every so often, an involuntary gasp would escape her hold, but it'd been a few minutes since he'd last heard her. Thankfully, her face had regained some of its color while she rested meaning her blood levels were slowly returning to normal. Though the bleeding had finally stopped, it had taken longer than Mel would've liked but Angela had refused to let him help her apply pressure. Glancing at the floor, he saw a puddle of blood underneath her leg. Luckily her pregnant state meant she had more blood pumping through her veins than usual or else he'd be seriously worried. He pulled the car around the back of the large, ranch style house making sure it wasn't visible from the front before throwing it into park.<p>

He'd planned to buy the house for them to live in but had been crushed to find it was out of his price range. Still, his photographic memory had made it easy to remember the lockbox code the realtor had plugged in to open the door. After he got it open, he headed back to the car and carefully uncuffed Angela, doing his best not to wake her. He lifted her out of the backseat, carrying her towards the guest house instead of the main entry way. If someone came down to track them and swept the house, they would find it empty and hopefully move on to look somewhere else never knowing they were back in the guest house.

Opening the door, he walked back towards the bedroom, laying her down on the large bed. Her tan skin seemed to glow against the cream colored sheets. She'd ripped off the right leg of her yoga pants to be able to apply pressure to the wound. The sweatshirt, Kozik's sweatshirt, had slipped down her left shoulder giving her an awkward, uneven look. Her left cheek was bruised from where he'd hit her, her lip puffy and bloody.

Her sweatshirt was open; to show the v-neck undershirt she was wearing underneath. It wasn't hers, that he was sure of. It was much too big for her. It had to be that idiot's and that was unacceptable. He grabbed the scissors from his first aid kit, carefully cutting up the front of the shirt and moving the sweatshirt back to cut off the sleeves, determined not to damage Kozik's sweatshirt. Carefully, he pulled away the white fabric revealing a very lacy, incredibly sexy leopard print bra. A bra that he liked to think she'd worn for him but knew it'd been for the idiot.

Anger surged through him; the thought that she'd worn something like that for another man disgusted him. He ran a finger over one of the cups, the lace soft underneath his fingertip. The delicate fabric was slightly torn on top, the fibers holding one of the designs together ripped through. Someone had been too rough with it. Too rough with her. Another thought that had his blood boiling.

She stirred a bit at the feel of a hand on her breast. For a minute, she forgot where she was, who she was with. Juice often fell asleep with his hand there, his face pressed against her neck. She opened her eyes, awaking with a jolt when she realized it wasn't Juice at all. "Jesus Christ, Mel!" she exclaimed backing away from him until her back hit the headboard. "Where the fuck are we?"

"Just takin' a rest," he answered on a sigh. "Wanted to check your injury."

His eyes were back to normal, the crazed look gone. He was sober now, a fact that only made her more nervous. He should be flipping out, stressing over what he'd done, but he was cool as a cucumber. In fact, he looked pissed and a little turned on. Fear blossomed in her stomach; those two emotions were never good when mixed.

She was surprised to find he'd cut her shirt without her noticing. How long had she been out? How long had he been staring at her like that? When had he cut off her shirt? Had he done more? She looked down at her pants, relieved to see they were still on and intact. "Mel, why don't you just let me go?" she asked on a sigh. "Please?"

Mel shook his head, slowly. If he let her go, there was no doubt in his mind that Happy would come after him and kill him. He'd sealed that fate when he'd shot her. There was only one way for him to survive now, and it was getting Angela back on her feet so they could start their new life together. "Can't turn back now," he said, moving closer to her in a way that made her nervous.

"Yes you can!" she insisted, setting a hand on his shoulder and trying to push him away. "Please, Mel. I'll tell the boys we went for a drive. That we…we wanted to clear our heads or something. I'll make it okay, I promise."

"I love you so much, Gee," he said, his blue eyes filling with tears. "You're all I got left. I can't lose you. I can't."

Angela let out a shaky breath, moving a hand to his cheek in an effort to keep his face away from hers by pushing it away. "I know, Melly. I know," she whispered, stroking her thumbs over his cheek and catching his tears. "But this isn't right. We can be friends, Mel. You're not going to lose me."

He shook his head. "I can't _be _justfriends anymore. It hurts too much. I want _you_. I want this."

"I don't, Mel," she insisted feeling desperate. He had to understand. He had to see that it wasn't going to work. "I don't want you."

She saw the anger pass over his face again, felt it as his hand shot out, grabbing her neck. The force of the move sent her head crashing against the headboard, hard enough for her to see stars. "You don't want me? That's bullshit!" he seethed, squeezing at her neck. "You wanted me before! Back in Tacoma! You wanted this. You think he makes you happy? That he pleases you? You just haven't seen what I can give you."

Angela struggled against him, clawing at his hand while trying to kick out with her uninjured leg. He moved a knee between her legs, using his own weight to keep her from fighting as he used the hand that wasn't holding her neck to yank down her pants, his knuckles digging into her lower stomach reminding her of what she had to protect. A new wave of strength flowed through her, bringing with it the sense of clarity and calm she needed to work out a plan to get out.

She could see the butt of her gun peeking out of the back of his pants as he leaned forward to smash his lips to hers. She bit down on his lip as hard as she could, startling him and giving her enough time to grab the gun. Using her good leg, she placed it flat against his chest, kicking him off of her. He fell to the floor in surprise and, in seconds, she had the gun pointed at his head. He stared up at her I pure shock. A triumphant smirk turned up the corners of her lips, her dark eyes alight with an angry black fire as she leveled the gun at his head.

* * *

><p>Juice looked up at the large ranch style house, his heart pounding in his chest. She was there, he could feel it. The outside was dark, but the door was still unlocked meaning someone had been there recently. He opened it, all the while holding his gun in front of him. Chibs was at his back, Happy at his side.<p>

"Place is empty," Tig said, looking around. "Maybe they dumped the car and left."

Juice shook his head. There was no way in hell he was going to leave. Not until the searched every inch of the house. "No, she's here. I _know_ it."

Happy knew better than to dismiss Juice's feeling. He always followed his gut when it came to situations like this, and right now, it was telling him that the idiot was right. "Mel ain't that smart," he said glancing at the back door.

"You two search the floor, we'll head out back," Tig suggested, his eyes on Happy who was already gravitating towards the glass door. "You find him, you wait for us."

"Bullshit. I find him, he's done," Juice ground out, his grip around his gun tightening. "I'm not waiting for shit."

Happy turned to glare at him. "Ain't your call."

"She is _my_ girl," he shot back taking a step towards him, his eyes fiercely angry. "Should be making _you_ wait for me."

"Like to see you try," Happy growled in response. Juice may be the man who'd gotten his little cousin pregnant, but he didn't own her. He hadn't been there to see her first steps, patch up her skinned knees, and teach her how to defend herself. That'd been all him. That was his little girl that'd been captured and hurt and he'd be damned if he let someone else take care of the asshole who hurt her.

Chibs fought the urge to roll his eyes. Not this again. The more time the two spent arguing over who should kill Mel, the more time they were giving the asshole to do something worse. He stepped in between them again. " 'ey, cut it out! Yer wastin' time fightin'! We gotta find her 'fore anythin' else happens," he exclaimed, grabbing Juice's shoulder and pushing him back. "Let's go Juicy-boy. You 'n' me. They've got ta be somewhere in this fuckin' house."

Tig waited for Juice and Chibs to disappear before approaching the Tacoma killer. He was slightly amused by the whole power play between Juice and Happy. He'd never have though the idiot had it in him to go up against Hap. "You want this kill, yeah?"

"Kid was mine first. I don't give a shit what that idiot thinks," he explained on a nod. He loved her first, and he was going to do his duty and make sure Mel got what was coming to him. No one fucked with his family and lived.

"I get it." Tig chuckled, nodding out the window to where there were lights on in the guest house. He'd seen them while the two had had their little stand off and had remained quiet knowing that if he clued in Juice to it, there'd be a race between the two of them to get there first and it wouldn't be pretty. "Let's go get him then, Uncle Hap."

As they headed towards the guest house, they could hear a struggle going on inside followed by a loud bang. Happy gritted his teeth together, fighting back the feeling of fear that was threatening to spread through his system. He pushed it away and let anger take its place. If that fucker had shot his little cousin again, his death would not be pleasant.

* * *

><p>Mel lunged for the gun, wrapping his arms around Angela's lower legs and sending a wave of pain up the injured one. The gun flew out of her hands landing somewhere above her head. While she flipped over onto her stomach, struggling to reach it, he grabbed at the knife that had fallen out of her sweatshirt sleeve. Flipping it open, he sunk it into her back, pulling it back out quickly. Before he could stab her again, she was on her back, gun in her hand, a deadly look in her dark eyes. "Fuck you," she growled before pulling the trigger.<p>

* * *

><p>Happy pushed open the door just in time to see his little cousin slowly get to her feet with the aid of a nearby chair. Her back was to him, a gun in her hands, a crimson circle gradually blooming around a slit in her sweatshirt. Without warning, she fired two more shots into the body on the ground. "Stupid asshole," she muttered, her voice rougher than usual.<p>

He had never been more proud of her than he was at that moment. "You get him?" he asked, startling her.

Angela turned around, gun aimed at his head. Even when she saw who it was, she didn't lower it. He recognized the dark, pissed off stare as the same one he saw in the mirror those nights he got home from a particularly gruesome job. Her face was badly bruised on one side and peppered with blood as was her chest, bare save for the unzipped sweatshirt on her shoulders and a bra. One of her hands was wrapped tightly around her Glock, the other holding onto the back of the chair for support. He looked down, spotting the makeshift bandage around her calf. He was willing to bet it was covering a bullet wound.

"Easy, doll. It's just us," Tig said, tucking his gun away and lowering his hands. His eyes fell on her chest that was heaving up and down with her quick breathing. Though he wasn't one to covet his brothers' girls, he could see why Juice liked her so much.

"Put it down, kid," Happy ordered softly, watching as her hold on the gun faltered ever so slightly. "Ain't gonna hurt you. We're here to take you home."

Those words were all too familiar. Her grip on the gun tightened once again, her body going rigid. "That's what _he_ said," she growled, her eyes glancing from Tig to Happy. These were two men she trusted, whom she knew and loved, but Mel had been too. She couldn't find it in her to lower her gun, to put herself at their mercy. Not after everything she had just been through. "Stay away."

Happy and Tig exchanged glances, both killers far out of their element. They knew there was no real danger present. Angela would never shoot either of them without good reason but neither wanted to test that theory either.

* * *

><p>As soon as Juice heard the first gunshot, he took off, heading back down the hall towards the living room. His heart was in his throat as he sprinted out the doors, heading towards the only place with light; the guest house. He heard her clipped words as he took the stairs two by two; she'd told his brothers to stay away. Like hell he would stay away. He could see her over their shoulders. She was covered in blood and pointing her gun straight out at them. Tucking his own gun back into his cut, he pushed through them, desperate to get to his girl. He didn't think twice about the gun in her hands. All he could see was the rise and fall of her chest. She was alive, she was breathing.<p>

"Angel," he breathed, moving around the gun and taking her face in his hands. She flinched at his touch, her dark eyes still on the men behind him, a glazed over look to them. "Angel, look at me. You're safe now, baby. I got you."

Her dark eyes snapped to his, the arm with a gun shaking as she nodded, a tear slipping down her face. A soft gasp left her lips as she lowered her arm, the gun falling to the floor with a loud _thunk_. She leaned into his chest, her hands clutching desperately at the front of his cut as she buried her face into his neck. "Juice,"she gasped out, the word barely audible through her labored breathing.

"I'm here." Juice swallowed hard against the tears of relief he felt gathering in his eyes as he slid an arm around her waist holding her to him. "I got you, baby," he whispered again, running a hand over her soft hair. He could feel her shaking against him and held her tighter, kissing her cheek as he felt her tears against the skin of his neck. His hands rubbed over a wet spot in her sweatshirt. He slowly pulled his hand away, studying it from over her shoulder. It was stained red. He pushed his worry to the back of his head, focusing more on calming her down; he'd get her checked out later. At the moment, he was just glad she was alive. That she was safely back in his arms. "You're safe, Angel. I got you. Ain't ever gonna let you go."

* * *

><p><strong>Well there it is. Mel finally got what was coming to him. Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts, opinions, etc.! :D<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	58. Feeling

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read and review! I know I PM'ed most of you, but thank you also to _Eleonora_ and the _Guest_ who also left reviews! :) **

**Still going off on my own little tangent from the canon, though I will probably get to Season 5 eventually. :) There definitely will be more time between seasons 4 and 5 in my story just because I think its needed to explore a few things. ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, & Mel**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 58: Feeling_

_By Love Ink_

Angela sat on the crinkly paper that covered the exam table, her hands curled around the edge. Margaret had smuggled her in through the back entrance at Tara's request and now, they were just waiting for Chloe to turn up to check her out. It was lucky for her that Chloe had actually gone to med school, though she hadn't finished it, something she never explained. It did mean that Chloe could do most of the things that regular doctors could which meant they could keep things totally private especially with the hospital supervisor's blessing. Juice held a compress to the wound on her back, trying to staunch the bleeding. It was the most she'd let him touch her. Happy stood at her other side, arms folded over his chest, hands clenched into fists. Angela wondered what he was angrier about, the fact that she got the kill or the fact that she'd chosen Juice to take care of her over him. She hadn't seen it that way at the moment, though. Looking at Hap had brought back memories of Mel that had scared the shit out of her. She didn't want to remember Mel as anything other than the man that had taken her from her home and tried to force her to love him.

Juice had tried to get her to talk on the way to the hospital, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. There was nothing to say. She just kept staring at her hands. Hands that had touched dead people hundreds of times but now were the reason someone lay dead. Not someone: Mel. She'd killed Mel and she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about it. A sick part of her was actually proud of what she did. She never thought she had it in her to take a life. That had always been Happy's thing. If she ever needed anyone gone, he took care of it. Now, she'd stepped up for herself, for her kid and there was not a single shred of regret in her for doing that. What kind of sick psychopath did that make her?

"Ang?"

Hearing her own name pulled her from her thoughts. She lifted her head, blinking a bit at Chloe who was looking at her expectantly. The girl had obviously asked her something, but she'd been too absorbed in her thoughts to hear it. She raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"You need to tell me your injuries," Chloe repeated, meeting Angela's glassed over stare. It worried her how out of touch her friend was being. She attributed it to her being in a state of shock, but Angela seemed to be too relaxed for that. "I can't take care of you if I don't know what I'm dealing with."

Angela sucked in a deep breath, clearing her throat and wincing as the action made it burn. She pointed at her calf. "Bullet," she said simply before pointing to her back, where her lower ribs were. "Knife."

Chloe sighed. She'd hoped to get her friend talking a bit more, but if she wanted to play the quiet card, she would play along. "Deep or shallow?" she asked. Angela just shrugged in response. Chloe sighed again. "Bullet still in there?"

She nodded in response, nervously kicking her other leg against the drawers. For some reason, it hurt to talk. Her mouth felt dry, her tongue too big and awkward. She'd kill for a glass of water. The irony of the statement made her want laugh, though she knew laughing at that moment might mean a trip to the psych ward. Maybe she should. That seemed like an appropriate place for her at the moment.

"You know the caliber?"

Angela turned to look at Happy. He was the one who'd given her the gun. It was a smaller replica of his own, and she knew well that he knew every little detail about it. Happy glared back at her for a moment, wanting her to say it. He knew she knew the answer. She held his gaze, shrugging a shoulder indifferently. He finally gave in, shaking his head at her. "Forty five."

Chloe nodded in response. She knew her next question would be a hard one, but she had to ask so she knew what she was dealing with. "Did he…did he try to…" she stopped for a moment, trying to relax. She'd asked this question a few times before, but it'd always been to strangers. The fact that she was asking a friend made it significantly harder. "Did he sexually abuse you?"

Juice waited on baited breath for Angela's response. Considering the state they'd found her in- her torn top, ripped pants, bruises all over her neck and chest-it was a possibility. He glanced at Happy whose hands were clenched into white knuckled fists, his jaw ticking angrily at the idea of someone violating his little girl.

Angela swallowed hard, trying to think of an answer she could give in just a few words. Technically, he had. His forced kisses and groping fell under that category, but she knew the question Chloe was getting at. She shook her head. "Stopped him."

"Jesus," Juice whispered, his eyes wide. That must've been what had led her to kill him. Angela wouldn't kill him for no reason. His hands on her must've been the driving force behind her pulling the trigger. He understood now why she'd cringed away from him, why she didn't want other people to touch her.

"Okay," Chloe said nodding slowly, going to the cabinet. She pulled out a bottle of local anesthetic and grabbed a needle.

Angela stared at the needle and shook her head. "No."

"It's approved by the American Pregnancy Association. I checked," she assured her. At Angela's stubborn look, she sighed. "Ang, I have to probe the stab wound to see how deep it is, then I have to find the bullet in the mass of tissue that is your calf muscle and pull it out. It is going to hurt like a bitch."

"Good," was all Angela said in return. Maybe feeling that type of pain would be a wakeup call. Shake up some remorse or something. All she knew was that she didn't want to be numb anymore. She wanted to feel something…something other than the immense satisfaction she currently felt.

Happy took in the blank look on his cousin's face and understood. Sometimes after a kill the need to feel something was strong. It was why he sought out the Croweaters. "Let her."

Angela turned to look at him, her dark eyes meeting his for the first time since she'd held the gun at him. He gave her a nod of understanding and she nodded in return, her shoulders sagging in relief.

Chloe let out a long breath, exchanging a worried glance with Juice. "All right. Lie down on your stomach. Let's get to this."

* * *

><p>Angela let the hot water run over her, watching as it turned pink before swirling down the drain. The wound on her back was throbbing a steady beat, it hadn't needed many stitches since the blade had struck a rib and hadn't gone very deep. She'd lost feeling in her calf, though. Chloe had ignored her wishes and shot in a local anesthetic after just a few minutes of probing the wound. Apparently, she'd screamed so loud it'd scared the shit out of her friend, and she'd decided to end her pain as quickly as possible. Tilting her head back, Angela let the water run over her face, running a shaking hand over it before raking it through her hair.<p>

"Ang? Chloe wanted me to bring you some scrubs," Juice's voice came from the other side of the shower curtain. "I'm here if you need me unless you want to be alone. I don't know. I'm not good at this shit. I'm just...I'm glad you're okay."

She smiled slightly at his rambling. Peeking her head out, she found him sitting on a chair nearby, his head in his hands. He stood when he caught her looking. "You want me to go? I'll go," he said quickly.

She shook her head. "Stay," she answered before looking pointedly at the towel that was sitting next to his chair.

"Oh," Juice said, grabbing the thin blue towel and opening it up for her. It was something he did often whether they shared a shower or if he just happened to be close by when she was getting out of it. He'd hold open the towel and wrap it around her when she stepped into it. He thought she might shy away from such an intimate act now, but she surprised him, stepping into it and letting him envelope her in his arms. He held her close for a brief moment before she moved away to dry herself off.

He sat down again, watching her face for any signs that she was in pain as she moved. She had to feel something. Her cries of pain from when Chloe was stitching her up were still echoing in his head. He knew she'd tried her best to keep quiet, but she hadn't been able to stay silent long. Watching her now, he could see that she was still hurting; he just couldn't tell if it was mental or physical.

What kind of shitty Old Man couldn't read what his Old Lady was feeling, he wondered. And she could read him so well…too well at times. All it took was just one glance, and she knew exactly what to do, what to say to make him feel better. He didn't have that ability.

He watched her struggle to get her arm in one of the scrubs and got to his feet, helping her out. Once he was done, he tugged down the top, his face just inches from hers. Slowly, he brushed a strand of wet hair from her face. He wished he could think of the right words to say to make her feel better. His mind drifted back to the night he'd killed Miles. He tried to remember what she had said to him to make him feel better about it. It'd been perfect then, as her words usually were when he needed them. He swallowed hard, clearing his throat. "_I live, I die, I kill for my family,_" he said solemnly. A sense of relief washing over him when he saw the smallest hint of a smile tug at her lips; she remembered. "That's what you did today. You were protecting yourself, our baby, and I am so…_proud_ of you."

His thumb brushed over her cheek as he held the side of her face. "And I love you so much, Angel," he said, his voice low and rough. "Nothing's gonna change that. Okay?"

Angela nodded slowly as a lump formed in her throat. God, she loved this man. "Okay," she managed so say, her words choked as tears leaked down her face. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, her thumb stroking over the inside of it, feeling the steady pulse underneath his warm skin. He moved his head in closer, his lips just inches from hers. She knew he was waiting for her to close the space, giving her the option to pull away since she'd pulled away from everyone else's touch. But she wanted his kiss. Needed it. Mel's rushed, forceful kisses had left her lips feeling swollen and bruised in the worst way. She needed something good now.

She closed the distance between them. A sense of peace coming over her as his lips molded to hers. His hand slipped into her hair, fingers tangling into the wet locks as she grabbed the front of his cut to pull him in closer. He dotted kisses across her cheek, hugging her close to him. He didn't want to let her go. Not now, not ever. He'd been terrified when he'd heard that last gunshot. Losing her was something he couldn't handle. The fact that he'd come so close to it had him thinking about that tree again. He was a coward, he knew, but he didn't know what life would be like without her, and he sure as hell didn't want to find out.

Angela slipped her arms around his waist, turning her head so her ear was pressed to his heart. Even through the thick leather of his cut, she could hear its beating. It reminded her of what they were about to do. What they had yet to find out. Chloe had gone into full nurse mode when she'd prepared her for the next step in her treatment. Her tone was calm, soothing, but Angela could see the real fear in her friend's eyes. Fear that when she turned the ultra sound on and finally put the probe on her stomach, there'd be no heartbeat answering back.

The bathroom door opened just a little. "I got the equipment set up when you're ready," Chloe called through the door.

Angela looked up at Juice, fear in her dark eyes. Now this was an emotion he knew. He took her face in his hands again. "Whatever happens, we're going to be okay," Juice assured her. "Okay?"

She nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay."

* * *

><p>Chloe stood in front of the door to Angela's room, blocking Happy's path. He looked her over. Girl was taller than most, her almond shaped eyes an interesting shade of hazel that seemed confused between gold and green. Her short black hair barely brushed her shoulders. There was a subtle strength about her, something all of Angela's friends had in common from Tara to even Lyla. The porn star had to have balls to leave Opie the way she did. Angela surrounded herself with women who could handle themselves. Chloe didn't seem to be any different. "Give 'em a minute," she told him, disguising her order as a suggestion. "She needs him right now, and I know that bugs you 'cause you raised her and you think he's taking your place, but he's not."<p>

Happy raised an eyebrow in response. He would never admit how well she had him pinned. He took another step towards the door and Chloe moved in his way again. "This is their moment. _Their_ baby. I know she's your blood and you want to be there holding her hand, but this is for _them_. For better or for worse, whatever happens in there is between them," she explained passionately. "You have to give it to them."

He hated the hokey bullshit she was trying to sell him, though he knew there was truth to it. The only reason he was willing to sit outside and wait was because seeing baby shit like ultrasound made him uncomfortable. He'd been to one of his Aunt's appointments when she was pregnant with Angela and had hated every minute of the weepy, sentimental crap that went along with it. "You think she lost it?" Happy asked, his voice a low rumble.

"I didn't say that," she answered, though her eyes told him what he needed to know. Though the nurse was hopeful, it didn't seem likely. "She's been through a lot of trauma, though, and it's still early in her pregnancy so the embryo is very fragile. Miscarriages are common for the smallest things."

He rubbed a hand over his skull. "Shit," he muttered, shaking his head. Angela had already been through so much, losing the kid was something he couldn't see her coming back from. "It'll crush her."

"He can handle it," she assured him.

"He's an idiot," he growled at her, his dark eyes blazing with a black fire. He was angry at himself for not taking care of her. For not seeing the signs before. Mel had always had that crazy possessive streak in him, Hap had seen it once or twice while the two were actually dating. He honestly didn't think Mel would ever have the balls to do something like this. He'd underestimated the little fucker.

Chloe smiled softly, not really afraid of him, though she knew she should be. Angela had told her many stories of his softer side and despite the black glare he was leveling her with now, she didn't get the feeling he was going to hurt her. For the moment, they were just two people talking about someone they both cared about in their own way. "Maybe," she agreed on a shrug, "but he loves her. You can feel it when they're together. Whatever happens, this is something they're going to have to get through together. And I know that sucks, trust me, I get it. I've been there with my baby sister and her husband, but it'll be worse if you get between them. She'll come to you eventually, but right now, they need to be left alone."

"I ain't movin' from here."

"That's fine. Perfect even. I'm sure she'll want to see you soon after whatever the outcome," she replied with a nod. "Let's hope for the best, yeah?"

He nodded back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah."

"You pray?"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "I look like someone who prays?"

"Can't judge a book by its cover," she answered on a shrug. "Now would be a good time to start though."

She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. The sight before her made her wish she'd waited a moment more before stepping inside. They were kissing, his hands on her face, her hands holding onto his wrists as if she didn't want him to move any farther. He dotted kisses across her cheek before Chloe heard him whisper an 'I love you' that was so honest, it brought tears to her eyes.

He turned to face her, draping an arm over Angela's shoulders and holding her hand with the other hand. "Hey Chlo," he greeted, nodding to the nurse.

"Hey guys," she replied, starting to get herself situated. She grabbed the special gel bottle and glanced back at Angela. "Lie back as best you can, Ang. You know the drill."

Angela nodded and got as comfortable as she could given the stitches sewn into her back. She shivered as the cool gel hit her bare stomach. Her eyes focused on the screen while Chloe began to move the probe back and forth across her belly. The room was completely silent, all three of them holding their breath as they waited for the sound. It took a second but then it started, quietly at first then, as Chloe moved the probe just a little bit, the heartbeat came over loud and strong before the picture came up.

It looked like some strange alien with a big head and tiny little arms and legs. Angela let out a long breath while Juice's jaw dropped. "That's…it has a head," he said, gaping at the little image on the screen. "And arms and feet and…fingers. Holy shit, it has fingers. Angel, our kid has fingers!"

Angela smiled at his soft rambling, squeezing his hand as tears blurred the screen. "And toes," she choked out, a sense of relief coming over her.

"Does it…can we see if it's a boy or a girl yet?" he asked glancing at Chloe.

The nurse shook her head, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "Not yet. Few more weeks," she answered, freezing the image and waiting for it to print out. She looked over at Angela who was watching Juice instead of the screen, a look of love in her eyes that was almost palpable. "Here's some print outs for you."

"He's going to show anyone with eyes," Angela said on a smile, watching as Juice excitedly took the two print outs from Chloe.

"Damn straight. My little sea monkey has fingers!" he said proudly, waving the pictures in her face as if she hadn't seen them already. He moved so that he was standing next to her, one arm draped over her shoulders as he held one picture out to her with the other hand. She took it from him, looking at it closely while he pressed a kiss to her temple. He stabbed his big finger at the tiny hand in the picture. "Look! There they are!"

Despite what she'd been through, Angela couldn't help but feel lighter in Juice's presence. He was so ecstatically happy about seeing their future child's fingers that it was hard not to smile. "Yeah," she said wiping at her tears. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she glanced at Chloe.

"Kid's already a strong one," Chloe commented, smiling widely and winking at her friend. "I'm gonna slip out for a bit. Let you two marvel over its toes for a minute."

She headed out into the hall and spotted Happy leaning against the wall nearby. He straightened up when he saw her. "You been praying?" she asked, tilting her head back to get a good look at his face.

The look of relief passed over his features before the smallest hint of a smile turned up the corners of his lips. He had, but he was sure it was not the prayer Chloe expected. He hadn't prayed for the baby's well being, though it did concern him. Instead, he just prayed that, no matter what happened, Angela was happy. That, somehow, despite all the shit she'd gone through, all the death and destruction, she found happiness. That's all he wanted for his little girl. "Maybe," he answered on a shrug.

"The Big Guy upstairs must've heard ya," she said on a smile. "Don't tell her I said anything, though. She'll kill me."

Happy smirked at the idea of it. Before, he'd doubted whether his cousin could kill anyone, now he knew. "I won't."

"Good. I'm Chloe, by the way," she said, extending her hand for him to shake. "With all the craziness, I don't think we properly met. You're Angela's cousin, right?"

"Happy," he replied, shaking her hand.

"Right. She talks about you all the time, y'know," Chloe said on a small smile. "You're like a superhero."

"I look like a superhero to you?"

Chloe smirked as she shook her head. "Neither does Clark Kent, and he's Superman."

Happy was about to reply when the door opened, and Juice stepped out. He could tell the idiot was trying his best to hide his grin, but he wasn't particularly good at it. "She wants to see you," he said, jerking his thumb back at the door.

Happy shook his head at his brother's exuberance before pushing passed him into the room. He closed the door behind him before turning to look at his cousin. Her cheek was badly bruised and her lip still slightly puffy, but she was smiling. Not a big smile, but a smile nonetheless. His girl was a fighter. He'd known that from the minute he'd held her in his arms for the first time so many years ago. Her tiny little fist had smacked him in the face, and he'd decided that having a kid in his life wouldn't be so bad. "How you feelin', kid?"

"Good. Really, really good," she answered, holding out a picture to him. It was the most she'd said in hours. She found it easier to talk now that she knew everything would be all right, and the easiest person to talk to had always been Happy. He'd sit and listen to her go on for hours about the stupidest things. She never understood how he could have such a short fuse with other people, but managed to stay patient with her. "My baby is alive, Hap. I didn't think that could be possible, but it is. Alive and showing off fingers and toes. Check it out."

He looked at the little image in his hand briefly. "Got a big head like its old man," he said handing it back to her and taking a seat next to her. "Poor kid."

"Shut up," she said, nudging her shoulder against his. They were quiet for a moment before she spoke up, "I thought karma was going to take the baby."

"What karma?" he asked on a scoff. The idea of it was ridiculous. She had done nothing wrong. Even by legal standards, she'd killed in self defense. There was more than enough evidence to show that. Not that her case would ever see a courtroom, but there was absolutely no reason for her to think karma would come after her. "Asshole fuckin' abducted ya, shot ya, stabbed ya, and tried to get in your pants. Karma was after _him_. Not gonna touch you."

Angela nodded slowly before letting out a long sigh. "I hope you're right."

"Always am," he said draping an arm over her shoulders. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Proud of ya, kid. Didn't think you had it in you."

She smiled a little before it slowly faded. "I don't feel bad about it," she admitted after a minute. "I've been trying to, and I just can't. He was trying to hurt me, my family, and I took care of it. For once, I didn't need anyone else to handle my shit. I did it on my own, and it feels…kinda good. Which is scary. I feel…good about killing someone, about killing my _friend_. What kind of a person does that make me?"

Happy mulled over her words, understanding every single one of them. He knew the feeling, knew deep satisfaction that came with killing someone who deserved it. Liked it even. "Dunno," he answered honestly. "Feel the same way most of the time."

"Does it scare you?"

He glanced at her and shrugged again. "First time it did," he admitted, knowing it would make her feel better. "You remember that night?"

" 'course. I was visitin' you in Tacoma. Guy came in tried to steal your shit, and then used me as a shield. I told you to shoot, you shot. He died. You saved me and let me stay up watching TV with you," she explained, slightly confused by his answer. "I don't remember you being scared."

Happy smirked. He'd done his best to appear strong for her, and apparently, he'd done a good job of it. That night, they stayed up watching some bullshit, and she'd fallen asleep cuddled next to him with her head on his chest. To this day, she was the only girl he'd ever cuddled with. "Felt the same way you do for a minute or two."

"What made you feel better?"

"You," he replied, sticking to honest answers. He knew this story would die with his little cousin and if it eased her worry, he was more than happy to share it with her.

Angela waited for him to explain, but he didn't say anything more. "Because I still loved you?" she asked, trying to make sense of it.

"Somethin' like that," he said on a shrug. It was one of the reasons he always told her about his kills. If some part of her still loved him after his confessions, he couldn't be all that bad of a person. She was his moral compass in a strange way. If there ever came a day when something he did made her think less of him, he'd know he'd gone too far. She'd always been able to justify his kills, his torture sessions, anything he came to her with, she always provided a logical explanation for why it had to be done, how it benefited her or the club. Her reasons, no matter how far-fetched they were sometimes, always made the guilt of his violent acts just a little easier to bear.

She tilted her head back and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Love you, Hap."

He smiled a little, lifting his arm from her shoulders to ruffle her hair. "You too, kid," he said, standing up from the table and moving to get the wheel chair. She gave him a glare in response; already making up her mind that she could walk just fine. "Two options here."

The second option didn't need to be said out loud. It was either she sat down, or he'd carry her out. It wasn't the first time those options had been offered to her. He was all about letting her chose the easy way or the hard way. Once or twice, she'd chosen the difficult way and found herself thrown over his shoulder and being hauled to wherever he wanted her to go. "Fine," she muttered, sitting down in the chair. "Where we goin'?"

"Downstairs. Got the club waitin' on ya. Sure the idiot's shown that ugly ass picture to all of 'em by now."

Angela scowled at him, waving the picture in his face. "Kid's got six percent of your genes. Maybe that's the ugly part," she shot back.

"Smart ass." He grabbed a piece of her hair and tugged on it gently. It was nice to hear her joking again, to see that she was starting to move past what had happened. He had a feeling she wasn't nearly close to being done with the issue. After the excitement over the baby faded away, it would came back to her full force and that was what he was most worried about.

Happy knew Juice loved her, but the guy was an idiot when it came to dealing with people. Hap wasn't much better with most people, but he knew Angela like the back of his hand. She'd internalize everything, lashing out at other people as the darkness inside her grew. It had happened before when he'd gone inside in her teens. She'd kept in all the anger she was feeling over his leaving and it fueled her rebellious streak. Once he got out and she'd made peace with it, she'd gotten back on track. He was worried something like killing Mel could knock her off again.

As if sensing his worry, Angela glanced up at him. "I'm going to be okay."

"I know," he lied, wheeling her towards the elevator. He thought back to the celebration his brothers had shared when they'd learned of Opie and Jax's engagements, of Tara's pregnancy. The brother's had surrounded the happy couples with excited hugs and laughter. Angela didn't like being the center of attention on a normal day. He had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate it now either. "The guys are gonna be all over you. Can you handle that?"

She sighed as she shrugged. "Not like I have a choice."

But there were no brothers in the waiting room when he pushed her out. It was just Juice sitting alone in one of the plastic chairs, the little picture in his hand. He stood when he saw them, grabbing crutches from the seat next to him and using them to swing over to her. At Angela's questioning look, he shrugged. "Told the guys to go home. Didn't want you to get overwhelmed. It's been a long day," he explained simply. He got off the crutches and held them out to her. "Figured you might not want the chair. Chlo said it'll hurt 'cause of your stitches, but I told her you'd want 'em anyway."

Happy stared at him, trying to keep from looking too surprised. The idiot had done everything right. From sending their brothers home to the crutches, he'd thought of everything. Bending, he dropped a kiss to Angela's head. "I'ma head back to TM," he stated before giving Juice a nod of approval. "Take care a her."

Juice was a little surprised that Happy would just leave like that. He was all set for him to follow them home, possibly even sleep at their house. A part of him thought Happy blamed him for what happened to Angela. He'd spent too much time at the clubhouse after church and hadn't been home in time to catch him, to protect his girl. At Happy's look of approval, he relaxed a little. It felt like he'd gotten some kind of blessing. As if, up until that point, the Tacoma killer had been unaware of how much he cared about her. "Always," he replied, nodding back.

Happy patted his shoulder before heading out the door leaving Juice and Angela staring at his back, both curious about what had just occurred. "I will never understand him," she murmured, shaking her head.

"Agreed," Juice said on a breath, balancing his weight on the crutches and swinging his legs back and forth. "Ready to go?"

Angela smirked up at him; he was such a kid sometimes. "Yeah."

He got off the crutches and held out his hand to her. Helping her to her feet, he let her use his arm for balance as he got the crutches under her arm. She winced briefly as it pulled at the stitches in her back. To her surprise, he didn't tell her to sit down or try to stop her. He just waited, hands held out and ready to catch her. She thought it was impossible to love him even more than she already did, but when she walked out of the elevator and saw just him sitting there with those crutches, the love she felt for him took her breath away. Now looking at him, waiting patiently for her to get situated and deal with the pain instead of treating her like a China doll and making her sit back down, she felt it full force.

"Got it?" Juice asked as she balanced and slowly lifted up her injured calf.

"Yeah," she replied, giving him a smile. "I love you, you know. So much."

He smiled back at her, his full megawatt smile. "I know," he replied, laughing as she tilted her head up, her lips slightly pouted. He knew what that meant. Dipping his head, he pressed his lips to hers. "Love you too, my badass Old Lady."

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Let me know! :) As always your thoughts, suggestions, etc are very much appreciated! :) <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	59. Figuring It Out

**Sorry it took me so long to post this update! Life has been a bit crazy as of late! :\ **

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow!**** You all keep me inspired with your encouraging words!**** I thanked most of you via PM but thank you also to: _juicys juice box, Omg, Guest_, and _Eleonora_!**

**This chapter takes place before Season 5. I'll be getting to that material eventually, but I'm kind of having fun exploring the characters without the amazing backbone of the SOA canon. ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 59: Figuring It Out_

_By Love Ink_

Angela was relieved when she finally saw the cemetery at the end of the road. She'd gotten it in her head that she needed to visit Kozik despite the fact that she was supposed to stay off her injured leg. It'd been a few days since she'd been abducted and her stitches were due out soon so she figured she'd be fine. The throbbing pain in her calf told her she had been wrong.

Gemma had spotted her on the road and had tried to give her a ride over, but she'd refused it. She'd seen the woman's red eyes, smelled the liquor on her breath. There was no way she was risking her kid's life by getting into a car with an intoxicated person no matter who it was or how far she had to go. She'd embalmed one too many drunk driving accident victims to take that risk.

Pushing open the gate, she limped into the quiet cemetery, her eyes drifting over the names etched into the different stones. _Donna Winston. Luann Delaney. Kip "Half-Sack" Epps._ All deaths that were linked to the club…and those were only the ones she'd known personally. She'd seen the Reaper decorating a few other graves bearing names she didn't recognize. The club had taken so many lives it was almost scary. As safe as she felt with Juice, walking through the cemetery was a cruel reminder of how dangerous the life he led, they life _they _led was.

She lingered a moment at Half-Sack's grave, frowning at how dirty it had gotten. It wasn't often that club members came to visit their fallen brothers. Usually when she heard the roar of a Harley, it was Piney coming to visit the other seven members buried there that bore the title of "First Nine". On occasion, she'd even seen Jax visiting his father or brother. Rarer still was Opie going to visit his deceased wife. Bending over, she pulled out the dead flowers and tossed them aside before brushing away some dirt from the lettering wiping the residue on her jeans leaving behind dirty finger trails. She stared at the black lines thinking about the way her fingers had left similar trails in red only a few nights before.

Dirty hands. She had dirty hands figuratively and literally. The idea made her skin crawl. Dirty hands had killed Half-Sack and even Kozik. After all, someone was responsible for placing those damn mines in that field. She was still struggling with the aftermath of killing Mel. Some days she was proud of herself for doing it. Others, she felt like a monster. Today was one of the latter days. It wasn't the act itself that made her feel guilty, though. It was how she envisioned Kozik feeling about it. Crazy or not, Mel was still his little brother. She couldn't see Koz being very happy about his brother's murder. Sighing, she looked down a few rows to where dehydrated lilies were hanging over the rim of a blue crystal vase. Obviously, she'd been the last one to visit Koz too.

Carefully, she limped towards the headstone before sinking to her knees in front of it. Tears filled her eyes, blurring the words before her: _Herman Evan Kozik_. God, she missed him. "Hey Kozi," she greeted, wiping at her eyes. She thought she'd come to apologize, but while she was sitting there faced with the opportunity, she found she couldn't bring herself to do it which made her feel just a little bit worse.

"I'm not sorry for what I did," she stated confidently. "I tried to be, but I'm not. Mel was…he went crazy, Koz. I had to stop him before he hurt me or the baby. That's what you always taught me to do, isn't it? Defend myself at all costs? Bet you never thought I'd use it on your brother, huh?"

She frowned as she went over what she just said. "That was a bit…much, sorry. This whole thing has me a bit...twisted," she admitted, sucking in a deep breath. "You know I love you, Kozi. I'm so sorry if I let you down. I can't...I wish you could be here to tell me its okay or even to say it isn't okay. Just so I would know how to feel about it because right now, I don't know if what I'm feeling is wrong or if _I'm _the crazy one here."

It took a moment before it hit her. She knew exactly what Kozik would say when given that choice. She could almost picture him, his hair a mess, that permanent smirk on his face as he said, '_You _are_ crazy, but you ain't wrong, kiddo_.'

She smiled at the image not knowing if it was some paranormal message or if it was her own crazy head trying to make her feel better. Either way, she felt the weight of her guilt ease. He _would_ be proud of her for standing up for herself; he always was in the past. What made this time any different? Looking up at the sky, she let out a shaky breath. "Love you, Kozi," she whispered, kissing her fingers before pressing them to the cold stone.

Happy watched his cousin from a distance. He knew she was struggling with what she'd done, could see it in the tired lines on her face. He wasn't surprised to find her in the cemetery talking to Kozik. He was surprised she hadn't gone sooner. His little cousin was a firm believer that the dead could hear their loved ones when they talked to them. When she was little, she'd spend hours sitting in front of her father's headstone, talking to him. Her mother and aunt had tried to get her to stop, stating that it was inappropriate for a young girl to spend so much time in a cemetery, but Happy understood it. Kid just needed someone to talk to most of the time.

Angela struggled to get to her feet, teetering awkwardly for a minute on her good leg. He stepped in, offering his arm to help stabilize her. She looked up at him, her dark eyes surprised for a brief moment and then relieved. If he was there, that meant she didn't have to worry about walking back home, a feat she didn't think she could do at the moment. "Hey," she greeted, her voice rough and tired.

He draped an arm over her shoulders as she leaned into his side, taking the weight off her injured leg. "Figure shit out?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Workin' on it," she answered, her hands fiddling with the chain around her neck; Kozik's dog tags. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to warn ya," he explained, reading over the wording on the stone. "Ma's on her way."

He felt her tense under his arm, her dark eyes widening as she looked up at him. "_Just_ your Mom?" she asked, knowing it was a stupid question; it'd been years since Elena could drive.

He shook his head. "Told 'em about Koz. Said he laid down his bike 'n' they want to see 'im."

She raked her hand through her hair. "And you had to do this now?" she asked, annoyed with her cousin.

"Yeah," he answered simply. His face showing that he did not appreciate her tone. He would've called her on it, but he didn't want to deal with whatever mood she was in. Sometimes, it was easier to just let things go. Now that she was older, a look was all it took to make her check her attitude. "Ain't gonna do it when you're a fuckin' whale. Least now you can tell 'em you're knocked up before ya start showin'."

Angela scowled at him, hating that she saw his logic. Her stomach was slowly twisting itself into knots. Not only did she have to tell both her mom and aunt that she was pregnant, but she had yet to tell her mom about Juice. She'd been meaning to do it for awhile but something always got in the way. "I guess so," she murmured.

"Gotta tell 'em, kid," he stated, sensing her hesitance. "This shit's gotta end. You ain't sixteen anymore. Can't keep this shit from 'em like you used to 'cause it's gonna end up blowin' up in your face."

She nodded in understanding, her hands shaking as she played nervously with her rings. "But we're not...I mean…she's going to be pissed."

"You really think your Ma's gonna be pissed 'cause you ain't married?" Happy asked flatly. He was almost a hundred percent sure that Graciela would be over the moon about finally being a grandmother like she'd always wanted. It was _his_ mother that would be a little irked about it.

"Not my mom I'm worried about," she muttered under her breath.

He shrugged a shoulder, knowing exactly what she was concerned about. "Ma'll get over it," he said, knowing it was true. His mother was going to be pissed for awhile, but he was sure she'd see the light. It was better than forcing marriage on two people who clearly weren't ready for it. "Graci's gonna go crazy. Buyin' baby shit 'n' pickin' names."

Angela groaned in response. That was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Her mother was going to be a monster of a grandma. "Fantastic," she muttered, her tone revealing that the idea was anything but.

"She likes the idiot already," he offered, trying to ease his cousin's nerves. "Always asks about him when I'm home."

"I can only imagine all the lovely things you have to say," she said sarcastically.

Happy shrugged a shoulder in response. It was true that Graciela had asked him dozens of questions about Juice, but he didn't answer most of them. When he did, he didn't say anything negative; Juice was still his brother after all. "He ain't bad, kid. You could've done a hell of a lot worse."

"Hmm," she hummed pensively. "You think dad would've liked him?"

He chuckled at that one, remembering what Victor Ruiz had once said to him about Angela and dating: '_You'll know he's the right one if he's got the balls to stand up to you. To fight for her._' Hap hadn't thought Juice would be capable of doing such a thing, but the idiot had stepped up on more than one occasion. Guy had balls, he had to give him that. "He wouldn't a liked anyone who tried to take you away, kid," he answered honestly. "But I think he'da at least approved of the idiot."

"Do you?"

He shrugged again, uncomfortable with admitting that he did, in fact, approve of the idiot. Juice wasn't always the smartest of guys, but he'd done all right with Angela. Honestly, he wasn't a big fan of sharing her. It'd been hard enough learning to deal with Koz being in the mix, and they hadn't even been dating. At least with Kozik, he was still assured of his number one spot in her heart. Now with Juice, that position was blurred. She'd asked him before not to make her choose between them but he wondered what her choice would have been if he'd pushed for it.

Angela's eyes narrowed at his silent response, a frown forming on her face. "I hate when you answer in gestures."

He smirked and nodded. "I know," he said, squeezing at her shoulder. They both turned when they heard the sound of tires on gravel. "Don't start shit here."

"I won't," she said on a scowl, a little hurt that he thought she'd disrespect the dead like that. "Not just gonna sit back and take it either," she added in under her breath.

He ruffled her hair lovingly before leaving her there to head over and help his mother out of the car. Angela glanced back at the grave and sighed. "I know you're laughin' wherever you are, Koz," she said softly. Kozik was a notorious shit disturber, and she knew she was his favorite person to rile up. He'd often start little tiffs with her and Mel or Hap just because he was bored then step in to quell it before it got out of hand. "Stupid ass."

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><p>Graciela's heart warmed at the brief image of her daughter standing with her nephew's arm around her shoulders. Their relationship went far beyond the confines of just being cousins. Happy had been the only man in her life since she was three years old and for that, Graciela was thankful. It would've been easy for him to write her off once he'd gotten into his motorcycle club, but he hadn't. He'd made a promise to her father to be there for her, and he had kept it. He'd taught her the little things every father taught his daughter and more. Though he spent most of his time in Tacoma or traveling the country, Happy called her once a day. The only birthdays he'd missed had been when he'd been in jail and even then, he'd managed to send her a present or two. She'd forever be grateful to him for making her little girl into a strong, intelligent woman.<p>

She approached Angela slowly, standing between her daughter and her sister with Happy on the other end of his mother. The white headstone was a great tribute to the man buried beneath it. Graciela could remember the first time Happy had brought Kozik to their house ten years before. Both of them had been fresh out of jail and looking for a home cooked meal. Since then, Kozik had come in and out of their house as though he was part of the family too. And they loved him as such. She'd had selfish dreams of seeing him married to Angela so that he could really be part of their broken, little family. Deep down, she knew it would never work out, though. Kozik was a man that was born for leaving just like Happy. To them, women were for fun, not to settle down with.

And now her daughter had a new man. Juan Carlos. Why Angela felt the need to hide him from her, she'd never understand. Elena had reminded her countless times that she'd also hidden her relationship with her now deceased husband for years from her parents. It wasn't until he proposed that Graciela had decided to tell her mother that the tattooed man who had been visiting her was more than just a friend. But this was different. She was more understanding than her mother had been. There was no reason to hide this from her unless she was embarrassed by him or worse…embarrassed by _her_.

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><p>The four of them stood at the foot of the grave in silence; each immersed into their own thoughts. The silence made Angela uneasy. The three other people in her small family all handled death the same way. They dug a deep hole and buried the dead in their hearts only speaking of them in passing. Once her father passed, Angela had begged for stories about him from both her mom and aunt, but neither gave in. When she was little, Happy would oblige her with them as bedtime stories but those stopped when he deemed she was too old for bedtime stories. It was like the dead were pushed into tiny compartments where they should be seen in the pictures that littered the walls but never heard of. Her heart ached with the pain of missing Kozik, brought up again by seeing the sadness on her Aunt's face, the tears in her mother's eyes. Despite the presence of her family, Angela suddenly felt like she was all alone.<p>

She felt something brush against her shoulder and the feeling lessened. Lifting her head, she was surprised to see Juice standing beside her. His eyes were on the stone as though he was trying not to call too much attention to himself. She tilted her head against his arm, relaxing as he slid an arm around her waist, fingers curving around her hip and pulling her in closer to his side. She moved her arm around his torso, leaning on him both literally and figuratively. His lips brushed against her forehead making her heart skip a beat. Just being close to him eased the pain of everything she'd gone through in the past weeks. Losing Kozik, killing Mel...it was all easier to bear with him at her side.

Elena was the first to turn around, looping her arm through Happy's and pulling him along with her towards the car. "Enough of this sadness. Let's focus on something happier," she said, nodding to the other three people standing there. _"Vamos_." Graciela followed them, walking towards the cars leaving Angela and Juice standing behind. (_Let's go_.)

Juice waited until her mother, aunt, and Happy had walked away a bit before squeezing Angela's hip to catch her attention. "Ready to go?"

She nodded, waiting for his hand to fall from her waist so she could lace her fingers through his. Juice headed straight to Graciela, his shoulders back confidently. "Mrs. Ruiz, I don't know if you remember me," he started, one hand still holding tightly to Angela's the other gesturing as he spoke.

"Yes,of course, I remember you, _Juancito_," Graciela interrupted with a small smile. "You are the man who has my daughter's heart."

Angela rolled her eyes at her mother's overly dramatic statement, fighting the urge to laugh at the confused look on Juice's face. "Uh...yeah," he replied awkwardly.

"I'm not as blind as I look," Graciela stated, looking at her daughter briefly before her dark eyes settled back on Juice. "And you two are not good at hiding it. I knew the night I met you that you were not just her friend_._"

"Ma…" Angela started, but her mother's look cut her off.

"And I am so glad she finally found someone who will put up with all her craziness because I was starting to think she would be alone for the rest of her life," she said, smiling at Juice before reaching up a hand to pat his cheek lightly. "And we'd be left with no grandchildren. Huh, Elena?"

Elena smiled warmly at them and nodded, "_Angelita's_ our last hope."

"And you wonder why I didn't tell you," Angela muttered in response, earning herself a smile from Juice.

"Happy, _mi amor_, can you show us to a grocery store? Lena and I wanted to make dinner for us all since I'm pretty sure my daughter would not be very successful at it," Graciela said flippantly. "We can meet you two back at _Juancito_'s house." (_My love_)

Juice nodded, his jaw clenched at the small dig at Angela. If that was a habit, he understood why Angela avoided visiting. "Yeah, sure. Angel just made some awesome cupcakes for dessert. Best I've ever had."

Angela's heart skipped a beat at his subtle way of getting back at her mother's rude comment. She squeezed his hand thankfully while Elena grinned her approval. "Angela's a great baker," the older woman commented.

"_Ay_, but where is that going to get her? Her children can't eat cookies and cupcakes their whole life!" Graciela exclaimed on a scowl.

Happy watched Angela's hands curl into fists, her lips pressed together in an effort not to explode. "Let's go," he said, helping his mother over to the passenger's side of Graciela's maroon Honda Accord. "C'mon Tia. Follow me to the store. We'll meet up with them later."

Graciela spared her daughter one last look before getting in the car. Once the car pulled away, Angela stuck her tongue out at its tail lights. "So that went well," Juice said on a sigh as he let go of her hand and draped his arm over her shoulders instead. "She know about the baby or was that just…"

"Oh no, that's just her," Angela said, slipping an arm around his waist and squeezing his side. "See why I didn't tell her earlier?"

Juice nodded emphatically. If he'd been faced with baby mentions like that earlier in their relationship, it would've seriously freaked him out. "She's…somethin' else."

"Yeah, a monster," she muttered as they walked towards her Mazda. "You drove?"

"Gemma called me while I was at the hospital. Said she saw you walkin' over. I figured you'd have to be hurting, so I didn't ride."

Angela sighed, glancing up at him with a tired look on her face. "I had to see him, Juice. I had to…figure shit out."

He nodded in understanding; he'd done something similar after he killed Miles. "I get it, Angel. Just call me next time. I was just hangin' with Clay, I woulda picked you up."

"I know, but I needed to do this on my own," she said softly, smiling as he opened the door for her. "Thanks, though."

Juice leaned into the doorway as she got in, his head level with hers. "I'm here for you, baby. You know that."

She took his face in her hands and kissed him quickly before he walked around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat. "Nice line about the cupcakes, by the way."

"Just stickin' up for my girl," he said on a shrug. He started the car, taking off with a roar of the engine and a squeal of the tires. The move earned himself a grin from Angela as she rolled down her window, the wind blowing her hair all around her face. "You going to tell them about our little monkey?"

Angela let her hand drift on the wind outside the window, a pensive look on her face as she watched the town go by. "Hap thinks I should."

"What do you think?"

"I think it'll cause an onslaught of craziness," she answered honestly. "My mom will be thrilled for a minute before she starts with the questioning about…certain things. My aunt will be upset."

Juice sighed, running a hand over his Mohawk. He knew exactly why Angela was expecting those reactions and it all had to do with the lack of a ring around her finger. She'd moved the Claddagh ring back to its original spot on her right hand citing that she hated having to explain why it was on her left ring finger when she was neither married nor engaged. He thought it was a wise decision; the guys were likely to start giving him crap if they heard he'd given his girl a promise ring.

He'd been toying with the idea of proposing for awhile now. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Angela, but the idea of putting a ring on her finger, binding them together for life was a bit daunting especially since her big, bad cousin would have his head should he ever hurt her. Dating her had been hard, but if he fucked up while they were married, he'd be on the business end of Happy's Glock in seconds. And he fucked up a lot. It wasn't just that, though. Marriage was a big commitment, and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. Angela had been the only person he'd been with for three years now but how much longer until he slipped? All it took was one drunk night.

But not taking that step, not committing could possibly mean losing her. Sure, they'd always have the kid to tie them together, but the thought of someone else with his hands on her made him physically ill. She was his Old Lady. Ring or not, _crow_ or not, Angela would always belong to him. "I'm sorry, Angel," he murmured as he pulled into the drive.

"For what?" she asked on a light laugh, her eyes glittering with amusement. She honestly couldn't care less about getting married. The fact that Juice was still with her after all that time meant something more than any ring could. To her, getting married meant an unbreakable bond. Once they took that step, there was no going back, no easy way out. The club lifestyle didn't make that any easier. The loose women, the constant runs, and countless "club rules" that justified cheating all made it hard to be truly faithful. She knew he hadn't strayed yet, but she was also aware that out of the three years they'd been together, he'd been in prison one, and the other two had been during that infamous "honeymoon" period where their relationship was still new and exciting. She worried what would happen once they passed that stage, if he'd get bored of her and start wandering especially when she started getting bigger. "Its not like I would've said yes."

"Oh, really?" he shot back, getting out of the car and going to open her door. When he got it open, he dropped down to one knee. Angela's heart kicked into over drive; no way was he going to propose on the fly like this. Her eyes widened in surprise, but then he lifted his head, giving her a shit eating grin. "What? Just tying my shoes."

She groaned, waiting for him to stand before punching his arm. "Shit, you almost gave me a heart attack, asshole!"

Juice laughed as they walked up to the front door together. "Stress is bad for the baby, Angel," he teased, his grin at full wattage.

"I'll stress you in a minute, Juan Carlos," she shot back, fighting a smile. She opened the door and sighed happily, as usual, the house was pristine. The only thing out of place was the juice box she'd left sitting on the coffee table.

"Where the hell did this come from?" Juice asked, grabbing the small juice box and inspecting the label. He was happy to see that it was one hundred percent juice which meant she was at least trying to be healthy.

"Went on a Costco run with the Prospects earlier today. Remind me not to do that again," she said on a laugh. She'd been forced to go since Juice and Hap insisted a prospect stay with her at all times and both V-Lin and Rat were needed for the shopping trip. They'd made her a little seat on one of the flat orange carts and wheeled her around which was a lot more fun than she thought it would be. "They had a list a mile long and no idea how to pack the carts. The only helpful one was Phil…as usual, and he wasn't even supposed to be there."

"Startin' to get worried he's got a thing for you," Juice headed towards the kitchen to throw away the trash, opening up the fridge to see a whole pallet of juice boxes. He smiled to himself wondering if they were one of Angela's pregnancy cravings.

Angela snorted at the idea of it. After hearing how Phil had found her, she'd gone and bought him the full set of Walking Dead comics. Ever since then, he'd been the most helpful of all Juice's brothers. Hap included. "Nah, he just likes the samples. I took advantage and got some food for us too."

"Like juice boxes?"

"I had a craving," she stated simply, a smirk on her face as she entered the kitchen. He was digging around through the fridge, looking for a beer, no doubt.

"For juice?" he asked, head almost all the way inside. He felt her warm arms wrap around his waist, hands sliding under his cut and t-shirt.

"I _always_ have a craving for Juice," she murmured suggestively, pressing an open mouthed kiss to his neck before moving around him to grab a juice box.

His arm slid around her waist, pulling her into his side before capturing her lips with his own. He pulled her away from the fridge, shutting it closed behind her. His hands move over the curve of her ass, grabbing just underneath it to lift her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he headed towards the bedroom. "Let's see if I can satisfy that craving," he teased, grinning when she let out a breathy laugh.

"You've never let me down before."

* * *

><p>Juice leaned back in his chair, his eyes locking on Angela's from across the table. Her mom and aunt had made plenty of food for all of them to eat, and he'd eaten way too much of it. He grinned at her, feeling completely happy for the first time in a while. Having a family had always been something he'd yearned for. It was the reason he'd joined the Sons, the reason he'd never missed one of Gemma's family dinners. The sense of community, the feeling of love was something he'd always felt was missing from his life. Sitting at his own table with Angela's family around him gave him that sense of family that not even Gemma's dinners had. Graciela doted on him as if he were her own son, constantly making sure his plate was full, pestering him about not eating more the same way Elena was doing to Happy. His heart felt full and warm at the idea of being accepted into this little family.<p>

"_Juancito_, tell me about your family," Graciela said, patting his hand affectionately. "Do they live nearby?"

"Um...my Ma lives in New York. Don't really talk to her all the much," he answered honestly.

"And your father?"

He glanced across the table at Angela who was glaring daggers at her mother. Sucking in a deep breath, he shrugged. "Never met the guy."

"But he's Puerto Rican too? That's where Ortiz comes from, right?"

Angela's shoulders tensed, a scowl crossing her face. "Ma_ma_," she chastised. She glanced at Happy out of the corner of her eye noticing the bored look on his face. He didn't sense that anything was wrong, which was good. She'd thought from the get go that the race of Juice's father wouldn't be as big of a deal as he thought to his club, but at the same time, she didn't want to risk it either.

"What? I need to know these things!" Graciela exclaimed as though her prying questions were no big deal.

Juice shrugged again in answer. "Never met him. Ortiz is my Ma's name," he explained. Not a lie but not the whole truth either.

"And you don't speak Spanish?"

He shook his head in answer. "Nope."

She looked slightly disappointed at his answer. "Do you want children, Juan?"

Angela locked eyes with him, a small smile tugging at her lips as she winked at him. He grinned back at her as he nodded his response to the question. "Well…," he started but was cut off quickly by a sharp gasp at the end of the table.

Elena had her hand over her heart, her eyes narrowed at Angela. "_No me vas a decir que estas embarazada._" (_Don't tell me you're pregnant_.)

"_No te digo entonces_," Angela drawled out on a shrug. It was better to face the issue head on. (_I won't tell you then.)_

"_Sin casarte_?" Elena put in, disapproval written all over her face. (_Without getting married?)_

"It's okay, _Tia," _she shot back, rolling her eyes.

Juice watched with wide eyes as Elena yelled something back in Spanish. Then all of a sudden, all three women were shouting at once, a mixture of Spanish and English words combining into one loud argument. Happy caught his attention and nodded towards the backyard doors. "Let's go. Give 'em some space," he said in a low voice, nodding towards the door. Juice hesitated briefly, trying to catch Angela's eyes, but she was too locked in a staring contest with Elena as the older woman berated her in Spanish…or at least that's what it sounded like since Juice couldn't understand them. Hap's voice cut through his thoughts. "Now, idiot."

Sighing, he followed Happy to the backyard taking a seat in the vacant Adirondack chair next to the Tacoma killer. He ran a hand over the strip of hair on his skull. "I don't understand Spanish, but I'm guessin' that could've gone better."

Happy nodded his head as he lit a cigarette. "Ma's old school. Graci didn't give a shit though. Was tryin' to keep from smilin'."

"One down, one to go," he muttered sarcastically.

He smirked and shook his head at the idiot. "You thinkin' of doin' it?"

Juice didn't need to ask what he was implying. He knew what Elena was upset about; Angela had already warned him she would be. "Can I?"

Happy's eyebrows lifted briefly in surprise. "Askin' my permission?"

"I guess so," he said on a nervous laugh.

Happy took another drag off his cigarette, staring down at the smiley face lighter in his hand. The one his little cousin had given him. "Don't do it for the kid. Ma'll get over it."

"I'm not…it's not about the kid, Hap. I've been thinkin' about it for awhile now," he admitted, glancing over at Happy. "I love her, and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. It's the right thing to do."

The words irked Happy. He didn't _think_ it'll change anytime soon? What the hell was that supposed to mean? How could he trust him with his little girl with some wishy washy bullshit like that? If Juice wanted him to give away his little cousin, he'd have to have a stronger argument then that. He shook his head. "Don't think it's a good idea."

Juice felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He'd never thought his brother would say no to him. "Hap, I…"

"Have the kid, take care of the kid, but if you ain't sure about the way you feel about her…don't take that step 'cause it's something you can't take back," he explained, flicking the ash off his cigarette. "That ring goes on, and she's yours. That's it. No gettin' out of it. That shit is for life."

The threat was laced through his words. Once he was married, the only way to leave her would be in a box. ''Til death do us part' was clearly no joke in Happy's book. He had a feeling Angela felt the same way which explained her hesitance and why she never pushed for it. Did she really not trust him enough to stay true to her? Or was she just scared of what would happen to him if he messed up? Either reason bothered him. He'd never given her reason to doubt him, and he'd proved he was capable of handling himself. "I know," he said softly. "And I'm ready for that."

Happy just shook his head in response, looking over his shoulder through the glass pane door as it slid open, hitting the other side with a loud _smack_. Angela stepped out, slamming the door closed behind her, her hand clenched into tight fists. "Fuck. That. Shit," she practically growled, pointing back at the kitchen. "I'm so _tired_ of being the fuck up! I can't do _anything_ right, damn it!"

"Calm down, kid," Happy said on a scowl as he got to his feet.

"No! Fuck that! Do you have any idea what I just went through? The shit I have to deal with on a constant basis? No! Of course not! Happy can do no fucking wrong, but I get pregnant and they have a shit attack!" she shouted, all in one breath. Juice's mouth hung open in shock; he'd never seen her so upset nor had he ever seen anyone yell at Happy like that. "I swear to God, Ma has been asking, _begging_ to be a fucking grandma and she was fine until your Mom has to butt in with her stupid old school crap and now it's all fucked up! I can't do this anymore, Hap! I'm not some stupid teenager they can order around! I'm almost thirty fucking years old! This babying shit is ridiculous! I can make my own damn decisions!"

Juice stood, ready to protect Angela should Happy make a violent move out of his anger. The Tacoma killer surprised him, though. Instead of shouting back at her, he set a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "Relax. I got them," he said, squeezing her shoulder. He kissed her temple before nodding at Juice. "Take care a her."

"Yeah," Juice answered, already moving towards Angela. As soon as Happy was gone, she slid her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his neck. He held her tightly, turning his head to kiss her temple while running his hand up and down her back. "I'm sorry, Angel. This is…my fault."

She pulled away to look up at him. "No, it's not," she said, a stubborn look on her face. "They're just…awful."

He chuckled, brushing the hair out of her face gently. He was glad to see she wasn't crying; she just looked pissed. He was glad her anger wasn't aimed towards him. "They love you and they're scared I'm going to leave you high and dry with a baby to boot. That's what this is about. It's got nothing to do with you being a fuck up. It's got everything to do with them not knowing me. It'll get better."

"Promise?" she asked, her eyes hopeful.

He nodded, kissing her softly. "How 'bout that beach trip?"

A smile broke out across Angela's face, her eyes lighting up in excitement. "Really?"

"Soon as you get your stitches out, we'll go," he said, chuckling as she threw her arms around her neck, hugging him tightly. "Already got the okay from Jax 'n' everythin'."

"Thank you, thank you, thank _you_," she said, pressing a kiss to one of the thunderbolts on his head. He squeezed her tightly, lifting her off her feet. As crazy as the day had been, she felt like she won the lottery wrapped in his arms. Tears stung her eyes as her heart started beating fast in her chest. God, she loved this man.

He took her face in his hands, swiping his thumbs under her eyes to catch her tears. "These are happy tears, right?" he asked, his eyebrows knit together in concern.

"Yes, goofy," she said on a content sigh. "Very, _very_ happy tears."

* * *

><p><strong>Just a little bit of regular life before I start in on Season 5. Let me know what you think! :D<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	60. The Aftermath

**Sorry for the long wait! I've been applying for the new job and helping my old job get ready for summer so life has been kind of crazy! **

**I'm heading off to Orlando to visit Disney World for the next to weeks so I wanted to post ASAP! **

**Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who has stuck by me and has taken the time to review! I'm working on PM-ing ya'll, but I figured I'd post the chapter first since I have to be on the plane in an hour... ;) **

**This takes place before Season 5...Season 5 is coming though, I promise! Might sound like a bit of a filler, but its setting up a few things, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Chloe**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 60: The Aftermath_

_By Love Ink_

Angela watched the gentle ebb and flow of the ocean waves from her seat in the sand. Juice had made good on his promise and had brought her to some club affiliate's beach house in Aptos. It was a beautiful place, right on the water with its own private beach. The sun was slowly starting to rise in the distance. A breeze blew past, blowing her hair into her face and making her shiver. An alarm on her phone had woken her up at this ungodly hour, the event on her calendar reminding her to call "the Kozik brothers". She'd set it for an afternoon reminder but obviously Koz had messed with it, trading the PM for AM. He was always doing shit like that. Wiping at her eyes, she pulled out her phone. She didn't think the reminders would still be on it considering she'd had to get a new one after Mel destroyed the last one. Apparently when Juice synced her contacts, he'd done her calendar as well. Wiping at her eyes, she opened her voicemail folder. She had a few saved from each brother. Most of them said the same thing. She knew it was going to hurt, but she pressed play anyway.

Mel's voice blasted through the speaker along with a whole mess of noise behind him. "_Geela!_" he shouted, stretching her name into an annoying call. He was drunk; he always called her when he was drunk. "_Gee! I passed my boards! Fuck yeah! Why aren't you here? You should be here! I miss you, Gee! All right, I gotta go! I love you, you gorgeous undertaker, you!"_

Tears were streaming down her face. Hearing his voice, how happy he sounded, made her heart twist painfully. She'd never get a drunk call or a silly text from him again, and it was all her fault. What had she done? She'd single handedly killed her own best friend.

The next message started before she could stop it. "_Angie-pie! Just callin' to let you know I made it here all right_," Kozik's voice came bright and happy. The message was from the last month of Juice and Happy's incarceration when Kozik had to go on a run for a few days. She'd made him promise to call when he got to whatever secret location he was going, and he'd humored her like she knew he would. Hearing the old message after his death took on a whole new meaning and before she could press pause, she was sobbing. "_Stay strong while I'm gone, kiddo. Keep swimmin' and all that shit. Should be back home in a day or two, you need anythin' call Piney. Old man's gotta be good for somethin'. Love you._"

Pulling her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her knees, and buried her face into the little space between her legs and chest. Sobs shook her entire body making it hard for her to breathe. Their voices kept playing in her head on separate loops making it hard for her to think of anything other than the two people she'd lost. There were too many conflicting emotions running through her making sitting there that much harder. She had to go, had to move. She scrambled to her feet, painfully aware of the healing wound on her calf as she started to run.

Juice had been watching her from the backdoor of their little rental. He'd woken up in the middle of the night to a cold bed with the backdoor wide open. He'd been watching her for awhile now, giving her the space he knew she wanted. If she wanted him, she would've woken him up. When he saw her put her head down, he unhitched himself from the door and headed her way only to have her spring up and start running.

His heartbeat kicked up a notch as he watched her take off down the beach. She wasn't supposed to run; Chloe had specifically told her not to when she was getting her stitches out. The bullet wound on her calf had only just healed and running could damage it. Without another thought, he ran after her, catching up with her easily. Reaching out a hand, he grabbed her arm, pulling her to him.

She reacted violently to his touch, spinning around, her fist at the ready. "Angel! Stop!" he shouted, ducking out of the way of her fist before taking her wrist in his hand and drawing her close.

Angela struggled against him for a moment before she gave up and sagged against him, her forehead pressed to his collar bone. "I killed him," she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. She was out of breath and shaking. Juice wasn't sure if it was from the cool sea air or something else. She sucked in another hard breath, tilting her head back to meet his eyes. There was a look of fear, of desperation in her eyes that chilled him to the bone. "My Melly, I just…killed him. He's gone. He's not coming back and neither is Koz and I…I can't…"

Juice took her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking over the wet tracks of her tears. Her breathing was coming much too fast, almost as if she was about to hyperventilate. It scared the shit out of him. "Hey, hey. Calm down, Angel. Breathe," he soothed, trying to get her to relax. "It's okay, baby."

She shook her head emphatically, taking a step away from him. She was sick and tired of hearing that it was okay. "That's just it! It's not! It's not okay, Juice! I _killed_ someone! I killed my friend and I…I loved him and I didn't want him to be gone. I didn't _want_ this! I wanted to be happy! I wanted _him_ to be happy! And now he's just…gone! And it's my fault."

He felt his heart break just a little when her voice cracked on the last word. It hurt to hear her say she loved Mel, though he knew it was a different kind of love. It was the same love she associated with Koz and Happy. She hung her head, her shoulders shaking as another sob escaped her lips. "I'm so sorry, Angel," he said, taking her hands into his. Squeezing her hands, he tried to think of what else to say. He knew what she was feeling; he'd been there not so long ago. "This sucks. I know it does. It hurts and you feel like shit and all you want is for the pain to end because you keep thinking of what their life would be like now…what they'd be doing and how you fucked it up and it's like a stab to the chest every time."

Her head snapped up, dark eyes meeting his, widening slightly; he'd hit the nail on the head. She swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah."

"I know, baby. I know," he answered, letting go of one of her hands to push a strand of hair out of her face. "That feeling…it doesn't go away. Not completely. But it _does_ get easier to bear. You gotta remember why you pulled the trigger. He was going to hurt you. He _had_ already. He could've hurt our baby. That's why you did it. You didn't kill your friend, you killed the asshole who was about to hurt your family. Right?"

Angela nodded, a shaky breath escaping her lips. The things he said about Mel, though harsh, were true. The man she had shot was not the same man that left that drunken message. It was what had allowed her to pull the trigger so easily in the first place. But there were so many good memories of Mel, that the bad usually were pushed away and it was those good memories that haunted her. "Yeah."

"You gotta focus on that, Angel," he urged, his eyes locked on hers hoping to God his words were sinking in. He knew what a kill like this could lead to. It had driven him right up a tree. She leaned into him, her arms slipping around his waist, nose nuzzling the skin of his neck reminding him again of what he'd attempted. " 'cause this shit will eat at you. Make you do stupid things. You are an amazing, strong girl, Angel. Don't let this change you. Remember what you were fighting for."

"Okay," she croaked, on the verge of tears yet again.

His hand smoothed down her back as he felt her shoulders start to shake again, her tears hot against his skin. She was broken and falling apart, and he had no idea how to fix it. Angela was always so strong, so sure of herself. Seeing her like this scared the crap out of him.

Kozik had once mentioned how Angela liked to be touched, liked to be held. The blonde had suspected that she hadn't gotten enough hugs when she was younger from her elders. Juice wouldn't be surprised if that was true. Besides the brief kiss on the cheek, her mother and aunt didn't show very much warmth towards Angela, and he was positive Happy didn't cuddle unless absolutely necessary. In fact, he'd seen Happy on more than one occasion forcibly push her away and tell her to stop crying. So he held her tighter, trying to express his support through his embrace and hoping it was the right thing to do.

They watched the sun rise together, her head tucked underneath his chin, his arms still securely around her. Dressed in just his boxers, Juice was freezing, and he was willing to bet Angela was too. He let her go for a brief moment, only to sweep her up into his arms. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, her hand reaching up to cup the side of his face. He gave her a soft smile before her lips met his. "Thank you," she whispered, relaxing against him, her head on his shoulder.

"I got you, Angel," he said, kissing her forehead. A sense of triumph and pride came over him; he rarely got things right, but it seemed he finally managed to do something good for once. "Always."

* * *

><p>Angela woke up the next morning with something incredibly fuzzy under her cheek. Wrinkling her nose, she opened an eye to find her head pillowed, not against Juice, but against the gigantic brown teddy bear he'd won the day before playing the star shootout game at the boardwalk. Funny, she hadn't remembered falling asleep on the "biker bear" as Juice called it since the stuffed thing was wearing a fake leather vest and a bandana. Reaching out a hand, she was surprised to find his side of the bed empty; he usually woke her up when he moved. "Juice?" she called out.<p>

No reply came, but she could hear him talking in the living room. Groaning, she glanced at the alarm clock. Six AM. "Do they ever sleep?" she mumbled to herself as she slid out of bed. She grabbed his t-shirt off of the ground and slipped it on before padding her way towards the living room.

Juice was pacing back and forth wearing just his jeans, phone pressed to his ear. She leaned against the entrance of the hallway, watching him while eavesdropping on his conversation. "What?...Everything okay?...C'mon, Chibs. We _just_ got here…I can't…"

He stopped pacing when he saw her. Dressed in one of his t-shirts with her hair still rumpled from sleep, she still looked beautiful. A concerned look crossed her face as if she sensed something was wrong. "Yeah, all right. I'll let her know," he said on a sigh before snapping his prepay shut.

"What happened?" she asked, her dark eyes wide with worry.

He sighed, running a hand over his face. "Club shit. I…We gotta go back, Angel."

Disappointment flickered across her face for an instant before she sucked in a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. "At least we got one day, right?"

"Yeah," he rasped, feeling like shit as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. He felt shoulders sag in response as if all the stress she'd been running away from had come back. They'd only gotten to spend one full day at the little getaway house. Only one day relaxing, acting like a normal couple before the club came calling. He wondered if they were ever going to catch a break. If things would ever calm down long enough for them to get some respite from the craziness of the past few weeks. "I'm sorry, Angel, but..."

"Stop," she interrupted, tilting her head back so her eyes met his. "You need to be there for your family, I get it. It's okay."

Juice sighed, leaning his head down so his forehead was pressed against hers. He knew this crazy life he had was hard to keep up with. Most women would be pissed if their vacation was interrupted by work, but Angela wasn't most women; she understood that the club came first. He had a feeling it was something she'd grown used to growing up with Happy as the only man in her life. "I love you, you know that, right?" he asked, kissing her quickly before letting go.

Angela gave him a tired smile as she nodded. "Love you too," she said, sighing as he disappeared down the hall to the bedroom to pack. She watched him go with a sinking feeling in her heart. She wanted, no, _needed_ to spend time away from Charming, and just when she was starting to relax, they were going right back. She kept the smile on her face but on the inside, she was screaming.

* * *

><p>"That was a fast trip," Chloe said as she entered Angela's small house. After treating the other girl off the books for the bullet wound and stab wounds, the two had grown closer. Angela knew she could trust the young nurse, and since Tara was so deep in her own shit, it was nice to have someone else to talk to. "You were gone for, what…"<p>

Angela sighed as she followed her friend to the kitchen table. "One whole day," she answered tiredly taking a seat on one of the wooden chairs. "It was nice."

"Ang…" Chloe said, seeing through her friend's nonchalance. She knew her trip getting cut short bothered her; she wouldn't have invited her over if it hadn't.

"There's nothin' I can do about it, Chlo," she said with a shrug. "What'd ya bring me?"

"Ice cream and cheesy movies of the animated variety. Figured you need to learn some Disney 'fore the little brat comes."

Angela rolled her eyes. "I know my Disney quite well, thank you very much."

"Ever seen these?" she asked, holding up a DVD with an alligator and an African American princess on the front and another with a blonde with very long hair. At Angela's blank look, she grinned. "These are the new generation, sweetheart."

"God, I'm old," she scoffed, raking her hand through her hair. "Why the hell do you have these anyway?"

Chloe shrugged a shoulder, pulling out two large tubs of ice cream. One coffee flavored, the other Neapolitan. "I like to stay current for my patients."

Angela laughed, already reaching for the coffee ice cream as Chloe went to grab spoons. "Liar," she teased, smirking at her friend as she went to put the DVD in.

"I know," she said on a laugh, grabbing her own tub and following Angela to the couch. They both plopped down on it, kicking their feet up onto the table. Chloe handed Angela a spoon and together they settled in for a night of Disney movies and ice cream.

Juice fought the urge to laugh at the sight before him when he and Hap entered the house. Angela and Chloe were both lying on opposite ends of the couch, totally asleep. Two empty tubs of ice cream sat on the table while an animated movie blared in the background. Something with frogs.

"What the hell?" Happy asked, his rough voice low so as not to wake them.

"Looks like someone was having fun," he said, laughing as he glanced up at the screen. A little bug was singing some slower song. "Pretty song."

Happy scowled at him in response. The only reason he'd decided to join the idiot on the way back home was to check in on his cousin. Now, he was starting to regret that decision. "Wake her up."

Juice shook his head, rounding the couch and sliding his arms underneath her sleeping form before easily lifting her up. "She sleeps heavier now," he explained, cradling her against his chest. "I'm gonna put her to bed if you want to get Chlo."

_Get Chlo?_ What the hell did he mean by that? Before he could ask, the idiot had already disappeared leaving him staring at the nurse. " 'ey," he said, shaking her shoulder gently.

Chloe stirred, her brows furrowing together before her hazel eyes slid open. "Shit," she groaned, sitting up slowly.

He had to admit, he was surprised at her cool exterior. Most people would've jumped out of their skins if he'd woken them up. "You all right?"

"Me?" she asked, raking a hand through her midnight black hair. At his nod, she shrugged. "Totally fine. It's her I'm worried about."

Hap nodded in agreement. "She say anythin'?"

Chloe shook her head slowly. "Nope. It's just…pregnant women are supposed to…glow, y'know? Haven't seen her glow very much."

"She unhappy with the idiot?"

"Nah, its not him. She loves him," she answered confidently. She bit her lip, mulling over how best to explain it. "Look, I don't know what happened to her. The bullet, the stab wound…whatever it was…she's not dealing with it right. Add that on to losing her two friends…she's exhausted. The getaway she was supposed to go on? That would've been really good for her."

Happy sighed, knowing she was right. "Ain't nothin' I can do about that."

"I know," she said, sighing. "Well, I'm gonna head back. Let the two of them be before I start hearin' things I really don't want to."

He watched her stand, those long legs of hers that were usually covered by the ugly scrubs now tightly covered by a pair of yoga pants that showed off every curve those scrubs hid. His eyes traveled up her body to the sporty neon green top she was wearing that was just as tight. Girl had curves all over, he noticed. But it was her eyes that got him. The intelligence those golden hazel eyes held as they surveyed him with open curiosity. "Need a ride?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"Nah," she said on a shrug. "Thanks, though."

He nodded in response before heading to the door. "I'll walk ya out. Don't want to hear anythin' either."

"Homicide prevention?" she teased.

Happy flashed her a wicked grin, if she only knew how close to the truth she was. "You know it."

* * *

><p><strong>Kind of a filler of sorts, but I swear there's a reason I put this in here! ;) <strong>

**Disclaimer 2: I don't own Disney or the Princess and the Frog or Rapunzel...**

**As always, I'd love to know what you think! I'll post a new chapter as soon as I get back! **

**~Love Ink**


	61. Questions and Doubt

**I feel like I apologize for the long wait with every chapter but still...I'm so sorry! I just started a new job so life has been a bit crazy (but in the best way)! :D **

**Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who is sticking with this story and keep leaving me such awesome reviews! I honestly love hearing from all of you and your reviews drive me to write more and more! I PM-ed most of you but thank you to the unsigned in readers: _Eleonora, DarkChild19_**_ (Not sure where I'm going with Chloe and Hap but its a fun idea to play with...), _**and** _**Guest**__(I wish I had a Juice of my own too! That'd be awesome!)_

_**Changed it a bit from the original posting because I made an error in the timeline that was bugging me! :)_

**The end of this chapter is the beginning of Season 5. I'm hoping to get at least partway through before S6 starts but we shall see. :) I already have loads of ideas how I want to handle this season, but if there's anything you want to see, let me know! I always love hearing your input!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela...**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 61: Questions and Doubt_

_By Love Ink_

Six days. It had been six days since Chloe had swept into his house and all but kidnapped Angela to take her on what she insisted was a "much needed vacation." By the third day, Juice had felt so alone in that damn house; he'd gone and bought himself a puppy just to have someone to come home to. It was strange to him how much he missed her. He had this ache in his chest every morning when he woke up without her, when he went about his day without seeing her face or hearing her laugh. She called every once in a while to check in, but it wasn't the same. It felt like a part of him was missing. He wondered if that was how she felt when he'd been in county.

He spent a lot of his time at the hospital with Clay, making sure the ex-president was all right and helping him find a new place since Gemma had kicked him out. Clay had always been a father figure to him, and it felt good to help out the old man in his time of need. He and Chucky had nearly finished unpacking all of the old man's stuff at his new place, doing so under Clay's watchful eyes.

"Your girl gets back tomorrow, don't she?" Clay asked, sitting down in the old armchair they'd found in the MC storage unit.

"Today," Juice corrected, trying and failing to keep a smile off his face as he placed some of Clay's belongings on a shelf. "Missed her."

"Been the only pussy you been hittin' for awhile, huh?"

He shifted uncomfortably where he was standing, trying to hide how much Angela being referred to as "pussy" bothered him. "Yeah," he answered, bobbing his head. "Three years almost."

"She really the only one?"

Juice paused, taking a second to think back on the years that had gone by. He hadn't been with another woman since the first time he'd been with her. It hadn't even been intentional; Angela was honestly the only girl he'd been interested in. Even on runs, her sexy pictures kept him on the straight and narrow. "Yeah, actually," he said on a laugh.

Clay chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head at his brother. "Poor sap. You gonna marry her?"

"Dunno," he answered on a shrug. The disgust apparent in Clay's voice made him a bit ashamed of his future plans to tie the knot. "She's havin' my kid so..."

"That don't mean shit, Juicy. I'd cool it with the Old Lady stuff. You've seen Jax, Ope, me…nothin' good comes of it. Just a steady lay. Bound to get boring after awhile," Clay advised, though deep down in his heart he knew it was bullshit. He'd give anything to have his Old Lady back. "If I was you, I'd be getting my kicks in 'fore the kid comes. You're only young once, son, don't tie yourself down. Lot more exciting things out there than her."

Juice nodded, the statement lingering in his brain. It had never occurred to him that he was moving too fast. In fact, there'd been times people had mentioned they were moving too slowly. His head was spinning now. Would Angela be the last woman he ever had sex with? He didn't know what to feel about it. A part of him was fine with that idea, agreed to it readily; Angela was quite skilled in the bedroom and willing to try almost anything he asked. The other part of him was panicking; maybe there were things he hadn't tried yet, things neither of them knew about because they'd been together for so long. His stomach churned at the thought. Rubbing a hand over his mohawk, he nodded. "Yeah. Guess you're right," he said, more to appease Clay than because he truly believed it. He glanced at his phone before wiping his hands on the thighs of his pants. "I gotta go."

"Think about what I said, Juicy. Lotta good fish in the sea, no reason to hold on to just one."

"Yeah…right. I'll see you later," he replied, before opening the door and heading outside. He'd been looking forward to Angela coming home since the moment he'd woken up, but after that chat with Clay, it felt like a dark cloud had rolled in and blocked his sunshine.

Before he knew it, he was parked in front of his house. He opened the front door, smiling when the German shepherd mix puppy rushed to greet him. Most days, he took the dog with him wherever he went, but he wasn't allowed in the hospital, so he had to leave him at home. "Hey boy," he greeted, rubbing over the puppy's soft fur. "Mama's comin' home today."

He took a heavy seat on the front step, staring out at the street before him while his hand rubbed absentmindedly over his dog's back, his mind still filled with what Clay had said. The ex-President had been the closest thing he had to a father. He'd helped him through all sorts of trials but had never offered up relationship advice. Not that Juice had needed it in the past but still…it felt odd coming from someone who'd Old Lady refused to visit him. But maybe that was the root of it. Maybe Clay was trying to save him the trouble of dealing with an Old Lady like Gemma.

But dealing with Angela had never been troublesome. What they had was easy. Sure, they'd hit some bumps in the road, but never anything to make him second guess her. He loved her. She was having his _kid_; a bond Gemma and Clay had never shared. What they had was different. It had to be.

He heard the bass long before he saw the little Mazda round the corner. Angela had insisted on driving most of the way on their little road trip since she hated being in the passenger seat. Though he'd hated the idea earlier, he was happy about it now; it meant he didn't have to deal with awkward hellos in front of her friend. His heart leapt in his chest, a smile spreading across his face before he could help it. Clay's words were pushed away when he saw her waving at him.

Stepping towards the car, he opened the door for her. Angela grinned up at him in response, her tan skin a few shades darker, face glowing with happiness. God, she was beautiful. "Hey you," she greeted with a bright smile.

He hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time. Chloe had been right, she'd needed this. "Hey baby," he replied, smiling back at her. He pulled her in close, putting his lips to hers in a long kiss. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be back," she replied on a happy sigh. She looked down at the little ball of fluff that was currently making its way over to Juice. "Who's this?"

"Got a little lonely so I invested in a guard dog," he explained, trying to keep the sheepish look off of his face. "This is Rigor. Thought he could take care of my most precious belongings."

She knew he wasn't talking about his video games and felt her heart swell. Getting a puppy just before having a baby wasn't the smartest idea, but if he'd been feeling lonely and his solution was to buy a dog instead of seek out a Croweater; she wasn't going to complain. "Rigor as in rigor mortis?" she asked, already in love with the name. She held out a hand for the puppy to sniff.

He grinned at her as he nodded. "Thought you'd like it."

"I love it," she said, laughing as Rigor licked her hand. "He's a great addition to our little family."

_Family_. The word just about gave him chills. Since he'd been kicked out of his mom's house by his stepfather, family was all he ever wanted. He'd found one in the Sons and now, he was starting his own with his girl. Clay's words couldn't be farther from his mind. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to her feet before giving her one long, passionate kiss. "Love you, Angel," he said, grinning when he saw the dazed look in her eyes. "Glad you're home."

* * *

><p>Something was off. Angela had felt it as soon as she saw Juice again. They'd spent most of the morning in bed, enjoying being reunited after having spent such a long time apart. It was once they got out of bed that Juice had started acting weird. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but he seemed lost in his own head and try as she might, she couldn't pull him out of it. She wondered if she'd messed something up by leaving for so long. Had leaving somehow damaged their relationship? He'd told her more than once that he wanted her to go, to relax, and with his blessing, she'd done just that. Did he resent her for that now? Should she have put up more of a fight to stay?<p>

Even now, standing beside her in front of the clubhouse, he seemed to be millions of miles away, his dark eyes locked on something across the way. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest when she followed his gaze to where a few sweetbutts were milling about. No. There was no way. She was mistaken. He wasn't looking at them. Something else must have caught his attention. "Whatcha lookin' at?" she asked, trying to make light of the situation.

Juice had been looking at the sweetbutts, all three of them new to the clubhouse, less jaded, and younger than Angela. He'd thought he was done thinking about his conversation with Clay from earlier that morning, but seeing the sweetbutts standing there, he couldn't help but wonder if that was what Clay had been talking about. He shook himself from his daze and gave Angela a smile. "The ring. Been a few good matches the past couple nights."

"Oh," she replied, not looking entirely convinced. "You get in on any of 'em?"

He let his hand slide from her shoulders to her bottom. "Nah, I'm a lover, not a fighter," he said, squeezing her ass to emphasize the point.

She laughed, pulling him in for a long, hot kiss. Staking her claim wasn't usually her style, but she'd been gone awhile and wanted to make sure the new sweetbutts knew to stay away. Juice kissed her back, matching her intensity, his hands sliding into the back pockets of her jeans and pulling her in closer.

"Little Angie Ruiz," a voice drawled out, ending their little makeout session.

Angela froze. She knew that voice. Turning, she found the voice's earning giving her a shit eating grin, his hands in his pockets, that stupid snapback on his head. "Hey Greggo," she greeted, smiling when he hugged her tightly, lifting her up off her feet.

"Look at you all grown up! Last time I saw you, you were, what? Nineteen?" Greg asked, ignoring the annoyed looks Juice was giving him.

She'd met Greg in Tacoma when SAMTAC went on a lock down and called the Nomads down for extra help. It'd been one of the few times she'd stayed in the clubhouse for more than an hour. She'd been pissed at Happy and Koz for pulling her out of school for a week because they thought she'd be in danger. Greg had been a newly patched brother, in charge of staying at the clubhouse and keeping watch over the women. He'd charmed her right away, telling her outlandish tales of how he lost his leg. Each time they talked, he'd make up a new one, each time assuring her that everything else still worked very well and he hadn't been lying. "Yeah," she said on a breath. "Been a long time."

"It has. You're still gorgeous as ever," he complimented, winking at her.

She laughed awkwardly, casting a quick glance at Juice who looked ready to kick Greg's ass. "Thanks, Greg."

Greg nodded at Juice. "She yours now?" he asked.

Juice clenched his jaw as he nodded, one arm sliding possessively around her waist. "Yeah, she is."

"Guess Hap finally gave up tryin' to keep you out, huh? Never thought I'd see the day," Greg mused, a smug smirk on his face. Someone called his name from the garage, and he turned. "I gotta get goin', Angie. I'll see you around, sweetheart."

Angela nodded, looking up at Juice as Greg walked away. His eyes lingered on Greg's back, his hand dropping from her waist. She could see the tension in his shoulders and jaw, knew he was upset. He glanced down at her, his dark eyes blazing with an angry fire. She knew he was mad, but she never thought it'd be at her. She hadn't done or said anything wrong.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Nothing. I met Greg once in Tacoma when SAMTAC was on lockdown," she explained carefully. "We hit it off. Apparently, he remembers it."

"Apparently," he repeated on a scoff. He hadn't liked the way Greg was looking at her. Not one bit. It was as if he was undressing her with his eyes, something that made Juice suspicious as to how well they knew each other.

She studied his face, wondering how best to handle his anger in the midst of all of his brothers. Pushing to find out why he was angry was unwise. It could lead to a full blown fight and with Happy walking over to them as he was at that moment, it wasn't a good idea. This was between her and Juice, adding Happy into the mix would only make things worse. Instead, she ignored it and headed in her cousin's direction.

It wasn't until they got back home that he started in on his questioning. "What was that with Greg?" he repeated, his eyes following Angela as she sat on the couch with a sigh. After sniffing around Juice's legs and getting no reaction from him, Rigor padded his way over to her, jumping on the couch and laying his head on her lap.

"Nothing, Juice. Relax," she replied, trying to calm him down.

But Juice couldn't get the way Greg had looked at her out of his head. He was used to men checking Angela out, enjoyed seeing the jealous looks on their faces when he stepped in a laid a claim on her either with a hot kiss or a simple arm around the shoulders. But Greg's smug grin was bugging him. It was as if Greg knew something about her he didn't. And the way he'd asked if she was his _now_ as if she'd belonged to someone else before… "Did you sleep with him?"

Angela grimaced, running a hand through her hair. "Juice…"

He sensed she was about to dodge the question. "Did you sleep with him? Yes or no?" he demanded.

"Why does it matter who I slept with in the past? I'm with you now," she said on a sigh, her hand stroking over Rigor's soft fur.

He ran a hand over his mohawk as he began to pace the room. Her answer was an affirmation of what he'd already guessed; yes, she had slept with the Nomad. "Jesus Christ, Angela," he cursed, shaking his head at her. "Why didn't you say anythin'?"

She winced at the use of her full name; he hadn't called her anything but Angel in months. "You didn't ask," she stated simply.

"I didn't think I had to ask! He's my brother!"

"It happened _years_ ago! I didn't even remember it until I saw him!" she justified, on a laugh. She could see that she wasn't getting anywhere with him, that he was still pissed, so she tried a different tactic. "It was a long time ago, Juice. Way before I met you. I was nineteen, dumb, and pissed at Hap and Koz."

"So you slept with _Greg_?"

"He was the only one who would talk to me!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms out to the side. "I didn't have anything to do with SAMTAC. The one time they go into lockdown, Koz makes sure I go too. The Old Ladies and sweetbutts pretty much ignored me so I found entertainment in other ways."

Juice had never felt so frustrated. His head was reeling. Angela, _his_ Angela, had slept with Greg the Peg. His good, sweet girl had been with one of his brothers before him. No longer was she that untouched girl that he'd made his own. "Like _sleeping _with him? Like some…some…sweetbutt?"

A black rage filled her at the word. Carefully, she lifted Rigor off her lap and set him on the ground before standing. She couldn't believe he went there. That he'd stoop so low as to associate her with _them _for sleeping with _one _of his brothers _years _ago. She was no biker slut. Hell, she could count the number of guys she'd slept with before him on one _hand_. Could he say the same about the Croweaters? She inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to keep it together. "Go to hell, Juice," she seethed, stepping past him and heading towards their room.

He'd regretted the words the instant he'd said them. Reaching out a hand, he grabbed at her wrist, pulling her to him. "Angel…"

She pulled it out of his grasp violently. "Don't touch me," she ground out, putting her hands flat on his chest and pushing him away from her.

The significance of her pushing him away hurt more than the physical action. He watched her walk away from him, feeling like the biggest asshole in the world. He didn't know what had made him say it, what brought the comparison to mind. She wasn't the first Old Lady to bed more than one Son. He should be lucky she hadn't done it while they were together like Gemma had done to JT with Clay. Thinking of her with someone else had driven him over the edge. He winced as the door to their room slammed, the lock clicking into place.

He jogged down the hall, trying desperately to come up with the right thing to say. "Angel?" he said, knocking on the door. There was no answer. He put his forehead against the door, sighing heavily. "Angel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

The door ripped open, almost flying off the hinges. He wasn't surprised; Angela had never been one to shy away from her problems. She met them head on. The only reason she ever locked herself in her room was to cool off, to think things out. "Then why did you say it, huh?" she asked aggressively. "Where did that even come from?"

"I don't even know. I…I can't believe you slept with him. I can't. It's just…you're mine. And to think someone else has…touched you…" he shook his head, not knowing how best to finish that sentence. "It's driving me _insane_."

Angela's anger seemed to abate a little. She was starting understand where he was coming from, and though he was going to have to work hard to make up for calling her a sweetbutt; it wasn't her biggest concern. Juice had a habit of saying stupid things when he was upset, and while that wasn't an excuse, it made it just a little easier to forgive him. "Juice, I was no virgin when I met you. You know that, right?"

He sighed, running a hand over his hair. Of course he'd realized it. She was experienced between the sheets; had even taught him a thing or two…not that he'd ever admit it. "Yeah, I know, I know. I just thought I was the first…"

"Son?" she finished for him, her eyebrows raised. "Why does that matter? You don't seem to care that my first time was with a Mayan."

His eyes grew wide; he hadn't thought about that. It was rare that he thought about what Angela had done before him. Sure, he wondered what she was like as a kid, and Hap had shared a few stories while they were inside, but he'd never once thought about her teenage years. "Goddamn, Angel."

She folded her arms across her chest and shrugged. Nothing could make her ashamed of her past. She'd never been a slut. The handful of guys she'd let in her pants had been carefully chosen, guys she'd dated for days first. "My life before you doesn't matter. Ever since I met you, the very _day_ I met you…there hasn't been anyone else. Can you say the same?"

Juice gave her a guilty look. No, he couldn't. He'd still been having his fun with Croweaters until they'd had their first kiss. After that, Angela had invaded his thoughts, his life, and he hadn't wanted anyone else. "Angel…"

"I know you can't," she said calmly. It didn't bother her. The past was the past. There was nothing she could do to erase the dozens of croweaters in Juice's past. "And I know that you've slept with half the Croweaters at the clubhouse. But I don't give a shit. Is it annoying? Yeah, but I don't care because I have you _now_. You're mine. You have my name on your chest, and I _trust_ you to stay faithful to _me_."

God, she was good at this talking thing. He sighed lengthily, feeling his anger deflate. She was right. The past was in the past. If she could look beyond his Croweater-colored past, he could certainly look past her tryst with Greg. "But _Greg_? Really?"

"Would you like me to go through the Croweaters?"

He scowled at her, shaking his head emphatically from side to side. "No," he answered, looking down at his feet. He looked back up at her with his big puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry for being an ass, Angel. I'm an idiot."

She gave him a small, trite smile. "Yeah, you are," she said, walking by him.

Juice watched her back, inwardly smacking himself for being such a big mouthed idiot. "You're still pissed, right?"

"Oh yeah," she answered on a nod.

He groaned in response, hanging his head down and rubbing at the back of his neck; he knew what that meant. "Am I sleeping on the couch tonight?"

Angela shrugged. "Night's not over yet. We'll see."

* * *

><p>Juice lay on his back on his side of the bed. Rolling his head to the side, he glanced at Angela. She was curled up into a ball on her side, her back to him. Her loose camisole allowed him to see the scar on her back. His eyes traveled from that scar down to the one on her calf. Both scars were shiny and pink, marring her otherwise perfect caramel skin. Reaching out, he ran a finger over the scar on her back.<p>

"Angel," he whispered, his finger still trailing over the small scar. Chloe had told him if the stab wound had been just a bit higher, if the blade hadn't been stopped by one of her ribs…he'd have lost her. He didn't know what he'd do without her. She was no common sweetbutt. She was his Old Lady, his baby Mama, his angel. "I'm sorry. You're not a sweetbutt. Not even close. I should've never compared you to one."

Her thin fingers traced over his arm, swirling over the Reaper inked across it. She'd had a few hours to think of how she wanted to handle this situation. He'd given her space, waiting patiently for her to figure shit out while they ate at separate ends of the couch watching _Hell's Kitchen_ in total silence. She'd gone to bed first, completely drained physically and emotionally. It wasn't long until she felt the bed dip on his side. She ignored him at first, but when started touching her, it got increasingly hard to do so. Now here he was, apologizing again, and she could feel herself start to fold. "Yeah, that was dumb," she replied softly.

As if encouraged by her reply, he moved closer to her. His hind slid over the dip of her hip and settled protectively over the small bump of her belly. "I know," he agreed, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder. His thumb rubbed over her skin, feeling the firmness of her lower stomach. That was _his_ kid in there. He may not have been her first sexual partner, but at least he was the first father of her kids. He hoped he'd be the first and only one to have that title. "He's the only other Son, though, right?"

"Yes," she said, turning in his arm to face him.

"And that Mayan tool was the only Mayan?"

"Right."

"And Mel, right?"

Angela closed her eyes, breathing in a long breath as she nodded. "Yeah," she admitted softly on the exhale. She stopped her mind from going to those memories knowing they wouldn't lead to anything good. Thinking about Mel was starting to get easier, as Juice said it would.

"That it?"

"Two more. Just normal guys from Tacoma. One was a med student, Mel's best friend, and the other was in my program. Hap and Koz scared them both off," she admitted on a sigh. It was during the time period when she'd tried desperately to be normal and live away from Hap and his outlaw life. Happy hadn't taken too well to that. Happy didn't take too well to any man in her life, unfortunately. Juice was the only exception so far. "And then you. That's it. Want to lay out yours for me?"

Juice grimaced, a look she saw in the moonlight that spilled in through the window. She laughed lightly, shaking her head at him. "You know I can't," he said, frowning slightly. He reached out a hand and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I can tell you how many mattered, though. I'll give you a hint…there's only one and she's in this room."

She rolled her eyes, pushing his hand away while she tried not to smile. "Goof!" she exclaimed, laughing as he pulled her in closer.

"Love you, Angel," he murmured, nuzzling his nose against her neck.

She smiled, her arm curling around his head, fingers scratching the top of his mohawk. The residual anger she felt had all but dissipated; it was always hard to stay angry at Juice. "You better," she replied, laughing as he started tickling her. She loved these playful moments filled with laughter. They were such a departure from the seriousness of his outlaw life. In these moments, she felt the most normal as if tomorrow would be just another day at work not a day filled with worrying about whether Juice was going to come home or not.

As if sensing the normality and needing it to end, Juice's prepay went off, putting a screeching halt to the sweet moment. He lay down on his back with a sigh, reaching a hand out to grab the phone. Angela watched him answer it, listening intently for any clues as to why someone was calling him so late and praying that it had nothing to do with her cousin.

He snapped the phone shut and set it back on the bedside table. "I got to go, Angel," he said, grunting as he sat up in the bed. "The guys got ambushed on the way back from the run."

Her eyes widened in shock, heart pounding in her ears. "Are they…is Hap…"

"Everyone's whole," he assured her quickly as he pulled on his pants. "But I gotta go."

He grabbed his knife off the dresser and clipped it onto his belt. Every movement was so practiced; it reminded Angela of a fireman getting ready to go out on a call. "Be safe, Juice," she said, her eyes on him as he shrugged into his cut.

Nodding, he caught her lips in a quick kiss. "See you in the morning. Get some sleep, all right?" he said, brushing his thumb over her cheek. He kissed her once more. "Love you."

"Love you too," she replied, sighing sadly as she watched him walk away, the Reaper disappearing as he turned down the hall.

Once the door had closed, she heard the sound of little paws making their way towards her before a little whine filled the room. She smiled, leaning over the side of the bed and scooping Rigor up into her arms. She knew Juice was training him to stay off the bed, and that starting this habit was one she'd regret when Rigor reached his full size, but at that moment, she didn't really care. She needed someone to cuddle with. "I won't tell dad if you don't," she bargained with the puppy, kissing his soft head. Rigor licked her face as if he understood before stretching out beside her.

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! I'll try and post the next chapter ASAP! :D<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	62. Sidekick

**All the images from SDCC inspired me to update faster! :) I can't wait until someone upload the panel somewhere! (If anyone already has a link to it, let me know! I can't find it anywhere!) **

**THANK YOU so much to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow. Your kind words all mean so much to me! Thanks to those who left unsigned reviews: _Guest 1, Guest 2, _and _Eleonora._**

**This is the official start of Season 5 and is set during episode 1: "_Sovereign"_. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 62: Sidekick_

_By Love Ink_

Angela sat at the desk in the mortuary office balancing the books while Skeeter and Bones prepared for Piney's memorial. She'd brought Rigor along with her, taking him for a run before she started her desk work. The pup was currently curled in the corner in the little bed she'd bought him taking a nap. The beautiful dark wood box filled with the Piney's ashes sat on her desk, a constant reminder of how dangerous the life of a Son could be. It would be buried underneath the headstone Opie had requested in a plot by Donna rather than out with the veterans. Angela had tried to convince him to choose a spot by John Teller, but Opie had adamantly refused. She couldn't blame him. The club had killed his wife and his father, it was no surprise he didn't want Piney's final resting place to be anywhere near its founder no matter how good of friends they were.

"Hey Ang?" Bones voice called from the front hall.

"Yeah?" she replied, leaning back in her chair to wait for her nerdy apprentice to appear.

Bones poked his newly buzzed head in, his thick glasses slipping down his nose. "There's a kid out in the graveyard over by the Winston plots. I already dug the hole for today, but I haven't tarped the dirt so it looks...messy. I was going to do that now, but I didn't want to bug the poor kid. He looked upset as it was and considering its a Son's plot..."

"I got it," Angela said, pushing away from the desk. The sound of her movement woke Rigor and the puppy walked his way over to her, sitting at her ankle and looking up at her expectantly."You finish Mrs. Collins?"

He nodded enthusiastically, squatting down to pet Rigor too. "All prepped and ready for makeup. Skeeter's picking up someone at the hospital, but then he's gonna take the rest of the day off. I got a body ready for the oven which is heating up and I'm going to steal your puppy."

She laughed at his rambling, reaching down a hand to scratch Rigor behind the ears. "Everything sounds good except you stealing my puppy. That's not going to happen. Huh, Rigs?" she cooed to the dog. "C'mon, let's go see who's making Boner nervous in the cemetery."

"He doesn't make me nervous!" Bones shouted after her. "I just...don't want to mess with him."

Angela rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the mortuary and headed towards the cemetery letting Rigor lead the way. The young pup was full of energy which made him an excellent running partner. They'd already gone on a long run though, so Rigor was moving a little slower now, enjoying sniffing the graves as he went. "You pee on one, and I'm gonna have to stop letting you come with me," she warned him.

She saw the lone figure standing at the Winston plot and smiled sadly. Kenny Winston had grown like a weed during the short span of time she'd known him for. Now at almost thirteen, he was taller than she was, obviously taking after his father's size. He was wearing a nice dress shirt and slacks with some dress shoes that looked like they'd seen better days. "Hey Ken," she greeted, surprising the young boy.

He looked up at her with wide hazel eyes, the same color as his father's. "Oh. Hey Angie," he replied on an awkward nod. He looked down at Rigor and smiled, kneeling down to pet him. "He yours?"

"Rigor," she replied on a nod, letting go of the leash so that the puppy could jump all over Kenny.

"Cool," he said, chuckling as Rigor licked his face.

"Did you come for Piney's service?"

Kenny nodded. "Grandma dropped me off early," he explained, still playing with Rigor and letting the dog nip playfully at his fingers. "Ellie didn't want to come. Said she had better things to do."

Angela frowned, a little disappointed in the eldest Winston. She'd have to call her later. "Everyone grieves in their own way," she said on a sigh. "Good to see you though. Been awhile."

"Yeah. Gran doesn't bring us into town often. Just for school. Pop's been at the house, but he doesn't want us to stay with him. Said he's got a lot he has to deal with," he explained on a shrug as he straightened up. "It's all right though. Wouldn't want to bug him."

"He's been through a lot lately, Ken," she assured him. "He loves you, though. You know that, right?"

Kenny nodded, looking at his mother's headstone. "He loved her the most. Wouldn't spend time with us without her. It was nice when Ly came around and he kinda came back to us, but then she went away and he kinda did too."

"I'm sorry, Ken," she said, setting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure it'll mean a lot to him that you came."

"If he even notices," he muttered dejectedly. He kicked at the ground, biting the inside of his cheek, contemplating. He hadn't had someone to listen to him like this in weeks. Not since Lyla left. Mary and Ellie mostly ignored him, and what little friends he had at school didn't get it. They were more interested in learning about the club then about getting to know him. "Ellie says…she says she sometimes wishes Dad had been in the truck, not Mom. Gran agrees with her."

"Do you?"

He shrugged a shoulder and looked up at her, his dark hazel eyes glassy with tears. "Not really. I just wish he was…around. I just…there's so much I want to ask and Grandpa was helping but…now he's gone too. I miss them…a lot," he choked out, tears leaking down his cheeks. "And I know that's stupid of me and I'm acting like a pussy but…I feel so alone."

Angela draped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into her side. "You're not alone, Ken, and you're not a pussy," she assured him, holding him tighter when he hugged her back. She pushed him away to look him in the eyes. Gently she brushed a hair from his cheek and said, "You are a strong young man, Ken. You want to cry, you cry. It doesn't make me think less of you, all right? You want someone to talk to, call me. I'll answer, kiddo. I swear. Even if you just want to talk about a video game or something. And you are _always_ welcome here…the mortuary's awfully quiet and Boner could always use someone to play Halo with. We'll map out bus schedules or I'll come get you myself, okay? You're not alone, Ken. Not if you don't want to be."

Kenny nodded, wiping at his eyes as the sound of motorcycles filled the air; the Sons arriving for the memorial. "Thanks, Angie," he said on a small, relieved smile. She nodded in response, ruffling his hair slightly as she tugged at his tie, straightening it, a curious look on her face. He frowned, letting the silky fabric run through his fingers before giving it one violent tug so it unclipped from his collar. "Gran made me wear it."

She watched him play with it, glancing over her shoulder briefly to wear the bikes were just coming into view. "You want me to take it for ya?"

"Yeah, thanks," he said, looking a little more comfortable without it. He unbuttoned another button, standing up straight and messing with his hair. He looked much older than his twelve years. "Does it look like I've been crying?"

Angela gently brushed off a few tears from his cheeks before shaking her head. "You're good, Ken," she assured him, kissing his forehead. "Remember what I said. You're not alone."

He nodded, hugging her once more. "Thanks, Angie. Love you."

She smiled, ruffling his hair. "Love you too, kiddo."

* * *

><p>Bones threw the black tennis ball down the drive watching as Rigor chased after it. He wondered briefly where one would get a black tennis ball and decided against asking. Outlaw bikers like Angela's boyfriend probably had their own secret store where they got all their own tricked out stuff. Rigor sniffed at the ball before his attention was sidetracked and he pranced off the lot. "Shit," Bones muttered, chasing after him; Rigor was not allowed to roam the cemetery alone lest they find one of his "presents" by a headstone. "Rigs! C'mon!"<p>

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the pack of cut-clad bikers walking towards them, his mentor among them. "Just kidding! You're good," he called after the puppy. Not that Rigor paid him any mind; he was already running clumsily around Juice's ankles awaiting love from his master.

He hadn't talked to Juice in person since he'd helped find Angela. Their paths rarely crossed to begin with, and Bones didn't have a reason to seek him out save for his own curiosity. Angela was like an older sister to him, and after apprenticing with her for a few months, he'd grown accustomed to her laidback, almost silly personality. How that fit in with a clan of outlaw bikers, he'd never understand. But Juice, Angela, and Rigs were heading towards him now while the rest of his brothers got on their bikes and headed out. Bones swallowed hard, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

"Hey. Bones, right?" Juice greeted, a friendly smile on his face as he stuck out his hand for him to shake.

Bones nodded, shaking the outstretched hand weakly before shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah…hi. What can I do for you fellas?" he asked, instantly. _Fellas? _Did he really just call this tattooed biker and his _dog_, _fellas_? He glanced at Angela who was hiding a smile behind her hand. Yeah, he really just did that.

If it bothered Juice, he didn't show it. "Just wanted to thank you for helping find my girl. Phil said you have some serious hacking skills," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "Anythin' you need, you let me know, all right?"

He nodded again. "Cool, yeah, thanks. I mean, you're welcome. I love Angie, I'd do anything for her," he stammered out. At Juice's raised eyebrow, he quickly backpedaled. "I don't love her like that…ew, no. I mean not _ew_ 'cause she's gorgeous…not that I check her out…but…shit…I'm going to stop."

"No worries. I know my Old Lady's hot," Juice said confidently. He reached into his cut, fighting the urge to smile when Bones' eyes widened at the sight of his gun tucked in his holster. "Heard you were a Trekker."

Bones' looked at the little bundle Juice had handed him. Carefully, he unfolded it to reveal a picture of the original cast…signed by each and every actor. "Holy _shit_!" he exclaimed, looking from the framed picture to Juice. "Where the hell did you get this? This must've cost a fortune!"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "I know a guy."

He touched the glass reverently. These people were his idols. Growing up in a low income house, his Star Trek tapes and action figures were all he had; his only escape. Holding some remnant of that greatness in his hands left him in utter awe. "This is…wow. Thank you, thank _you_. I mean…wow. This is…beautiful. I mean…wow."

"Keep an eye on my family, Bones," Juice said, squeezing his shoulder. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah, _totally_. I mean, I'da done it anyway but this…this is awesome."

Angela gave him a proud smile in return; she honestly loved Bones like a brother. Hearing her Old Man praise him made her feel like a very proud big sister. "You deserve it, Boner," she said, reaching up to muss his hair. "Now get back to work!"

"I got the van. You want me to take the pup?" Juice asked, leaning down to scratch behind Rigor's ears. The dog looked up at him, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, tail wagging quickly.

"I think he'd be heartbroken if you didn't take him," she said glancing at the latest addition to their family.

He chuckled, kissing Rigs' head. "Daddy's little boy, huh?" he asked the puppy who licked his face in response. Standing up, he closed the distance between him and Angela, sliding his hands under her shirt to settle on the small bump of her stomach. "How's Daddy's little monkey doing?"

"Just fine," she replied, giving him a warm smile.

"And Mama?" he asked, looking at her with those big puppy dog eyes she loved.

Her heart did a flip flop as her smile widened. Pulling him in closer by the front of his cut, she put her lips to his ear. "Mama's about to take Daddy up to her old apartment to break in the new sofa."

Juice's face lit up at the idea, his hands sliding around her hips to grab her rear, drawing her in closer to him. He met her lips with his own, his tongue moving into her mouth to taste her. God, he loved this woman.

"Angie!" Bones shouted from the doorway. "Phone call!"

Angela pulled away, casting a murderous glance over her shoulder at Bones. "I'm gonna kill him," she muttered under her breath.

"You and me both, baby," Juice replied, kissing her quickly. "Go 'head. Get back to work. We'll continue this at home."

"But that's in such a long time," she whined, fake pouting.

He chuckled; her pregnancy hormones had made her horny as hell, and he was loving every minute of it. Clay may advised him to try other girls, but he was more than happy with the one he had. She left him very satisfied. "I'm gonna help Clay a bit. I'll see if I can stop by later for a quickie," he said, giving her a wink.

"I'll send Boner on an errand," she schemed, a devilish smile on her face. "See you later."

"Bye, baby," he replied, kissing her once more then slapping her ass as she walked away. He glanced at Bones just in time to see the kid give him a thumbs up before Angela shoved him inside, cursing at him as she went. He looked down at Rigor and shook his head. "Mama's crazy, Rigs."

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><p>"You ever think about how we'd be like the first to die in a zombie apocalypse?" Bones asked from his seat at Skeeter's desk across from hers. It was late and they were about to close up for the night.<p>

Angela lifted her eyes from the book she was working on to glare at Bones. "What?"

Bones nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, think about it. We are literally surrounded by dead people. Zombies come out and we're toast."

"Boner, is this what you think about all day?"

He gave her a facial shrug in response. "Sometimes. I think we should get an ax for the workroom or like a…shot gun or something. Just in case."

"I'll see if I can work it into the budget," she answered, laughing at the idea of her skinny sidekick with a huge shot gun.

"Maybe see if you can get a flame thrower too."

Angela shook her head at him. "Yes, because those are easy to get," she drawled sarcastically.

"I don't think they work too well on zombies anyway," he said dejectedly. "You think...you think werewolves and vampires are real? Cause then maybe we should get stakes and some wolfsbane or mountain ash."

"Wolfsbane? Mountain ash?"

"For the werewolves," he clarified as if it was the most natural thing. "Keeps them away."

"Right," she said on a breath. The loud, annoying ringtone of the burner she always carried with her blared from her purse. She held up a finger to him, effectively silencing him. Her heart was already pounding. Happy had given her the burner in case of emergency. It was the only number all of the MC boys had, the only one they used to contact her. "Hello?"

"Angie? Its Tig…I need ya…need ya for a pick up," his voice was rough but eerily calm, emotionless.

She didn't know what that meant, but she knew she had to go. Whatever it was he needed, she was going to help him with. "I'm on my way, Tigger. Where are you?" she asked, digging through her purse for the keys to the van. Pulling open a drawer, she grabbed her Glock and tossed it into the bag as well. She listened for the address before snapping the phone shut and glancing at Bones. The kid was looking at her with wide eyes; obviously, he hadn't known she had a gun in her desk.

"So...you _do_ have a gun..." he stated, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah. I'll teach you how to use it later," she said, sticking the gun in the back of her pants. She headed towards the door, gesturing for him to follow. She hated to drag him into this, but she needed some sort of back up. "C'mon. You're with me, Boner. Let's go."

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><p><strong>Disc 2:<strong> _I don't own Star Trek, but I love it. :) Also the idea for wolfsbane and mountain ash came from Teen Wolf. A show I am not at all embarrassed to admit I watch. :) _

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! I love hearing from you!**

**~Love Ink**


	63. Cure-all

**Getting right into Season 5 with this chapter! Yay!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow. I messaged most of you but thanks also to: _juice bock, Kupkakes07, Guest 1, Guest 2_**(I had no idea Glocks didn't have a safety! Fail! I'll keep that in mind as I continue!), **_Guest 3, Guest 4_ (**I honestly don't know what to make of this review. I'm totally obsessed SOA as a whole (as are most people who go out of their way to write/read fanfic about a show). That's why I started writing this fic in the first place. Angela and I are not the same person. And I don't know how that would be "pretty clear" unless you knew me personally, which, I'm assuming (because no one I know personally reads SOA fanfic), you don't. I'm sorry you don't like Juice's appearance or "crybaby" personality, but that really has nothing to do with me. I just took the character the amazing Kurt Sutter created and added my own story tom him. I'm just confused as to what you were expecting to see here. Juice and Romance are both tagged in the story...I don't think my summary is all that misleading. I'm sorry you don't like it, and I hope you can find another fanfic that's more to your liking! There's a ton of really good ones out there that are centered around the other characters! :D), and **Guest 5.**

**Sorry for my little rant. Had to put that out there. :) **

**This chapter takes place during Season 5, Episode 1: "Sovereign".**

**Only 36 days until Season 6! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 63: Cure-all_

_By Love Ink_

Bones had a white knuckled grip on the van's door handle as Angela barreled through the sleeping town of Charming heading to the highway. "W-where are we going?" he stammered out, watching the town pass by in a blur. He shut his eyes tightly as she sped through a yellow light.

"Oakland. There's a pick up. Not sure what we're getting into, but I need you to have my back on this, you understand?" Angela asked, speeding down the highway. At his quick nod, she continued, "None of what you see leaves this van. Keep your head down, only speak when spoken to, and stay in the van. I trust you with my life but the rest of 'em don't know you like I do. Can I trust you to stay quiet, Leonard?"

He knew she was serious when she used his real name. Whatever they were about to head into, it wasn't something he could joke about. "Is it dangerous?"

"No," she said, though her voice wasn't as sure as he'd like it to be. "We're gonna be fine. He wouldn't call me over if there was any danger. I just need you to listen to me, okay? None of this male bravado shit. I tell you to do something, you do it."

"Yeah, yeah, got it. Totally. I'm your slave," he said, his voice shaking as he ran a palm over his buzzed head. He'd never seen his mentor so serious, so intense. Before he'd wondered how she fit into the outlaw question; now, he knew. His lighthearted, carefree mentor had a badass streak in her. "Whatever you need. You know that. And I won't talk, Ang. My lips are totally sealed."

Angela nodded, pressing a little harder on the accelerator. She didn't know what Tig had done or what they were about to go into, but for him to call her out of the blue like that, _sounding_ like he did, it had to be something serious.

When they finally got to the quiet train yard in Oakland, she pulled in next to the TM towtruck. She glanced out the window, straining her eyes until she could just make out the outline of a person sitting along the edge of some kind of ditch. The Reaper stared back at her in the dim light of the street lamps. "Tig," she breathed, relief in her voice. She dug through her bag, grabbing her gun, and holding it out to Bones. "Quick lesson. Point this part at the bad guy and pull the trigger. Brace yourself for the kickback and don't let it hit you in the face."

"Why?"

"Cuz it'll hurt, dummy!" she said, hopping down from the car. "Watch my back, Boner. You see anyone lookin' shady, yell for me first. If I duck, you shoot. Got it?"

He nodded slowly, the gun held in his open palm. At her worried look, he sucked in a deep breath, trying to be brave. Curling his fingers around the handle of the gun, he held it up. "Got it, boss."

She gave him a nervous smile before hopping out of the van and closing the door behind her. "Tig?" she called out to the lone figure sitting there.

When she was closer, she found staring at his hands, his cheeks wet with tears. He looked up at her, his clear blue eyes glassy with tears. "Angie, they…they killed my little girl," he choked. "They burned my little girl."

She looked into the storage container, her stomach churning when she saw its contents. Black gangsters dressed in purple under a badly burned corpse that was under a fresher body of an old man and what looked like someone from law enforcement. "Holy shit," she gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock. "What happened here?"

"He lit her on fire," Tig repeated, shaking his head as a silent tear slipped down his face as he looked up at her. Without a word, she lowered herself to sit next to him. He didn't acknowledge her presence, but he didn't push her away as she thought he might . "I watched her _burn_," he said, his voice low and rough. "And then I killed them all."

Angela grimaced at the image of it but remained silent. Her hand rubbed up and down over the Reaper on his back. She stared at the mass of bodies beneath them. "Mr. Dowd?" she said, looking at the older, white haired man lying atop the bodies.

"You knew 'im?"

"He's an older cleaner," she replied on a nod. "He was a sexist dick though. Wouldn't let me work with him 'cause, apparently women are meant to be in the kitchen."

Tig scowled at that. He could still see the older man's watery eyes as he begged for his life. He hadn't paid his pleas any mind; the old man was just as much a part of Dawn's death as everyone else in the pit was. They'd called the old man in to make his daughter disappear, vanish without a trace with no grave or marker to pay tribute to her life. It was the reason he'd called Angela. He knew Happy's cousin would give Dawn the send off she deserved; she'd been able to do so for all of the past club related deaths. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath. "You'll take care of her, right? I don't want her to burn any more. Find her a nice place…some sun maybe."

"Yeah, of course, Tig. I'll make sure she's somewhere pretty," she assured him, searching through her head for an open plot. It took her a moment, but she came up with the ideal spot for Dawn. "You call your brothers yet?"

Tig bobbed his head up and down in answer; they'd been his first call. "They're on their way."

They sat in silence for what felt like hours before the sound of tires on gravel broke it. Looking over her shoulder, Angela was relieved to see Jax's blonde head at the wheel of the large blue truck. She looked back at Tig who was still staring at the carnage beneath them. Carefully, she got to her feet, using his shoulder as leverage.

Jax nodded to her in greeting. "What the hell happened?"

"Someone set his daughter on fire," Angela answered, softly. She cast a glance over her shoulder in time to see Tig put his head in his hands.

"Shit," Jax breathed, running a hand over his face. "He call you to take care of her?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah. I got my apprentice in the car…I'd rather not get him out to lift the body. He doesn't need to see what's in there," she explained before looking at the curly haired man next to her. Last she'd heard, Bobby had been in prison. She'd never been particularly close with him, but he'd always been nice to her so it was nice to see that he'd gotten out unscathed.

"What's in there?" he asked as Jax and Chibs went to go talk to Tig.

"Gangsters, a cop, and an old man," she rattled off on a sigh. "The smell of decomp is masked by the smell of the…fire."

"Your apprentice can't handle that?"

She shook her head slowly. "I don't want to explain _why_ there are so many bodies, if you catch my drift. I trust that kid with my life, but the less he knows the better."

Bobby clapped her on the shoulder, giving it a good squeeze. "Good thinkin'. We're gonna give him a minute with her and then we'll load her up."

"I'll wait by the van. Let you guys…discuss," she said, glancing over at the van. Bones was looking down at his hands; no doubt playing a game on his phone. Some lookout he was. She smiled at Bobby. "Good to see you out, Bobby."

"Good to be out, sweetheart. Thanks for all this."

She shrugged a shoulder as if it was no big deal. "Happy to help."

"Stay close," he said before heading towards Tig.

Angela headed towards the van, opening the door to find Bones just as she expected she would, iPhone in hands, tapping away. "Thanks for watching my back."

"Oh! I was! Until I saw the guys pull in. Then I remembered you wanted me to keep my nose down so I was staring at my feet and then I decided you'd probably be okay if I played with my phone so I'm doing that," he explained, his words coming out a mile a minute.

"Trek fanfiction?"

"I don't…" he tried to deny it, but at her knowing look, he folded. "Yeah. Found a good one."

Angela smirked, shaking her head at him as she slipped into the van. "Always nice when that happens."

Bones nodded in agreement, his fingers tapping nervously on the window sill. "So…um…are we…leaving?"

She glanced over to where the Sons had just picked up the body and were currently carrying her towards the van. "Yeah. They're loading the body now."

"Does it smell?"

"Not decomp. Just badly burned," she explained on a heavy sigh. She was tempted to tell Bones exactly what had happened, but she knew it wasn't a wise thing to do; she wanted him far away from club drama. The back doors opened quickly and with a few grunts, the Sons managed to get the body into the back before closing the doors.

Chibs walked around to the front while the rest of the guys headed back to the van. He knew Angela the best, thus was the message man. "Yer good ta go, Angie-girl," he said, leaning into the car, one hand on the roof. "Send us the bill later, yeah?"

Angela rolled her eyes; as if she'd charge them for something like this. "Not a chance."

"Figured as much. Yer a good girl, love," he said on a sad smile. He dug in his cut for a second and pulled out a card. "Get the lad to do her up. You call Tara on the private. Tell her to call Rosen and meet us here in the mornin'. Understand?"

She took the card from him, studying the intricate logo and shiny black ink. "Diosa?" she asked, curiously.

"Ye hear me, girly?" he replied in a tone that made it clear he wasn't going to answer any more questions.

"Yeah, yeah. Got it," she said, tucking the card into her pocket.

Chibs patted her cheek lovingly. "Good girl." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'll see ye later. Drive safe. Take care a her. Take care a you."

"Will do," she said closing van door. She started up the van, waiting for Chibs to step away before heading out. Bones started to look over his shoulder, but she stopped him with a loud, "Don't!"

"I don't want to know, I don't want to know," he chanted to himself a few times. He scratched at the back of his neck for a brief moment as if contemplating what else to say. "Fuck it. What's back there?"

"You don't want to know," Angela replied with a smirk.

Bones shook his head at his mentor. "Had a feeling you'd say that."

* * *

><p>Juice wasn't surprised when he got home from Clay and Gemma's ransacked house and Angela wasn't there. Chibs had called him to explain the situation, and he, in turn, told him that Gemma's house had been broken into and Unser had taken quite a beating. The home invasions were starting to get closer and closer to the club. First with one of their mechanics, then with a Croweater, now Gemma. He was starting to think investing in a guard dog when he did had been a stroke of luck. He wasn't full grown yet, but Juice had a feeling Rigor would put up quite a fight against an intruder.<p>

After giving Rigor a bit of food and some love, he threw himself into bed with a tired sigh. Driving Clay around and making sure he took his meds was exhausting. Not to mention the pearls of wisdom Clay was bestowing upon him kept messing with his head. Every time they talked it seemed Angela came up and every time, Clay told him that committing to her at such a young age was a bad idea. He'd never even thought about how young they both were until Clay put it out there. In fact, he'd thought he was at the perfect age to settle down. That's what Jax was doing, what Opie had already done…twice now.

A smile crossed his face when he heard the front door open and close before the dead bolt clicked into place; she was home. He heard her greeting Rigs, her voice the same tone she used when talking to Thomas and Abel. The same he expected she would use for their own child when the time came. He honestly couldn't wait.

The bedroom door opened and he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep for a brief moment so as to give her some time to get ready for bed. "I know you're awake, goofy," Angela said, a smile in her voice. "You're too quiet to be sleeping."

He opened his eyes, giving her his full fledged grin as he propped himself up on his elbows to watch her. "Hey baby," he greeted, noting the slight slump to her shoulders. He watched her brush her teeth and unbraid her hair, trying to catch any sign of how she was feeling. He'd been surprised when Chibs told him Tig had called Angela directly to ask for her help. He'd have thought the guys would just deliver the body to her. It made sense in a way, Tig wanted to make sure his daughter was taken care of in the best way possible, and Angela would do exactly that.

When she was close enough, he reached out an arm to her. She climbed onto the bed and snuggled in close to him, her cheek on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You all right?" he asked, his fingers coming through her hair. "Heard you had a...crazy night."

She nodded slowly. "I can't...I can't wrap my head around what kind of sicko would burn someone's daughter in front of them. Someone who would want to hurt the club so badly they went after someone's _daughter_."

Juice could see where her mind was going; she was thinking of their kid. Of how something like this could easily happen to them. "It was retaliation for somethin' Tig did. He messed with the wrong guy. Had nothin' to do with the club…not really," he explained, giving her the bare bones of the situation and hoping it would soothe her worries. "I'm going to keep you safe, Angel. I promise you that. Our kid is never…ever going to be put in that situation. I won't make that mistake. I won't put my family in danger."

She nodded, swallowing hard as her finger traced over her name that was inked on his pec. "I was…scared today, Juice," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I looked into this…pit filled with dead bodies and I realized that this…this is my _life_. I mean, I've seen some crazy stuff working with Bachman in the past but…nothing like that. This is…it's a whole other level now. You guys aren't just sending me bad guys to burn anymore. These are…these are people I _know_. These are family members, and I worry that…that one night it'll be Hap or…you."

He heard her voice catch at the end and felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest. "I'm gonna to do my best to make sure that doesn't happen," he whispered, his eyes on hers. "I promise."

"Okay," she breathed, trying to keep it together. She hated that she didn't have control over her emotions; that the hormones made her cry at the drop of a hat. It made her feel vulnerable in a way she wasn't comfortable with. "God, these hormones are _killin'_ me."

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. His warm hand moved to her belly, sliding over the soft skin. "Monk makin' you crazy?"

"Always," she said on a light laugh. "I have a feeling it won't change when they're older either."

A small whine was heard from Angela's side of the bed. She pulled away from Juice, rolling onto her side and finding two dark eyes staring back at her. She offered Rigs her hand, smiling when the young pup nuzzled it. He'd obviously heard her sniffling and came over to make sure she was all right. "I'm okay, Rigs," she said, petting his head.

Juice watched as Rigor put his front legs up on the side of the mattress as if asking to be lifted up onto it. The pup had never done that before. Mostly because he'd been adamant about keeping Rigor off the bed since the pup first stepped foot in the house. As much as he loved his dog, he was not a big fan of sleeping in dog hair or sharing his big comfy bed with a dog that was sure to be huge once he was full grown if his large paws were any indication. "You let him sleep on the bed, didn't you?" he asked, looking over Angela's shoulder at Rigor.

Angela shrugged a shoulder, still scratching behind Rigor's ears. "Maybe," she replied guiltily. "Its just…look at him! How can you say no to this little face?"

"Pushover," he teased. "That little face is going to be a big one soon and this bed's gonna feel a whole lot smaller."

She frowned in response, smoothing her hand over Rigor's head. "Not tonight, Rigs. Daddy doesn't like to share," she explained before leaning back into Juice's chest. Rigor whined a bit before walking away, no doubt to head to his own fluffy bed. "One day that's going to be our kid coming in here and wanting to share. What are you going to do then?"

Juice smiled at the thought, pressing a kiss to Angela's shoulder. He still couldn't believe he was going to be a father. "Pretend to be asleep so you have to tell 'em no."

"Oh really?" she said on a laugh, smiling as his lips moved across her shoulder and to her neck.

"Mm-hmm," he said, his hand sliding down over the hard bump of her belly and dipping under her boyshort panties. "Daddy needs his private time with Mama. If you know what I'm gettin' at."

A soft moan left her lips as his fingers inched lower; she knew exactly what he was getting at.

* * *

><p>"You're coming with me, right?" Juice asked the next morning as he watched Angela pull on a pair of very tight jeans.<p>

She struggled with the button for a minute but managed to get it done. "What?" she asked, looking up at him with a triumphant smile. She knew she'd have to retire the jeans soon so she was taking every chance she could to wear them.

"Hap and I were talkin' and after what happened to Dawn and Unser, we think it'd be a good idea for you to stay with Tara up where the guys are."

Angela frowned in response. "What happened to Unser?"

"Someone broke into Gemma's house. He was stayin' the night. They beat the shit outta him," he explained, watching as the situation slowly sank in. He knew she was starting to understand his request. "We don't know who's next, Angel. It's a safety precaution."

She let out a long sigh but nodded. As much as she wished she could stay away from club matters like this, she could see his point. Though she didn't think anyone would come after her, she'd rather be safe than sorry. "Damn," she cursed, running a hand through her hair. " Okay. I'll have Boner finish what he can and let Skeet know."

"Thanks, baby," he said, catching her lips in a sweet kiss.

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head as she put lotion on her arms, rubbing it into her hands. She studied the claddagh that Juice had given her so long ago, contemplating the pretty silver ring. Chibs had explained the meaning behind the symbol: friendship, loyalty, and love. She wondered if Juice had known what it meant when he gave it to her, or if it had just been a random trinket Chibs' daughter had suggested. Whatever the case, she felt it was an accurate symbol of their relationship. It was her favorite piece of jewelry. He'd mentioned giving her a new ring, one with a rock. She worried it would change everything the old ring stood for. The old ring meant less of a commitment; it didn't suffocate either of them the way a new ring would.

His hand engulfed hers, hiding her ring from view. "Lost ya for a second there," he said, his thumb rubbing over her ring. "Where'd you go?"

A light blush colored her cheeks at being caught lost in her thoughts. Standing on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his lips. "Just thinkin'," she admitted, giving him a smile. "Where we goin' anyway? What's this mysterious Diosa place?"

"Not sure yet. Its some guy Jax knows' place. We're gonna meet with Lowen there and figure shit out," he explained, shrugging on his cut. She straightened it for him, doing up some of the buttons while she listened to him talk. "Gotta go to the clubhouse first. Meet up with Hap and Frankie."

"Mmkay. Just…don't leave me alone with Hap," she said, her palms smoothing over his patches.

Juice raised an eyebrow. That was an odd request; she usually loved talking to her cousin. "Why?"

"He's been trying to convince me to call our moms, and I'm not going to," she said stubbornly.

He pulled a face at that one; Happy had also told him that he best start trying to convince his Old Lady to reach out or else he'd come in, throw her over his shoulder, and take her to his mom and aunt's house himself. "Yeah…about that…"

"Don't start with me, Juan Carlos," she cut him off quickly, anger bleeding into her voice. "I did _nothing_ wrong. If anything, _they_ should be calling _me_ to apologize."

Juice sighed, knowing she was right. "I know, baby, but like Happy says, you don't know how much longer your aunt's got."

"I know. I just…I thought I was going to make them happy with our news, y'know? My Ma's been on me to have kids since I was old enough to," she asked, hanging her head down. "I thought for once they'd be…proud of me. That I wouldn't be a total disappointment."

He stroked her cheek with his fingers, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You're not a disappointment, Angel. This is all on me. I should've…I mean…do you want to…"

"Don't do that right now," she said softly, stopping his train of thought. "Not because of my family."

"I want to do this, Angel. I love you. I _know_ that. What are we waiting for? Taking this step will make everything better."

"That," she interrupted pointing at him. "That's why I don't want to do it. What if it doesn't make everything better, Juice? What if it makes everything worse? Getting engaged, getting _married_. That's…that's…that's a _big _commitment. 'Til death."

The doubt in her voice cut him like a knife. Why didn't she want to get married? Did she not think he could handle that kind of commitment? Did she not trust him? "Why don't you want to marry me?"

"Because it's not a cure-all, Juice! You want to use it as this…this bandaid that can just fix everything and that's not how it works!" she shouted before taking a deep breath to regain her calm. "I love you, Juice, and I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me, but…"

"But you don't think I can do it, do you?" he asked, hurt bleeding into his tone. "You don't think I can commit. _Jesus_, Angela, how many more years do I have to stay faithful for you to get it?"

She wanted to tell him that she trusted him, that she knew he wouldn't cheat on her, but something made her hesitate. "It's not about that," she said, trying to steer the conversation to the right path. "I want you to marry me because you want to. Not because of my mom, my aunt, or Hap or because you think it'll fix everything because it won't…we'll just end up hating each other in the end."

Juice sighed, rubbing a hand over his mohawk. "I want to marry you."

"You keep saying that but the only time you ever bring up proposing is when the fact that we're not married is thrown in our faces," she said bluntly. She raked her hands through her hair, feeling like a total bitch but knowing it had to be said. "Do you even have a ring?"

He looked down at his feet, caught. No, he didn't have a ring. He had done some internet research on them and had a few saved on his bookmarks, but he hadn't gone so far as to order one. "No, not yet," he admitted, feeling guilty as hell. She was right, and he knew it. If he was at all serious about marrying her, he'd have already found out her ring size and had the damn thing shipped. "But I can get one."

"Why do you want to rush this, Juice?"

He knew exactly why. Because he was scared as hell that he was going to do something to fuck it up and knew that if they were married, it'd be harder for her to take his child and leave. "I don't…I just want to make things right," he lied.

She gave him a small smile, tugging him closer by the front of his cut and placing a sweet kiss on his lips. "This _is_ right. Right for us. That's all that really matters. Okay?"

Juice nodded, sighing heavily as he put his forehead to hers. "Yeah, baby," he agreed, looking into her brown eyes. He found strength in her dark stare, the way he always did. She was his girl, he knew that. Ring or not, they were going to be together for as long as he could hold onto her.

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! I love hearing from you! :D<strong>

**~Love Ink**


	64. Arrangements

**GAH! 1,000 REVIEWS!? I am in total shock! Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to leave their thoughts about my story in a review! Good, bad, random, I love them all and they help me grow as a writer! :) I'm so thankful for your support! **

**Thanks to those who reviewed, favorited, and followed, I PMed most of you but thanks to those who were not signed in: _Guest_ **(_I'm so sorry about the Glock issue. I don't know anything really about guns and figured most if not all had safeties! ;) I've been careful about not adding it into the newer chapters now that I know! Thanks so much for pointing it out! I'm glad you're liking the story so far!) _**and _KC_** (_I hope you get well soon! I'm so glad my story is keeping you entertained! Not sure if I'll ever have Hap and Juice face off...I don't think Angela would appreciate that very much. We'll see though. ;) Don't apologize for the long review! Those are my favorite types! :D). __  
><em>

**This chapter takes place during Season 5 episode 2, "Authority Vested". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 64: Arrangements_

_By Love Ink_

Happy walked into the barroom of the clubhouse from his dorm room, not at all surprised to see his little cousin bent over the pool table lining up a shot. She was playing against one of the older Croweaters, apparently for money since there was a nice stack of bills piled under a glass of water nearby. Angela sunk in the eight ball and straightened up with a triumphant smirk on her face, grabbing the money and thanking the annoyed Croweater. He fought against a smirk of his own; his girl didn't lose to just anyone. In fact, he was pretty sure he was the only one who could still beat her.

As he approached the table, the Croweater stopped pouting and immediately turned up the charm, making her way over and setting a well manicured hand on his chest. "Hey Hap," she greeted in a sultry voice.

Happy plucked her hand off of him and moved by her without a comment, heading to where Angela was currently counting her winnings. "How much?"

Her dark eyes met his stare, her shoulders tensing briefly. He knew she didn't want to talk to him, that she'd been avoiding him, and that made it that much better. "A hundred total. Fifty off Trixie, fifty off V-Lin," she answered proudly. "I don't think Filthy will ever let him live that one down."

"Good. Rack 'em," he said nodding towards the balls.

A look of dread passed over her face as she pocketed the money. A pool game meant a conversation, and, as much as she loved talking to Hap, she knew _exactly_ what he wanted to talk about. Plus, a pool game against Hap meant she'd lose all the money she'd just won. She never won against Hap; she didn't think it was possible. She glanced over to where Juice was in his corner, typing away as he tried to find the location of Tig's other daughter. She hoped he found the information soon so she wouldn't have to talk to Hap long. "Hap…"

"We got time. Go 'head, rack 'em. You can even break," he offered, grabbing a cue and watching as she begrudgingly started to take the balls out of the pockets. "You take care of Tig's kid?"

Angela let out a long sigh as she nodded. "Yeah. Found her a nice box, a good spot out in the sun like Tig wanted. Trying to get the stone figured out at the moment."

"Wait 'til we got his other kid to ask," he advised, watching as she lined up her shot and took it, effectively breaking the rack and sending a striped ball into a pocket. "Backswing's shaky."

She rolled her eyes at the comment. "Worked, didn't it?"

Happy ignored her, taking his shot and sinking in two balls. "You talk to Ma?"

"No."

"You gonna?"

"Nope."

He looked up from his shot, his black glare meeting hers. "Best do it and soon. Stress ain't good for her," he explained, focusing on the table and shooting. "Ain't good for you either."

Angela shook her head. "I'm really not stressed about it," she lied, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "Way I see it, I didn't do anything wrong. She should be calling me."

"That ain't gonna happen," Happy stated, nodding in approval of Angela's shot.

"I know."

"So you gonna cut her out completely?" he questioned, a disappointed look on his face. "That ain't good for either of you."

She missed her second shot and frowned. "What do you want me to do, Hap? I can't call her. You heard what she said. How disappointed she was in me. Why would I call her just to hear it all over again? She's not going to change the way she thinks."

"She thinks you hate her."

"I don't."

"Then call her."

Angela raked her hands through her hair in frustration. This conversation was just going in circles, and it would until Happy got his way or until she could make him see her point. The first was likelier than the second. "Someone disrespects you like that. In your _house_. Would you call them?"

By the look on Happy's face, she knew she had her answer. He shook his head slowly. "But it's Ma, not some dick who disrespected you. Different situation."

"Doesn't feel like it," she muttered, studying the table and thinking of her next shot. "Is she all right health wise? The meds working?"

"Dunno. Maybe you should call her."

She scowled at him. "That's not fair, Hap."

He sighed, running a hand over his head. "She's the same. Your Ma is a pain in the ass, though," he said, smirking a bit. "Been buying baby clothes, toys, everythin'. Waitin' for you and Ma to make up so she can give it all to ya."

She laughed, shaking her head. "That's reason alone not to call."

"Just do it, kid. Save me the headache. Can't stand to hear 'em bitchin' anymore."

"You askin' for a personal favor, cuz?" she asked, slightly teasing. Happy didn't ask for much; he hated owing people shit.

Happy lined up his shot, sending in the second to last striped ball. "I win. You call 'er."

"Hap, you're already winning," she pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't stupid; she saw an unfair bet when it was offered.

"You keep the cash. Just make the call."

"I didn't think we were bettin' the cash."

"We always bet cash."

Angela briefly went over the bet in her head. Was losing a hundred and fifty dollars worth not calling her aunt for? It wasn't like they were exactly strapped for cash, but she'd been eyeing a ridiculously expensive lingerie set for awhile and wanted to get it while she could still fit into it. "Fine," she agreed on a sigh.

"Cheap ass," he teased, ruffling her hair.

She swatted his hand away playfully. "I am not cheap. I am mindful of excessive spending."

He smirked at his own words being thrown at him; he'd taught her well. "Runs in the family," he remarked, ruffling her hair. He hit his last ball in, purposefully missing his next shot to prolong the game knowing it would frustrate his little cousin. He'd never admit how much he enjoyed playing pool with his little cousin. Watching her put into use all the little tools she'd taught him. It made him proud. He'd been proud of her a lot lately. She'd grown into a strong, intelligent woman like her father wanted her to be. Happy was glad his presence in her life hadn't made her cold-hearted or mean. He glanced around him to see if anyone was in hearing range before saying, "Proud a ya, kid. Know I don't say that enough."

Angela straightened up, her shoulders visibly relaxing as a bright smile spread across her face. "Thanks, Hap."

He nodded before pointing to the eight ball. "Corner pocket," he proclaimed before sinking it in easily. "Call 'er soon, kid."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said, scowling at him as she finished off the rest of the game. "Next time, I'm gonna win."

"'Keep dreamin', kid," he said heading to the bar for a beer and fighting against a smile. He loved that kid.

* * *

><p>Angela looked at the red-lettering on the doors of the building they'd pulled up in front of. "Diosa," she read out loud, watching as a scantily clad woman made her way inside. "Oh God, is this another porn studio?" she asked, looking up at Juice.<p>

Juice chuckled, shrugging a shoulder as he closed the door of the Old Caddy they'd "borrowed" from a repo pick up. "Dunno. Guess we'll find out. C'mon, baby," he said, slinging an arm around her and leading her inside.

She stopped in the lobby, her eyes going over the front desk, the simple black and white décor. It wasn't a porn studio, that was for sure. It was too classy and too quiet for that. It looked like some kind of office, actually. She read the back wall and smirked, escort services. Of course it wasn't a regular office. That would be way too normal for the Sons.

Chibs greeted them all with their normal brotherly hugs before nodding to her. "Good to see ye, Angie-girl," he said, lovingly squeezing her shoulder. He looked to Juice. "We good to go?"

Juice nodded, moving his hand from around Angela's waist and tucking them into his pockets as he took a wider stance, squaring his shoulders as if he was preparing for battle. "Shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Good," Chibs replied on a nod. "C'mon, follow me."

With a hand to her lower back, Juice pushed Angela forward to a side room with what looked like a bar. There they found Jax and Tara having a private moment which Chibs proceeded to interrupt with a whistle. It didn't seem to bother them, though. Jax gave Tara a goodbye kiss that was so clearly heartfelt it almost made Angela blush.

As Jax walked by, Juice pulled Angela aside. "We're going to get Dawn," he explained, keeping his voice low, his face close to hers. "You stay with Tara. Wherever she goes, you go. Got it?"

"Yes sir," Angela replied on a nod.

"Good," he murmured, checking over his shoulder to make sure Happy had already left before pulling her into his chest by her belt loops. He slanted his lips across hers in a hot kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. Pulling away, he gave her a sexy half smile. "I'll see you later, baby."

"Be safe," she said, catching his lips in one more kiss. He nodded before following the rest of his brothers out the door. She stopped to catch her breath briefly before turning to Tara.

Tara raised her eyebrows at her. "That was…hot," she commented, arms crossed over her chest.

Angela shrugged a shoulder, her eyes still on the door where the boys had left. "I could say the same to you. What was that about? You two aren't usually so…demonstrative unless something big is happening."

"We're getting married," she replied, a secretive smile on her face. Truth be told, she was glad the undertaker was there. Angela had become one of her closest friends over the years, and it would be nice to have her at her side at their little wedding.

"Right. I saw the rock. I know what it means," Angela said, a confused look on her face.

Tara shook her head. "Today. As soon as the boys get back, we're going to do it. I'm going to call Lowen, have her rush the license, and then we'll do it right here."

"Right here? In the _brothel_?"

"Yeah."

"Jesus Christ, T. Seriously?" she asked in disbelief. At Tara's nod, Angela grinned and pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations then! That's...that's awesome! Have you told Gemma yet?"

Tara grimaced at the question. She wasn't planning on telling Gemma especially since Jax hadn't mentioned her when asked who they should invite. There was no doubt in her mind that Gemma would try to talk both of them out of it. "No, and I'm not going to. I don't want her anywhere near this. It's between me and Jax not her, not the rest of the club. Just the two of us."

"Fair enough," Angela said on a shrug. She couldn't blame Tara for not wanting Gemma there. If SAMCRO's Queen bee was on her case half as much as she was on Tara's, she wouldn't want her at her wedding either. "I get to be there though, right?"

That was what she loved about Angela. There was no drama. She asked if Gemma was going to be there and when given the answer, didn't feel the need to comment or convince her otherwise; she just took it at face value. "Of course. You can even be my maid of honor. If you want, that is. That, and if you want to do hair and makeup..."

Angela beamed at her, hugging Tara again. "I'd love to," she said, squeezing her friend tightly. She looked Tara over, noting the simple hairstyle and make up. Grabbing Tara's hand, she pulled her towards the front desk. "Let's see what kind of beauty equipment these little escorts have."

* * *

><p>Hours later, Tara smiled at her reflection in the mirror of the small vanity. Turning her head this way and that, she assessed the updo Angela had managed to fix her hair into. "Its beautiful, Angie. Thanks," she commented, a big, excited smile on her face. She was finally marrying Jax; something she'd been dreaming of since she was a teenager.<p>

"Good. I'm glad you like it," Angela said with a wide smile "And the makeup? Not too dark?"

She shook her head in reply, applying her own lipstick. "Its perfect."

Angela grinned, grabbing a flower off a nearby orchid. "Can I put this in? Jazz it up a bit?"

Tara took the simple flower from her, studying it as she nodded. She was about to hand it over when the door burst open and none other than the Queen Bee herself strode in looking fit to be tied. Angela grimaced, slowly backing away. "I'm gonna give you two some space," Angela said, heading for the door. She grabbed the door to close behind her, stopping halfway. "Please don't kill each other."

"Goodbye undertaker!" Gemma exclaimed, practically slamming the door in her face.

Angela winced before pulling out her phone and getting into one of her games to keep her from eavesdropping on whatever conversation was occuring on the other side of the door. It wasn't long before her game was interrupted. "You left them alone together?" Jax's voice made her jump.

She nodded, tucking her phone back into her back pocket. "Sorry, but I'm an undertaker, not a referee."

He chuckled at that one, shaking his head at her. "They been yelling?"

"Nope," she replied, honestly. If they had been, she hadn't notice at least. "I think they're fine. Want me to say something? Its bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

Jax smirked; luck was the last thing he was worried about. The prison sentence that hung over their head would be carried out as soon as they got back to TM. There'd be no celebration or honeymoon. He was doing this because he was worried he wouldn't get a chance to later. "Tell her we gotta get this thing started or our John Judge'll leave."

Angela let out a light laugh at the situation. "Yeah. Got it," she said, going for the door handle. "Congrats, by the way. I'm really happy for you two."

"Could say the same to you," he answered, looking pointedly at her stomach before giving her a wink. He'd heard through the grapevine that Angela was pregnant and was happy for the couple. It'd be nice to have another kid running around with Thomas and Abel.

She blushed a little bit, tucking a hair behind her ear. "Thanks, Jax."

He nodded, clapping her on the shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "See you out there."

Once he was gone, she poked her head into the room. The tension in there was thick and by opening the door, she'd earned herself an angered glare from Gemma. She grimaced at the look but cleared her throat and spoke anyway, "Uh…your John Judge wants to get outta here as soon as possible so you might wanna hurry it up a bit."

Tara laughed lightly as she nodded. "Be out in a minute."

* * *

><p>Juice wrapped his arms around Angela from behind, setting his chin on her shoulder as he listened to the John judge read Tara and Jax's vows. The guy was whipping through them at a pace that was anything but romantic. Juice kept his hands locked over Angela's belly, feeling incredibly content when she leaned back into him, tilting her head to press a kiss to his jaw. Someday they'd get to this point, he decided. He'd find the perfect ring and propose and then they'd have a ceremony big enough to rival Opie and Lyla's or maybe a small one with just the two of them and her family. He honestly couldn't care less. As long as it meant she was his forever, it didn't matter.<p>

Angela felt her eyes water as Chibs said his blessing. She wiped them away discreetly as she took a step forward to fulfill her maid of honor duties by signing the license as a witness alongside SAMCRO's SAA. The Scot handed the pen over to her. "You're next," he said, adding on a cryptic wink. She couldn't tell if he meant to sign or to get married. Either way, she ignored it.

The room erupted in cheers. Shots were passed around, hugs and kisses exchanged. Angela watched on with a smile, happy for her friend. She felt Juice slide an arm around her waist, his fingers dipping under the hem of her pants as she leaned back into him. Looking up, she gave him a wide smile before he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

"Want to see if we can find another John judge? Two weddings in one day, doesn't sounds like a bad idea," he whispered in her ear.

She elbowed his side, scowling up at him. "Very funny."

"I don't know, Angel. It's got a certain…appeal," he said, gesturing around to where everyone was still celebrating save for Bobby who was in the corner on the phone. "Very romantic."

"Meh. It's been done," she said, pretending to play into it. "I'm thinking we should go for a crack house. Y'know, to be different."

Juice considered it for a second. "It'd have to be outside a Charming. I know a few we can scope out."

"We got time," she commented on a shrug.

"Lots of it," he agreed, his eyes drifting over to where Bobby was holding up the phone. There was news, probably from Romeo about getting protection in county. As guilty as it made him feel, he was relieved that he wasn't going to county this time. He'd avoided being on the list of suspects simply because while Tig had been out killing Veronica Pope, he'd been stuck in ATF holding.

He had to admit, he was glad for that twist of fate at the moment. Going inside, even for just a short period of time, meant he'd have to leave Angela again. He didn't like the idea of her being pregnant and alone. As much as he knew she had her family, SAMCRO, and friends like Chloe to rely on, he didn't trust any of them save for Hap. But if _he_ was going to jail, more likely than not, Hap was along for the ride.

He wouldn't leave her alone again. Not when he had so much to lose this time. No, he was going to do his best to stay out of that shit and at her side like a real man would. After all she'd been through because of him and his club, she deserved that much.

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><p>Angela played nervously with her rings as she stood between Happy in Juice by the front entrance of the clubhouse waiting for the feds to show up. Juice had explained the situation to her on the way over. Chibs, Jax, and Tig were all going back to county on false charges made by the same man who'd killed Dawn. Hearing of the power that man had sent shivers down Angela's spine. Whoever that man was, he was bad news. The only thing that kept her from being a nervous wreck was the fact that neither Juice nor Happy was going along for the ride.<p>

Happy smacked her hand. "Stop," he ordered lowly. Her nervous fidgeting was driving him insane, though he understood it. If she hadn't been pregnant, he'd have lit up a cigarette just to have something to do with his hands. Waiting for the feds to literally knock on their door did not sit well with him. They should be fighting against them, running, anything but folding. They were giving into what that asshole Pope wanted, a pussy move if he ever saw one, but he didn't say anything aloud. Jax was president now. Hap would follow whatever he wanted whether he agreed with it or not. Though young, the newly titled President seemed to know what he was doing. There was probably more to it than Hap was seeing. It didn't make waiting around for the cops to pick them up any less annoying.

She stopped fidgeting for a brief moment, crossing her arms across her chest and pinning her hands under her arms. "Sorry," she muttered, her nervous energy getting the best of her. Happy just shook his head in response and started messing with his own rings. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was typical of Hap to tell her to stop doing something and then continue doing it himself._  
><em>

"All right laddies. Our ride's here," Chibs announced from his seat at the bar.

The goodbyes started then. Most of them quick hugs, murmured one liners about keeping each other safe. Chibs handed his cut to Juice before grabbing Angela up in a tight hug. "Take care of yourself 'n' the lil' one, Angie-girl," he whispered in her ear before he kissed her cheek.

Angela nodded, swallowing hard as she tried to be strong. Though the two people she loved the most were not leaving, it still hurt to watch the boys go. "Be good in there, Chibbies. Come home safely."

"I'll do me best, love," he said, patting her cheek affectionately. He turned to Juice next, hugging him tightly and giving him a similar message.

Everyone followed the three men outside, walking a bit behind them. Juice held tightly to Angela's hand with one hand while the other held Chibs' cut. Angela felt her heart twist painfully in her chest as they cuffed the Sons. This was too familiar, too close to what she'd seen a year earlier when they'd hauled both Juice and Happy off for fourteen months. She hated it. The only enjoyment came from watching Chibs hold up both his middle fingers as they cuffed him.

The roar of an engine filled the air as big black Dyna flew into the parking lot. Angela watched in utter shock as Opie dismounted, heading straight for Roosevelt, a purpose to his walk. Out of nowhere, he swung at Roosevelt before elbowing another officer that rushed to his defense. Juice pushed her behind him as the other officers aimed their guns at them, Happy moving to stand closer next to him to shield her better. The reapers on the backs of their cuts were all she could see for a brief moment until the officers finally got a hold of Opie and lowered their guns. She watched as they loaded the guys into the big black van, Opie included. Her thoughts immediately went to Kenny and Ellie. She wondered if they knew what their father had done, where he was going now. The club had already taken so much from them, she'd hate to see it take away something else.

Juice squeezed her hand, leaning over to kiss her temple to bring her out of her thoughts. "Ready to head home?"

Angela nodded, looking up at Happy briefly. His eyes were still on the red, blue, and white lights that were quickly disappearing into the night. His jaw clenched tightly in anger. She knew it was because he hated seeing his brother get taken away like that without doing anything to stop it. "Hap, we're heading out," she said, catching his attention.

"Be safe, kid," he said, giving her a one armed hug. He looked to Juice who was gingerly folding Chibs' cut and storing it in his saddlebag. "Take care a her."

Juice looked up for a brief moment. It was an order that Happy constantly repeated. He wondered how long Happy would insist on reminding him of what he already knew, what he already did. "Til death," he said, feeling just a little triumphant when he saw a flicker of annoyance pass over Happy's face.

"That can be arranged," the Tacoma killer threatened.

Angela bit back a laugh as she stood on her toes to peck Happy's cheek. "See you later, Hap. Love you," she said as she headed towards Juice. "C'mon, goofy. Let's go before he starts plotting."

"You don't really think he'd..."

"Dunno," she answered, shrugging a shoulder as she put her helmet on. "But I'd do my best to stop him. I can promise you that."

Juice grinned at her, giving her a quick peck to the lips. "Aw, my hero. What would I do without you?"

"You'd probably be safe from Hap's wrath," she answered, waiting for him to get on his Dyna before climbing on behind him.

He reached back and squeezed her thigh. "You're worth it, Angel."

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! I love hearing from y'all! <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	65. Foolish

**I did not mean to take so long to update this chapter, but as soon as I was going to upload it, I decided I hated it and re-wrote it...all of it, so hopefully you guys like it! **

**Thanks so much to all who took the time to read, review, and follow! I know I PM'ed most of you, but thanks to those who left unsigned reviews: _Kerry _(**Thank you so much! This chapter is a bit of a doozy...), _**KC** _(I rewatch SOA constantly! So much so that it drives my family and friends CRAZY! I'm so sorry to hear about your surgery! I hope it goes well and you get well soon! :) I totally understand what you mean about a bit of a scuffle, it might just work its way in there. ;) I don't feel like you're telling me how to write at all! In fact, I welcome any and all suggestions! :) Thanks for your review!), **and _Guest_** (Thank you, thank you!).

**This chapter takes place during Season 5, Episode 3: "Laying Pipe"...probably my least favorite episode. :( **

**Just got the Season 5 DVD and its AWESOME! I'm a bit disappointed that there's no cast commentary with all the boys like there usually is. But I love all the Creator's Cut versions of the episodes! :D **

**13 DAYS until Season 6! GAH! SO EXCITED! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, and Bones :) **

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 65: Foolish_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela leaned against the front desk of St. Thomas as she talked to Chloe. They'd gone to lunch together, and Angela had followed her back since she had nothing better to do. "The funeral home dead today?" Chloe teased, looking through a file.

"No, but Boner's been on my ass about embalming things and chemicals and a mutant baby, so he does them all," Angela answered flatly. "I still get paid because technically, I should be watching him, but the kid knows what he's doing. Said I make him nervous when I hover."

"Mutant baby? Do I want to know?"

She laughed and shook her head. "He's got this theory that the chemicals will make my baby into a mutant…and not a good one either. A bad one…like Magneto but with dead people because it's embalming fluid."

"So your baby will attract dead people like Magneto attracts metal…" Chloe expanded, an interested look on her face. "Creepy."

"He doesn't attract metal. He controls magnetic fields," she corrected as if it was everyday knowledge. She blinked a second, realized she'd repeated exactly what Bones had explained to her earlier in the week, and grimaced. "I spend way too much time with that nerd."

She laughed at that one. The love Angela had for her apprentice was apparent on her face despite the mean words. "Why can't the kid be an X-men? Why does the kid have to be bad?"

"Are we seriously going to delve into the craziness that is Bones' mind? I love that kid, but he's crazy! He asked if we could get a flame thrower the other day to ward off zombies!"

Chloe briefly considered the idea. "Its not a bad idea," she said, playing along. "A crossbow might work better. Maybe keep a stake around for vampires and mountain…"

"Ash for werewolves," Angela finished with a roll of her eyes. Bones had already told her multiple times about the uses of mountain ash. She had yet to figure out if it was an actual thing or purely fictional. At the moment, she was trying to decide who was more of a nerd: Chloe or Boner. "I need cooler friends."

"Maybe you should find some more Old Ladies to hang out with," she teased, grinning at Angela's scowl. After she'd learned that the club members called their girlfriends, 'old ladies', she couldn't help but tease her about it. To her, it seemed like an insult to be called 'old' when they weren't even close to it. She spotted Gemma walking purposefully through the lobby. "There's one now."

Angela ducked her head down to avoid detection. As much as she loved Gemma, the woman was not someone she wanted to deal with at the moment. She was having a great day, no need to spoil it. "Did she see me?"

"Not sure. Would've she have stopped to say something if she had?"

"Only if she wanted me for something," she answered honestly. "How's nurse stuff going?"

"Oh you know, crazy as usual," Chloe began before delving into a particularly funny story about one of her patients. As she finished off her story, Gemma swept back into the lobby. Her dark eyes scanned over the people there before honing in on Angela. Chloe grimaced as the Queen made her way over; apparently she had seen Angela, and now she wanted something. "Incoming."

Angela tensed, looking over her shoulder to where Gemma was heading her way, heels clacking against the tile. "Shit."

"You're with me, undertaker," Gemma ordered, taking her sunglasses out of her shirt as she began walking towards the exit without giving Angela a chance to say no.

"Guess she wants something," Angela whispered under her breath as she pushed away from the front desk.

"Have fun," Chloe sang, smirking when she flipped her off in response.

Angela jogged a bit to catch up with Gemma's long stride. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Seems your boy took my Old Man to Diosa," Gemma stated, unlocking her SUV and gesturing for her to get in. "We got to go over there and handle some shit."

"Nuh-uh. I go, I drive," she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. There was no way she was getting in the car with a pissed of Gemma behind the wheel. She liked living. "Your choice."

Gemma shut her door and locked them. She wanted to get to Diosa before Clay did some serious damage and fighting with the undertaker would only stretch out the waiting time. Though she'd never gone head to head against Angela before, if she was anything like Happy, it would take a shit ton of convincing to get her to budge. Gemma didn't have time for that. "Fine. Let's go," she said, following the undertaker as she headed to her car. "Drive fast."

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><p>Gemma looked over at Angela as she drove. She could just make out the speedometer and was shocked to see just how fast she was going, almost 90. When she'd told the girl to drive fast, she never expected her to go <em>that<em> fast. Looking at her, it seemed as if she was just casually driving down the road. "Going a little fast, aren't ya?"

"Thought that's what you wanted," Angela said on a smirk, slowing down just a bit. She flipped on a little black box that was resting on her dash, filling the car with police chatter. "Doesn't sound like there are cops around, anyway."

"Juice responsible for that?"

She nodded, picking up the speed again. This ride could not go by fast enough. "Yeah. He gets the coolest toys."

An awkward silence filled the car before Gemma interrupted it. "Heard you were pregnant," she stated, looking pointedly at Angela's mostly flat stomach. At the girl's surprised look, she smirked. "Please. Juice has the sonogram picture in his locker. Caught him lookin' at it one day. Why didn't you say anythin'?"

Angela smiled at the thought of Juice with the picture in his locker. She'd wondered where he put it. She shrugged in response to Gemma's question, her fingers tapping nervously on the gearshift. She knew she'd have to tell Gemma eventually, but that woman made her nervous as hell. Always had. "There's been a lot going on, and you've been…busy. Didn't want to bug you."

"We happy about this?"

"_We_ are. Its everyone else that's the problem," she replied honestly.

Gemma raised her eyebrows in response, not at all expecting one that opened up a conversation. She never had serious one on one time with Angela; she'd always assumed that the undertaker didn't talk much like her cousin. Now she was starting to think she'd just hadn't given the girl a chance. "Your Ma and Aunt aren't happy, huh? Guessin' they don't like that empty space on your left hand."

Angela nodded. "He wants to. He brings it up all the time, but I…I don't want him to do it for the wrong reasons. Y'know?"

"Bull shit," the queen replied on a snort. She knew that excuse very well. It wasn't his reasoning that had her hesitating, it was something else, fear. "You're just scared, sweetheart. You're scared that as soon as that ring gets on your finger, he's gonna have free reign to run around on ya because you and I both know there's no way in hell you're gettin' a divorce. That's the Catholic in ya."

She shrugged a shoulder. "He's been faithful for three years now, Gemma. I don't know why I feel like I can't trust him," she commented, surprising herself by how open she was being. She'd never expected Gemma to be so easy to talk to, though she had to admit, it was nice. Tara was the only other person with whom she could talk to about this kind of stuff, and she didn't understand the MC world nearly as well as Gemma did.

" 'cause you see what the other guys do. I love those boys, but not a single one of 'em are faithful, including my Jax. Why's Juice any different?"

"Somethin' like that."

Gemma smirked in response, girl was smarter than she looked. "Maybe you're right in holdin' off. Marriage isn't worth the heartbreak. Doesn't change anythin'. Just a few names on a piece of paper," she said bitterly as she thought of both of her husbands. Her marriages hadn't done anything but give her grief in the end. She couldn't blame Angela for not wanting to go through with it. "If your family has a problem with it, they can go to hell. You got family in SAMCRO, baby. You know that, right?"

"Sure. Thanks," she replied awkwardly. It wasn't that she didn't believe Gemma, it was that she wasn't sure how long the SAMCRO family would stick around if they found out about Juice's secret; a worry that plagued her every day. Once that secret was out of the bag, she doubted anyone would stick around to help her. She'd be lucky if Juice got out of it alive. "So what's the deal with you and this…pimp?"

"Let's not go there, undertaker," Gemma replied with a shake of her head. It was one thing for her to go nosing into the younger girl's personal life, it was quite another for Angela to ask about hers. "And he's not a pimp. He's a companionator."

Angela fought the urge to laugh at that line. "Whatever you say, Gemma," she muttered, pulling the car into the parking lot. She spotted the van nearby and smiled as she followed Gemma towards the front of Diosa and then inside. She hadn't heard from or seen Juice all day and was looking forward to it. Seeing him always made her happy.

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><p>Juice walked out to see if Clay was ready to go. He had to admit, he was proud of himself. He may have let Carla take him into the back room, but he hadn't let her go very far. She'd taken off his shirt, admired his physique, and they'd made out a little bit, but as soon as her hands found his belt buckle, he'd pushed her away. Despite all the advice Clay had been giving him, he found he couldn't go through having sex with another woman. It wasn't just his head either. Carla had a soft touch and wasn't hard on the eyes, but she just didn't turn him on the way Angela did. The older woman did nothing for him. So he'd pushed her away, grabbing his shirt off the bed while trying to get the hell out of that room before anything else happened. He didn't even stop to put his shirt on. His first mistake.<p>

He saw Gemma standing in the lobby talking to Nero. Quickly, he pulled his shirt back on, hoping to God that Gemma was too wrapped up in her own drama to think about why he'd been shirtless in the first place. "Hey. What are you doing here?" he greeted, trying for a smile.

"Where is he?" Gemma demanded, her fiery gaze turned up full force.

"Where's who?" he asked, his eyes following Gemma as she ran out the room. It wasn't until she was gone that he noticed Angela standing by the entrance. His heart sunk in his chest. It was clear that she'd jumped to the exact conclusion he'd hope Gemma wouldn't reach. "Shit."

Angela felt as though the wind had been knocked right out of her chest at the sight of Juice walking out half clothed, a very satisfied looking Carla behind him. There was only one thing he could've been doing back there. All her fears, everything she'd just talked to Gemma about, were true. Juice was a disloyal cheater just like all of his brothers. Carla raised an eyebrow at her, a mocking smirk on her face. Angela felt a lump form in her throat and swallowed it down. She would not give Carla the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"Angel..." Juice trailed off.

She fought back the slew of angry words and actions that were threatening to spill out of her. Clenching her fists, she sucked in a deep breath, turned on her heel and walked away. Yelling at him, punching him, and cursing out Carla wouldn't change a thing. All it would do would make her like a raging bitch. No, she'd take the high road and have this discussion with him at home, away from Carla's smug looks and other peoples' ears.

"Angel!" he called, about to chase after her when he heard a commotion coming from the backroom. He was torn between going to help Clay and going after his Old Lady. Choosing the easier of the two, he headed back to help pull Gemma off of the young escort. That was his second mistake. Once he and Nero got them separated, he headed outside to the parking lot expecting her to be there, waiting for him. His eyes scanned the lot for the Mazda, but it wasn't there. She was gone.

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><p>Juice dialed Angela's phone for what felt like the fiftieth time. It rang five times before going to voicemail again. He felt sick to his stomach for what he had done. The look on her face had felt like a stab to the chest. What had he been thinking? He should never have let Carla pull him into the back room to begin with. He didn't need that type of attention. He got more than enough of it from his own Old Lady. Why had he risked it?<p>

"Ain't gonna pick up the phone," Clay's voice interrupted him.

"I know," he replied through gritted teeth. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. This was all Clay's fault. Him and his stupid ideas, the approving look he'd given him when Carla had grabbed his hand. How was he supposed to turn her down when Clay looked at him like he expected him to go through with it? Like he'd be proud of him if he did it? "Shit! I didn't even do anything!"

"She loves you enough, she'll come around. A good Old Lady always does."

For some reason, Clay's words did nothing to relax him. He picked up the speed just a bit, already planning to drop Clay off and head straight home to explain. He knew it would be a hard sell. She'd basically caught him red handed, and he knew the satisfied smirk on Carla's face wouldn't help him either. All the evidence showed that he'd cheated on her. Now, it was time for him to disprove it. He hope to God she'd listen.

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><p>After dropping Clay off and getting back on his bike, he rode as fast as possible to their house. The light was on in the living room meaning she was home, that she hadn't left him. That was a good sign, at least she was waiting to hear him out. He walked up the drive, hands shaking as he opened the door. Angela was sitting on the couch, head in her hands, Rigor at her feet. The pup raised his head when he walked in and let out a low whine before setting it back down on Angela's knee as if telling him she was in distress. She raked her hands through her hair but stayed silent waiting for him to make the first move.<p>

"It wasn't what it looked like, Angel," he started, closing the door behind him.

Angela lifted her head to look at him. "What was it, then?" she asked, getting to her feet. This was not a conversation she wanted to have while sitting. She needed to stand, needed to be able to walk away.

"When you went on your trip, I spent a lotta time with…Clay. He started putting these ideas in my head about exploring my options. Said I'm only young once, I should take advantage of it. And without you there, it was hard not to let some of that…sink in."

"Okay..." she said, not in the mood to hear him blame Clay for his actions. "Are you telling me this wasn't the first time?"

"No! _God _no! I didn't do anything while you were away, I swear. That's just…when he started talkin' to me about it. For weeks now, he's been on me about it, and I tried to block him off but then we were at Diosa and Carla grabbed my hand and Clay gave me this look that told me he'd be disappointed if I said no...so I didn't." Taking in a deep breath, he glanced at Angela to gauge her reaction. It didn't look good. "I don't know what I was thinking, Angel. I just…I couldn't say no. Not with Clay there," he admitted, hanging his head dejectedly.

Angela closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, trying not to get angry until she knew all the details. "What exactly did you do with her, Juice?"

"We...we made out a little. She took off my shirt, went for my belt buckle, and I couldn't...I couldn't do it," he admitted, knowing it was better to be honest with her than to lie.

"You couldn't get it up," she corrected, a knowing look in her dark eyes. "Right?"

He winced at her bluntness. Hanging his head, he sighed. "Yeah," he answered softly. She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "I couldn't do it because she wasn't you, Angel. She doesn't know me like you do."

She scoffed at that, pulling her hand from his grasp, fury hitting her hard. "And you think that's okay?" she asked, glaring at him. "You think you can just go around making out with other women and not fucking them because you can't get it up? What if you could, Juice? Huh? What then? Would you have fucked her?"

Juice blinked at her, unsure of the answer. What would he have done? With all the poison Clay was dumping in his ear, he probably would've gone through with it. "No, of course not," he lied, hoping it was convincing.

"That's bull shit," she seethed, practically trembling with anger. "You would've gone through with it, and you know it!"

She was right. One hundred percent, and by the absolute rage on her face, she knew it. He could see their relationship crumbling to pieces before his very eyes. Fear crept up on him; he was going to lose her. All because he'd had a moment of weakness. All because he listened to Clay. "I'm an idiot, Angel, and I'm sorry, but I didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, you _are_ an idiot," she spat at him, her dark eyes all fire as she glared at him. "And you _did_ do something wrong, Juice! You let her touch you! What would you do if I did that to you, huh? If I came home and told you I made out with someone else? Would that be okay with you?"

"No!" he exclaimed before he could stop himself. The mere mention of someone else having his hands on her made him feel sick to his stomach. She belonged to him and him alone.

Her anger broke, sadness replacing it. The pregnancy hormones were fucking with her, and she hated them. "Then what makes you think you can do that to me?" she asked, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes.

"Angel, I'm sorry," he said, a lump forming in his throat when he saw the broken look in her eyes. "I'm an idiot and I didn't…I didn't _think_."

"That's not an excuse!" she exclaimed, anger swinging back into place. She'd heard that excuse one too many times, and she was sick of it. "Why did you do it? Huh? _Why_? Am I not good enough for you? Did I do something wrong? _What_? I thought you wanted to get married! I thought you wanted a family!"

"I do, baby, I do," he said, swallowing hard at the lump in his throat. "I'm so sorry. How can I make this better? How do I fix this?"

"I don't know, Juice. I can't…" she fumbled for the right words. There was nothing she could do to erase the image of Carla's mocking, almost triumphant smirk out of her mind. She'd trusted him, and he let her down. "I just can't believe it."

"I'm so sorry," he repeated on a breath, taking her hands in his again. "I love you, Angel. I'm an idiot and I love you. So _much_. I made a mistake and it…it'll never happen again, baby. I promise you that."

Angela wanted to believe him. Wanted so badly to believe that this was the first and only time, but she knew better. Gemma had even said it in the car, not a single one of the Sons were faithful to their Old Ladies. She'd been stupid to think Juice was any different. This time he couldn't go through with it but what about the next time the temptation arose? What if it was a younger sweetbutt, one who could actually turn him on better than Carla who was probably old enough to be his mother? "I don't believe you, Juice," she admitted softly. "I want to but…"

"No," he cut her off before she could get any further. His cell phone went off and for the first time in the three years she'd known him, he ignored it. Taking her face in his hands, he met her eyes, hoping to God she understood how much he meant what he was going to say. "I love you more than I've loved anything in my whole life. You are all I have. What I did was wrong, but don't...don't give up on me."

If his words weren't enough, the fact that he was ignoring the persistent ring of his cell phone made his words hit home. He was choosing her over the club. She felt another tear slide down her cheek as she shook her head. She couldn't let this slide. This had been exactly why she'd been hesitant to move on to the next step in their relationship. Everyone had told her she was foolish for not wanting to get engaged, to get married, but his actions had proven that she'd been right in her hesitance. As much as she loved him, he was not the loyal man she thought he was.

"Juice…" The phone kept going off, hers joining along with it. She raked a hand through her hair, shaking her head again. "You should…you should get that."

His shoulders sagged in defeat. He thought he'd gotten through just then but clearly he was wrong. He wracked his brain for more words. Something, _anything_ to make her stay. "Angel, please…"

"Just answer it," she said, wiping at her eyes as she checked the caller ID of her own phone. "Its Tara. I…I gotta get this."

Juice nodded, digging in his pockets for his own phone. Taking in a deep breath, Angela tried to calm herself before answering. "Hey T. What's up?"

"Um…I just…I got a call from Jax," Tara's voice shook on the other line. "Opie…he…got killed in county. They need someone to go pick him up. Can you tell me Skeeter's number?"

Angela felt like the wind got knocked out of her. Opie was dead. Ellie and Kenny had finally lost their father for good. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. "Yeah, um…here," she said, reciting the number by heart. "You need me to…be there for something?"

"N-no. Not yet, Angie. Thanks. I gotta…I gotta start making plans," Tara replied sounding frazzled. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah," she answered softly. She looked over at Juice whose eyes had gone glassy with tears; he'd heard too. In that instant all the anger and disappointment she felt faded away. All she could think about was what if it had been him? As much as he hurt her, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him forever.

Before she knew it, she wrapped tightly in his arms. He buried his face into her neck, his hot tears burning her skin. "Stay," he murmured, his voice rough with grief. "Please, just…stay. I need you."

She wrapped her arms around him, one hand smoothing over the back of his mohawk as tears of her own slid down her face. "Okay, baby," she breathed, her breath catching in her throat when he pulled her in closer. She wouldn't leave him. Not now when he needed her. She'd decide what to do about what had happened tomorrow. That night, she needed to be strong for him the way he'd been when she'd lost Kozik. She loved him too much to leave him to grieve alone. "I got you, baby. Not going anywhere."

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><p><strong>Not my happiest chapter ever but...it needed to happen. :( As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it in a review! Long, short, whatever the length, let me know what you think. :) <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	66. Damaged

**SIX _DAYS_ until Season 6! Words cannot describe my excitement! :D  
><strong>

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read and review! I messaged those of you who signed in, but thanks also to: _Kerry_** and_** DarkChild19 **(That's not a bad idea...we'll see...) ;) _

**This chapter takes place inbetween/during Season 5, Episode 3 "Laying Pipe" and Episode 4 "Stolen Huffy." More on the inbetween side than in the during side... ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 66: Damaged_

_ By Love Ink _

Juice watched as Angela got dressed in her usual work clothes: black slacks and a blouse with a cami underneath. She was all in black today, save for the royal blue cami that barely showed; a tribute to the club's colors. Her shoulders sagged as she sat down heavily on the bed, leaning over to tie on her black work shoes. "You gonna be okay?" he asked, reaching out a hand to touch her back.

"Yeah," she replied curtly. She'd visibly tensed at his touch, practically jumping to her feet to get away from it. Standing at their bureau, she stared down at her hands instead of at his face. It hurt just to look at him. The Claddagh ring he'd given her glinted at her mockingly in the early morning light. Just a few days ago she'd decided the symbolism of the ring was perfect for their relationship: friendship, loyalty, and love. Now, that view was tarnished. After what she'd seen at Diosa, she questioned his loyalty to her, his love. She still couldn't believe it. Closing her eyes, she started twisting the ring off. Just looking at it and thinking of all that had been damaged, made her sick to her stomach.

Setting it delicately on the dresser, she caught Juice's wounded look in the mirror._ Good,_ she thought,_ he should be hurting_. She sure as hell was. She weaved her hair into its usual braid, easily tying it off before sucking in a deep breath. "Okay," she said to herself. "I got this."

Juice knew she was trying to give herself confidence, but he didn't hear it in her voice. The pain in her voice worried him. He didn't want her to have to prepare Opie without some kind of support. "You want me to…"

"Hap'll be there," she replied, cutting him off. The last thing she wanted was to spend more time in an enclosed room with him. She needed time away from him to sort through her thoughts, figure out where they were headed. At least Happy would stay quiet.

Taking in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and headed for the door. His hand shot out as she passed, grabbing her wrist gently to stop her. He looked up at her from his seat at the edge of their bed, searching her face for some hint as to what she was feeling. She'd let him hold her the night before as they both cried. Had put aside her own feelings to tend to his. He didn't know how found the strength to look past his mistake and comfort him, but she had and he was grateful for it. That woman that had been his rock the night before was gone now. She was replaced with a harder looking one, that familiar, almost dangerous black look was in her eyes as they met his. "Angel…" he started, keeping hold of her wrist knowing that if he let her go, she'd leave.

"I need to go," she said trying to pull her wrist away, but he held strong for a second longer.

"Okay," he said, releasing his grip and standing up. "I'll see you later?"

She shrugged a shoulder, her eyes focused on the door. "I'll be around," she said, moving towards the exit.

He grabbed her wrist again, pulling her into him. "Angel…"

"I need to go, Juice," she repeated, her voice wavering.

"Just…just give me something. Tell me we're going to be okay."

She swallowed hard before shaking her head. "I can't right now," she said, softly. "I have to go prep Ope."

He nodded slowly, feeling a lump rise in his throat. "Okay," he said, his voice rough. He leaned down to kiss her lips, but she turned away so that his kiss landed on her cheek instead. The move was like a dagger to his heart. Pulling her hand from his, she quickly made her way out, taking Rigor with her.

Juice heard the front door shut and sat down on the bed again, letting his head fall into his hands. He'd royally fucked up, and he was scared as hell that he wouldn't be able to fix it.

* * *

><p>Angela walked into Ellie and Kenny Winston's school office, her stomach in knots. It wasn't the first time she'd picked them up from school, but it was the first time she was doing it this early and with terrible news to boot. "Hi, I'm Angela Ruiz, here to pick up Ellie and Kenny Winston," she greeted the secretary, trying her best to smile at the older woman.<p>

"Are you on their anytime pick up list?"

"Yes ma'am," Angela said, digging in her pocket for her ID and handing it over.

The woman glanced at the ID card before going to the filing cabinet to retrieve their files. "Is there a reason you're pulling them from class?"

"Their father passed away late last night. Apparently, no one has told them yet," she answered on a frown. She was pissed as hell when Tara told her the Winston kids had gone off to school that morning without anyone telling them about their father. So much so that she insisted on picking them up herself. There was no way she was going to leave them at the clubhouse where they'd probably be ignored while the Croweaters prepared the clubhouse for the wake. "I'm here to take them to the wake."

The secretary frowned, returning Angela's ID card. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'll call them up. You can take a seat in the waiting room right there if you please, Ms. Ruiz."

"Thank you," she said, choosing to stand instead so she could see Rigor who was seated in the hatchback of her car. She'd left the hatchback door up, knowing he wouldn't jump out. Juice, Happy, and even Tig had had a hand in training him, and they'd done a good job of it.

The Winston kids walked in together, both looking a little curious as to why Angela was there to pick them up so early. Kenny seemed to perk up a little when he saw her while Eli frowned. "Something happened to Opie, didn't it?" she asked, looking just a bit upset.

Angela was thrown off by the use of Opie's name rather than 'dad' or 'pops'. She blinked at the girl before swallowing hard and nodding. "C'mon, let's go. I'll explain in the car."

Kenny followed after, but Ellie held her ground. "No," she replied stubbornly. "Kate's party is tonight. It's a sleepover and I really want to go."

"Sweetheart, your dad…he…he didn't make it out of county. We're having a wake tonight at the clubhouse. You should be there with your family."

The young girl didn't seem particularly surprised by the statement, but Kenny had visibly tensed. "They aren't my family," she seethed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where have they been the last couple of years, Ang? The only one who talks to us is you."

Angela grimaced at the bitterness in the girl's voice; she was too young to sound so jaded. Again her thoughts drifted to her future child. Would it eventually hold that same feeling? "I'm sorry about that, El, but I think you'd regret not going. He's your dad."

Ellie shrugged again. "I don't want to go. He's gone. That's not going to change. This party is only going to happen this one night, and I want to go," she insisted, her eyes glassy with tears. She didn't want to be in a place that reminded her of her grandfather, her mother, her father. She needed a distraction. "Please," she pleaded, her voice breaking.

Angela felt a lump rise in her throat. She swallowed it back and nodded. "Okay, El. You can stay," she relented, gently ruffling Ellie's hair. "You call me if you change your mind, all right? I'll come right over and pick you up."

Ellie nodded, wiping quickly at her eyes. She hugged Angela tightly, feeling a slight weight ease off her shoulders. "Thank you, Angie," she breathed, letting go quickly. "Love you."

"Love you too, El," she replied, kissing Ellie's forehead. "Remember, you call me, and I'm there all right? Always."

"Got it. I'll see you later, Ken," she said, wiping at her eyes and hugging her brother quickly before leaving the front office to go back to class.

Angela watched her go, letting out a long sigh while raking her hands through her hair. She turned to Kenny. "What do you want to do, Ken?"

Kenny's eyes met hers for a brief moment. He didn't look sad or angry just…lost as if he didn't know what to feel. After taking in a deep breath, he sighed. "Let's go. Math sucks anyway," he said, hitching up his backpack.

She draped an arm over his shoulders, moving to kiss his head before they started walking to her Mazda. After spotting Rigor in the hatchback, he sat down in the back seat, draping his arm over the back of the seat to pet the puppy. "Hey Rigs," he murmured, softly. He waited for Angela to close the back door and start driving before he cleared his throat. "What happened to my dad?" he asked, his voice rough.

"From what Jax told me, there was a fight and he went down defending his club. Apparently, he was a hero. Saved them all."

Kenny nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly. "Good. That's…that's a good way to go," he rasped out, sniffling slightly. He liked the idea of his dad being a hero, it was comforting in a strange way. "The rest of the guys okay?"

"Yeah, they're good."

"Okay," he said, biting at his lip, trying to hold in his tears. The last time he'd seen his dad was when he'd dropped them off at Lyla's before he was indicted. He'd given them both kisses on the head, said he'd loved them and to be strong, and then bailed. He was always bailing. "Are we…are we going to the clubhouse?"

"Yep, I'm supposed to drop you off there first," she said on a sigh. The clubhouse was the last place she wanted to go at the moment. Not only was Juice there but she was sure the place was a madhouse as they prepped for the wake.

"Are you staying there?" he asked hopefully. He didn't want to be surrounded by the rest of the Old Ladies and Croweaters without anyone to talk to.

Angela shook her head. "I gotta go to work, kiddo."

Kenny nodded sullenly. "Can I…can I stay with you? I just…I don't…I don't want to be stuck in that clubhouse all day. I won't bother you, I swear! I'll keep Rigs entertained for ya."

She smiled at him in the rearview mirror. Against her better judgment, she nodded. Though having the young man around while she was preparing his father wasn't her brightest idea, she hated the thought of him alone and ignored in the clubhouse. "Of course, Ken. Rigs would love that, and I'm sure my apprentice, Bones, would love to play some video games with you. He's got quite the arsenal."

Kenny looked visibly relieved. "Thanks, Angie."

"No problem. You've just got to do one thing for me."

"What?"

"Beat Bones on Mario Kart, please?" she asked, feeling better when she saw the smallest hint of a smile on Kenny's face. " 'cause I can't, and he's a terrible winner. Just give him a good ass kicking. Please. Deflate that ego of his a bit."

Kenny agreed on a nod, his smile growing bigger. "I can do that," he answered, getting out of the car. He walked into the mortuary beside Angela, feeling a bit better when she draped an arm over his shoulders and hugged him to her side. "Thanks for pickin' me up, Angie."

"Anytime. I'm here for you, kid. You know that."

* * *

><p>Bones watched with wide eyes as Angela walked into the office, Rigs at her heels, a kid at her side. The kid looked familiar, though Bones couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen him before. "Bones, Kenny, Kenny, this is Bones," she introduced, taking a seat at her desk.<p>

"Nice to meet ya," Bones said, nodding to the kid who nodded back.

"Hey Ken, you mind taking Rigor for a walk? He likes walking through the cemetery. Just make sure he doesn't go on the stones and clean up after him," she instructed, pulling a leash out and tossing it to Kenny. She never used the leash when walking the pup since he was pretty good at voice commands, but Kenny didn't know them and Rigor didn't know Kenny well enough to listen to him.

Kenny caught it easily, a small smile crossing his face as Rigor's tail started wagging enthusiastically. "Sure! C'mon, Rigs," he said, disappearing towards the front of the house.

Once the front door closed behind him, Angela sat down heavily in her chair, propping her elbows on the desk, and letting her head fall into her hands. Bones had never seen her look so tired. "You okay?" he asked softly.

She lifted her head and nodded, letting out a long breath. "Yeah, fine," she lied, wiping at her eyes. "Ope come in?"

He nodded in response. "He's on the table. I loosened him up, but I can't…I can't reconstruct like you yet. I mean, I'm learnin' but this is one…one I don't want to mess up," he answered, his voice shaking nervously.

Angela nodded, sucking in a deep breath as she looked over Opie's paperwork. "There a Son in there with him?"

"Yeah. Scary lookin' dude too," Bones replied. "Tats everywhere. Including his head. Do you know how painful that must be to get a tattoo on your head?"

She shrugged a shoulder, thinking of another man with tattoos on his head. "Very," she answered softly, looking back down at the desk.

"You get in a fight with Juice?"

Her head snapped up to meet his eyes. How could he possibly know that? "What?"

"You got all mopey. I mean, I know your friend died and that sucks, but something tells me that's not what you're hurt about," he said confidently. "What'd he do?"

Angela let out a long sigh, pushing away from the table and standing up. "Don't worry about it, Boner."

He watched her walk out of the room, a little hurt by the brush off. There was something wrong with his mentor, but he wasn't about to push to find out. He knew from experience how volatile pregnant women could be. He chased after her, not wanting her alone in the room with the tattooed villain.

* * *

><p>Angela stared at the large body laying on her table, naked save for a modesty towel that covered his privates. Bones had put it there because he knew his mentor had some kind of a friendly relationship with the man on the table. "I started the process and made the incision in the head for you 'cause its all broken up back there, but I didn't want to mess with him too much. Skeeter said it has to be perfect, and I can't do it like you. Especially not the cut on his face," Bones rambled, his hands waving as he talked. He was nervous as hell and kept sneaking glances at Happy who was sitting in the corner, watching him like a hawk.<p>

"Thanks, Boner. Skeet said Jax didn't want us to close up that cut anyway," she said flatly, reaching out a gloved hand to touch the edges. She mentally made note of everything that needed to be fixed. The cut on his nose, his hair, the bruises on his body. It was an excellent case to teach Bones with, but she wasn't going to take advantage of that. Opie was a friend of hers, not a teaching instrument. "I got this from here. You should go find Ken. I bet he can kick your ass at Mario Kart."

He hesitated, glancing at the scary man in the corner as if he was worried to leave them alone together. "You sure?"

She looked back at Happy who looked a little amused at Bones' protective tone. "Yeah, we're good, Boner. Go hang with Ken, this is his dad so he needs a distraction and he's pretty good at video games," she explained softly. "Think he might have you beat."

Bones shook his head. "No way, dude. I'll smoke him," he said, casting one more nervous glance at Happy before heading out the door.

Once they were alone, she let out a small breath, finally letting what she was feeling show on her face. "He do all right?" she asked Happy.

Happy nodded in approval. The kid had been fine. Had listened to movie scores while working which he'd only realized because he'd heard the Indiana Jones theme. "Slower than you."

"He's still learning," Angela explained on a shrug as she looked through her makeup for the right colors. "You don't have to stay."

"Yeah, I do," he said, sighing as he tilted his head against the wall. "You all right?"

She sighed as she got to work. "After what happened to Koz, none of this shit surprises me anymore. I was bad last night, but I'm more sad for Kenny and El than anyone. El wouldn't even let me take her out of school. She wanted to stay to go to a party. How awful is that? Poor girl."

"Ain't easy losin' someone," he replied vaguely. "Girl lost a lot 'cause a the club. I get it."

The fact that Happy understood a fourteen year old girl didn't surprise her. He was more in tune with people's feeling than he'd ever let on. Plus, he'd been through stuff like this with her before. "I just…I'd hate for her to regret this later."

"Not your decision." Happy watched her move, nothing the slump to her shoulders, the bags underneath her eyes. This was not what a pregnant woman should look like. She should be light, happy, glowing. That's what her mom was like when she'd been pregnant. Always laughing and smiling. And Angela _had_ been that way when she'd gotten back from the trip. It slowly started to fade as events progressed. First with what happened to Dawn, now with Opie. "You all right?"

"You already asked that," she stated, ignoring the deeper question. There was no way she would open up to him about what happened with Juice; he'd kill him.

If he noticed her dodging the question, he didn't comment. "You look tired."

"I _am_ tired," she admitted on a lengthy sigh. She knew he was trying to get her to talk, to help her release her worries, but she just couldn't. He was no Kozik. If she confided in him the way she would with Koz, things would get violent between him and Juice fast. At least Kozik wouldn't have killed him.

Happy wasn't good at this prying shit. He wasn't used to it. Since she'd been small, Angela usually told him everything. When she was younger, it would all come out in one big rush of words that he'd learn to tune out. Growing up, her school teachers had thought she was mute, but he never could get her to shut up. She grew out of it eventually. Now, she waited to be asked; he just had to ask the right question. He had to admit, sometimes he missed her incessant chatter; it was a hell of a lot easier than thinking of questions. "Things all good with the idiot?"

She stiffened a bit at the question, swallowing back the word vomit that she was dying to spew. She needed to vent, to tell someone, but Hap was _not_ the right person for it. "Yeah. Fine. You guys have been busy lately, huh?"

Happy nodded in response. He cracked his knuckles, trying to think of a better question. "Surprised he's not here."

"Yeah," she said softly. "He wanted to be, but...he's distracting."

"Ain't ever bothered you before."

"This is...different. It's Ope, y'know," she explained, lying through her teeth. "Too personal."

There was a knock in the door. "Might be him," he commented, surprised when her whole body tensed in response. The door opened and Phil poked his head in, Angela's shoulders sagged in relief. Happy raised an eyebrow; there was something going on with her and Juice, he was sure of it. It probably wasn't good if she was keeping it to herself.

"Uh...Hap, Jax needs you. Said I should take your place," Phil explained looking nervously between Hap and the body on the table.

"Give me a minute," Happy replied, waiting until Phil left before getting up and and heading over to his cousin. "Gotta tell me what's going on, kid."

Her dark eyes stared at the body in front of her, staring at Opie's tattoos. "Ope is lying dead on my table," she replied sadly as tears gathered in her eyes; she hated lying to her cousin. Hated that there was no one else she felt comfortable turning to. Kozik was dead. Mel was dead. Bones was too young and Chloe too out of the loop to understand. Sure there was Tara, but the poor doctor had too much on her plate as it was. Suddenly, Angela felt very alone. Swallowing hard, she lifted her head to meet Happy's questioning gaze. "_That's_ what's going on."

He knew she was lying, but he didn't have time to push anymore. His club needed to him. "Stay strong," he said, kissing her temple and ruffling her hair. "Love you, kid."

"Love you, too," she murmured around the lump in her throat. She watched him leave, sucking in a deep breath as she tried to keep it together.

* * *

><p>As soon as Happy closed the door behind him, he turned to Phil. The larger man was leaning against the wall reading a comic book. At the sound of the door closing he looked up. "I don't have to go in there, do I?" he asked, his voice shaking. At Happy's dark glare, he backpedaled. "I mean, of course I will. I was just...checking."<p>

"Watch her. Anything she needs, get it. She starts cryin' you call me, got it?" Happy ordered, still glaring at the newest patched member.

"What about Juice?"

Happy remembered the way his cousin had tensed when she thought Juice was at the door. No way in hell was he going to have Phil call the idiot over when she so clearly didn't want him there. "What'd I say?" he asked on a growl.

"C-call you," Phil stammered out watching Happy's back as he headed out the door. It wasn't until after he heard Happy's Dyna pull away that he headed inside the workroom.

Angela lifted her head and gave him a small smile. "You can sit outside if you want, Phil," she told him as if she'd heard the exchange he'd just had with her cousin. "I won't tell Hap."

His shoulders relaxed as he nodded. "Thanks, Ang. I'd stay but…dead people freak me out."

"I'm not surprised. All those zombie comics and what not," she said, looking back down at what she was doing. "Go 'head get back to your comic book."

Phil smiled before stepping outside the door and leaving Angela alone. She sighed, stripping off her gloves and wiping quickly at her eyes. Taking in a deep breath, she pressed play on her stereo and got back to work, letting the music drown out her thoughts. She worked quickly but carefully, making sure everything was perfect. Tears kept blurring her vision, but she worked through them. She had to for Ope.

"Ang?" Phil's voice drew her from her concentration.

"Hmm?" she asked, wiping at her eyes with her forearm.

Phil hesitated at her tears, remembering Happy's words. "Should I call Hap?"

"No. _God_ no," she said shaking her head. The last thing she needed was for Happy to come back. "I'm fine. What do you need?"

"Chibs is on the phone. Wants to talk to you," he replied, holding out the small black burner.

Angela furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She rarely got calls from any of the brothers besides Juice and Hap. Stripping off her gloves, she took the phone from him. "Hello?"

"Hey Angie-girl," Chibs' strongly accented voice replied. He sounded thoroughly exhausted. "Need a favor. Ye happen to be burnin' any ladies anytime soon?"

She walked over to the schedule and ran her finger down it. "Yeah. Got one on the list for tomorrow. Why?"

"Need a tiny tittie and a thumb. Preferably female, preferably young."

Angela grimaced at what that could possibly mean. Spare body parts wasn't an unusual request; she'd gotten various body parts for Hap in the past, usually fingers used to leave false prints at a scene. "I'll see what I can do," she replied, making a mental note to take the parts before Bones put the body in the oven. "When do you need 'em by?"

"Soon as ye can," he replied on a relieved sigh. " 'preciate ye not askin' why."

"There are some things I don't want to know," she answered honestly. "Tell Jax we should be over with Ope in an hour or so. I'll bring Kenny by. Ellie wanted to stay at school with her friends."

Chibs let out another, heavier sigh. "Aye, poor lass. I'll let 'im know."

"Need anythin' else?"

"Nah, Angie-girl. We're good, thanks," he answered. "See ye tonight, love."

"See you then, Chibbies," she replied, hanging up the phone and handing it over to Phil. She eyed the big man warily; she'd seen men his size faint before and it wasn't pretty. "You all right, Phil?"

The large newly patched member had his eyes glues to Opie's still form, an incredulous look on his face. "Yeah...its just...he looks like he's sleepin'," he stated softly. "Good job, Angie."

"Thanks," she replied, putting her gloves back on. " 'm almost done. I'll have Boner dress him and he and Skeet will put him in the box. He already bought the plot next to Donna's so they'll be together."

"That's real sweet," he said on a small smile. "Hope you're around to do this for me when the time comes."

She gave him a dark look, a scowl twisting her pretty features. "Don't talk like that," she chastised. "The last thing I want is for another one of you on my table."

Phil looked from her face to Opie's. "Dying like Ope is an honor. Y'know? He's…he's a hero. I hope when my time comes, it's for somethin' good. Something to make the club proud."

It wasn't the first time Angela had heard one of the Sons talk like that. Kozik and Hap had always mentioned how they wanted to go out fighting for the club. Kozik had gotten his wish. She was terrified Happy or Juice would be next. "Don't go throwing yourself in front of bullets, Phil."

"Nah. I can't really throw myself anywhere," he said on a shrug looking down at his girth. "You think you could make me thinner when I die?"

She fought the urge to laugh, knowing it was an inappropriate time to do so. "Jesus Christ, Phil. No! And you're not going to die anytime soon!" she exclaimed, hitting his arm. "Now get out of my workroom!"

"I'm just saying...everyone dies sooner or later."

"Get outta here, Phil," Angela said on a scowl. She tossed her gloves at his back as he walked away.

Once the door closed behind him, she sat down on the stool in the corner and stared at the body on the table. Propping her elbows on her knees, she let her head fall in her hands. She still couldn't believe Opie was gone. That the club had finally taken away the only person his kids had left. Would her child be in a similar situation as the years passed? God, she hoped not. Even if she and Juice didn't stay together, she wanted him in her kid's life. Hell, she wanted him in _her_ life. A lump formed in her throat just thinking about a life without him. Closing her eyes, she tried to control her tears. How had everything gone so wrong?

The soft clunk of footsteps made her look up. She was half expecting to see Juice standing there, ready to apologize again, but she was wrong. Kenny stood in the doorway, his hazel eyes wide as he stared at his father. Angela swallowed hard, sucking in a deep breath to keep her tears at bay. He needed her to be strong for him now. "Hey Ken," she greeted casually. Making a big deal of his intrusion would only make it worse. "You can come in if you want."

"Hi," Kenny said, his voice rough. He took a few steps closer to the table, his eyes never leaving his dad. His eyes met Angela's briefly, waiting for her to tell him to get lost. She didn't though. She just sat there patiently, waiting for him to make the first move. He reached out a hand, glancing again at her as if asking for permission. At her nod, he set his hand on his dad's. His dad's skin felt cold to the touch. "He has a lot of ink."

"He does," she agreed on a nod. "That something you're interested in?"

He nodded in response. "There's a big gash in his forehead. Are you going to close it?"

"No. Jax doesn't want me to. He wants everyone to see it, to know how he died," she replied honestly.

"Is that...is that how he died?"

Angela struggled with the choice of whether to sugar coat the truth or not. "Not really, kiddo. He had a pretty bad fracture on the back of his head."

"Someone cracked his skull?" he asked, his voice soft, eyes wide.

"Yeah. But his hands were pretty battered and bruised up," she told him. "Means he went down fighting. Protecting his club, his family."

Kenny looked up at her again, tears brimming his eyes. "I know. He gave up everything for them."

"For you too."

He nodded, though he didn't really believe her. Tears clouded his vision, distorting the image of his father's face. His dad would still be alive if it weren't for that damn club. He hated it. Hated that it had taken everything from him. He knew he should be eagerly waiting to join its ranks, but he didn't want to. It didn't feel right to be a part of something that had taken so much away from him. "Angie, do you think I have to be a Son when I get older?"

"You don't _have_ to do anything," she answered carefully. "Do you _want_ to be a Son?"

Kenny shrugged a shoulder. "I used to. I thought it would be cool to ride with my Pops like he did with his but now...I don't know," he replied, sniffling a bit. "I just...don't want to let my dad down."

"I don't think he'd be let down if you didn't join, Ken. Being a Son is...its not easy or safe. Its not necessarily the kind of life parents want for their kids," she explained, knowing firsthand exactly what she was talking about. She was praying her child was a girl to avoid even having to consider the idea of her child taking on the Reaper.

"If you had a kid, would you want it to be a Son?"

Angela smiled a bit as she shook her head. "_When_ I have my kid, if its a boy, I really would rather _not_ have him follow in his father's footsteps. Its not really my decision, though. If he wants to be a Son, who am I to stop him? It's in his blood."

Kenny looked at her with a surprised expression. "You're having a baby?" he gasped, a look of dread on his face. He was worried that Angela having a kid of her own would make her forget about him. "That's...that's cool. Congrats, I guess."

She could see the worry in his eyes and felt her heart sink. He was worried she'd dismiss him once she had a kid of her own. There was no way that was ever going to happen. Slinging an arm over his shoulders, she slowly turned him and walked with him towards the door. "You know that means I'll need a big cousin baby sitter, right? One that can teach my kid the ropes on all the cool games that I suck at," she said, closing the work room door behind her.

He rolled his eyes at her, a small smile turning up the corners of his lips. "You're not _that_ bad, Angie," he complimented, feeling relieved by her subtle way of tell him she wouldn't forget about him. "But I guess I could help."

Angela squeezed his shoulder before ruffling his hair lovingly. "Good," she said with a smile.

"I beat Bones, y'know," he commented as they walked back up to the apartment. "That's what I went in to tell you. It was tricky, but he doesn't know the Rainbow Road trick so I got him on that one. Then he kept picking the heavier characters, so I balanced it out with a lighter one like you told me, and I kicked his ass."

"All right, Kenny!" she exclaimed, giving him a fist bump. "I knew you could do it!'

Kenny smiled back at her, giving her a quick hug. "Thanks, Ang...for everything. Its...its nice not to be forgotten every once and awhile."

She smiled back at him, touched by his words. "How could I forget someone who repeatedly kicks my ass at my favorite video game? Love you, Ken."

"Love you too, Angie."

* * *

><p><strong>Got a bit cheesy towards the end, sorry! Got a little bit carried away exploring Kenny Winston's character... <strong>

**As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Any constructive criticism****, ideas, etc. are welcome and appreciated! **

**~Love Ink**


	67. Something Different

**Oh. My. Gosh. How crazy was the season 6 premiere!? I won't put any spoilers up here but...damn. It seems like this season is going to be total mayhem.**

**Thanks so much to every one who took the time to review, favorite, and follow. I know I PM'ed most of you, but thanks also to: _ExplosionsInTheSky33_**_ (Thanks so much! :) As for whether they'll have a son or a daughter...all I can say is, stay tuned. ;)), **Kerry** (Thank you! I try and include the Winston kids when I can since the actual show seems to forget about them.:[),** dinos go rawr **(Thanks! As far as catching up goes, it really depends on what happens in Juice's storyline in season 6...I do have a bunch of oneshots written and if I do catch up, I might start posting those in the interim...we'll see! I won't stop completely. I can promise you that...), _**and **_**love for kozik **(__Thank you! Angela would be around 12 weeks in chapter 53. I know the amount women show during pregnancy varies so I kind of played with it a bit...She's definitely starting to show a little more now, but she hides it well...;))._

**This chapter takes place during season 5, episode 4, "Stolen Huffy". :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 67: Something Different_

_ By Love Ink_

Happy walked out of the weight room, watching Juice's back as the idiot walked in front of him. He looked just as exhausted as his cousin had. It was evidence that something had gone on that was affecting them both. He was willing to bet the idiot had done something wrong, and, without Kozik or Mel around, Angela was trying to work through it on her own. He hated the idea of suffering on her own. Hated feeling like he couldn't help his little girl when she needed it, so he decided to go to the source. " 'ey, idiot!" Happy called, catching his attention.

Juice turned, heaving a heavy sigh as he met Happy's stare. "What?" he asked on a breath, wiping at his face with a towel. He could tell Angela hadn't told him what had happened between them otherwise he wouldn't have had such a nice greeting.

"What'd you do to my cousin?" he demanded, his dark eyes staring Juice down looking for some kind of indication of how bad the situation was.

He tensed at the question, still a little shocked that Angela hadn't mentioned it. "She really didn't tell you?" Juice asked, surprise on his face. He thought Angela told her cousin everything. The fact that she hadn't said anything showed how much she still cared about him. It was a comforting notion, if not a bit scary. How far would Happy go if he found out? "Then it's none of your business."

Happy pushed him into the wall of the hallway, anger registering in his dark eyes. How dare this idiot tell him Angela wasn't his business! He'd had a hand in every move she made since she was three years old! That was his kid that he was fucking with, and he'd be damned if he let Juice tell him what to do about her. "_She _is my business," he growled, pinning Juice against the wall.

Juice pushed back, using all his force to get the Tacoma killer off of him. "No, she's not," he seethed letting the anger he felt towards himself fuel his fury. "What happens between me and my Old Lady stays between me and her. If she doesn't want to tell you then it's none of your fucking business."

"Gonna ask one more time," he stated, pushing Juice once more and holding him against the wall. "The fuck did you do to her?"

"None of your goddamn business!" Juice shouted back, ducking just in time to avoid Happy's fist.

Tig could hear their yelling from where he sat at the bar with Bobby but neither of them thought to intervene until they heard the crash of a fist hitting the wall. Bobby got off his stool and headed towards the sound. Tig quickly downed his shot of Jack before following after. They were both surprised to find Happy and Juice in each other's faces.

"Stop!" Bobby shouted stepping in between them. Happy ignored him, taking another step closer to Juice only to have Tig grab his arm and hold him back. Bobby looked between his two brothers, trying his best to figure out what had happened to make them lash out at each other. He was willing to be it had something to do with Angela. The two men didn't have much in common otherwise. "What the hell is wrong with you two? We got a brother lying dead on the table, and you're fighting over a _girl_? We should be supportin' each other not tryin' to kill each other!"

"He's right, Hap," Tig agreed, knowing Happy was the instigator. "Shouldn't be doin' this now. Ang is a big girl, she can handle her own problems."

Happy pushed Tig away, giving Juice a death glare before heading back towards the bar without saying another word. This was not over. He understood his VP's point, but he was not going to let this go any time soon.

Tig watched him go before turning to Juice. "What'd you do ta her?"

Juice could see an almost protective look in Tig's clear blue eyes. He was concerned about Angela too. When had _that_ happened? "Not your business either," Juice replied, pushing Tig away from him.

Bobby shook his head at him looking a bit disappointed in his younger brother. "Doesn't matter," he said, dismissing the conversation. "We need you to call Angela. Get an ETA on when she'll be bringing over Ope."

He tensed at the request. There was no way Angela would willing answer his phone call, but he'd give it a try for his club. "Yeah. I'll see what I can find out."

He headed down the hallway into his room, closing and locking the door behind him to keep his brothers out. Grabbing his personal cell, he stared at the picture he had of her on the home screen. He'd taken on the beach in Santa Cruz during their short trip. She was wearing that silver bikini he loved so much with their sonogram picture taped to her stomach, a huge smile on her face as she pointed to it. Sighing, he dialed her number, not really expecting her to pick up. The phone rang once and was quickly cut off. She'd rejected the call, just as he thought she would.

Rubbing a hand over his head, he lay back on his bed. Guilt pooled in his stomach. A part of him wanted to find Happy again and let the Tacoma killer beat him black and blue. It was what he deserved after what he'd done. Digging through his pocket, he pulled out his burner for the week and called her knowing she'd answer the blocked number.

"Angela Ruiz. How can I help you?" her voice answered on a tired sigh.

"Hey baby," he greeted, wondering if he was even allowed to call her that anymore.

He heard her sigh again in response. "If I wanted to talk to you, I would've answered your first call," she stated, her voice flat, emotionless.

"I know," he replied, rubbing a hand over his mohawk. "It's just…the guys wanted me to ask if you were bringin' Ope over soon."

"Oh," her surprised response and the silence that followed told him she was raking her hands through her hair, probably assessing how much work she had left to do. "Yeah…we'll be over soon. Maybe an hour, hour and a half."

Juice hated the awkwardness of the conversation. It was something he'd never encountered with Angela before. "Okay," he said, letting out a long breath. "Your cousin almost beat the shit outta me two minutes ago."

"Almost?"

"Bobby and Tig intervened. Not the right time for it, apparently."

"I see," she murmured, and he could tell she was trying to hide a laugh.

He sighed, looking at the still fan on the ceiling. "I deserve to have the shit kicked outta me, to be honest. Wasn't going to fight him back."

"Don't be an idiot," she scoffed, disapproval in her voice.

Juice smiled; she still cared. It didn't matter how angry she was at him, she still cared. "You stayin' for the wake?"

"Yeah, 'course."

"You comin' home after?" he asked. The long pause he was met with made him nervous. Clearing his throat, he backtracked. "I'll sleep on the couch if you want me to, Angel. I just…want you home with me."

"I dunno, Juice. I have a lot on my plate, and I just…can't think about that right now," she answered. "I'll see you at the wake, okay?"

Juice sighed. Of course he ruined their perfectly civil conversation. "Okay, baby," he replied, his voice rougher than he wanted it to be. "Love you."

He heard her take in a quick breath. "Okay," was the only reply he got before her line cut off.

He stared at the blank screen before tossing the phone across the room. It broke against the wooden paneled wall, shattering into pieces. It didn't bother him. It'd been time to get rid of that burner anyway. He stared at the broken pieces thinking of his own broken relationship. Getting down on his knees, he tried to piece the phone back together. His fingers fumbled clumsily with the parts as he started fitting the cheap parts into each other. He pressed the on button, his stomach churning. What if it didn't turn on? What if it was unfixable? What if what he'd done to Angela had made them unfixable? Had he really just tossed her aside like he'd done to his stupid, cheap phone?

The screen of the phone lit up, though nothing else happened. He'd fixed it. A sigh of relief left his lips. Maybe his relationship wasn't as doomed as he thought.

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><p>Angela waited for Skeeter to park the hearse in the lot of TM. The only reason he'd tagged along was because someone needed to drive the hearse back, and she'd asked him if she could stay. She looked over her shoulder at the beautiful black box and sighed. "This was a tough one," she admitted softly to her boss.<p>

"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry," Skeeter said, patting her hand comfortingly. "You did a great job, though. I'm proud of you."

She gave him a soft smile in return, watching in the side mirror as the boys filtered out of the clubhouse, Juice among them. "Thanks, Skeet," she replied, her hand on the door handle. "Shall we?"

They both got out of the hearse together. Skeeter put on his pallbearer gloves, opening the back door and moving the casket out a little so it would be easier to lift. Angela stood on the other side, her hands clasped behind her back out of habit. Her eyes locked on Juice's holding his stare as Skeeter made a comment about Opie's condition to Bobby.

Juice nodded towards the box. "That's a nice-looking box, Angel," he complimented, his eyes going from the casket to her.

Bobby nodded in agreement, setting a hand on her shoulder before literally patting her on the back. "Ope woulda dug it."

"Let's get 'em inside," Jax ordered, watching as the other guys lifted the casket and headed inside. He nodded at Angela. "Where are the kids?"

"El had a birthday party she wanted to go to, and Ken wanted to hang back at the mortuary with my apprentice," she explained on a frown. After already seeing his dad on the table and saying goodbye in his own way, Kenny decided against going. He didn't want to be anywhere near the club that had caused the loss of his mother, grandfather, and father. That had made more sense to her than Ellie's choice.

Jax nodded slowly. "You think that's healthy?"

"I let Kenny in to see him by himself," she admitted, hoping Jax wouldn't get upset. "I think it's better for him that way. Being in a room filled with people he doesn't know, having everyone say how sorry they are is difficult. I didn't want to force him to do it if he didn't want to."

"Yeah, I get it," Jax murmured, remembering the way he had felt at his brother's and father's wakes. "Thanks, Ang. Go on inside. My Ma was lookin' for ya."

Angela grimaced at that. She'd had a ton of missed calls from the SAMCRO queen when she'd woken up, and she'd ignored every single one. She was sure to get an earful once Gemma finally caught up with her. Once inside, she could see the backs of all the brothers as they stood in Church, surrounding Opie's open casket. Lyla walked by her with Jax, too wrapped up in her own grief to notice her standing there. Angela understood completely; she would be the same way.

Leaning against one of the building supports, she watched as the boy all filed out of the chapel to give Lyla some time alone with Opie. She stared at the leather covered doors, her heart breaking for Lyla. With a sigh, she turned to head towards the exit to look for Gemma figuring it was better to just get whatever she needed out of the way. Juice's hand reached for her, his fingers grabbing her wrist and stopping her trek. Her eyes met his as he laced his fingers through hers, tugging gently as if to get her to go somewhere with him. His eyes darted to the hallway before settling back on her, a silent question. Against her better judgment, she nodded, allowing him to pull her towards the hall. She stopped by the ladder that led to the roof, letting go of his hand and starting the climb up there. There was no way she was going to have this conversation with him in his room; it was too close to where everyone else was. Better to be atop the roof where no one could hear them if things got out of hand.

With a sigh, she sat down on the vent staring out at the lot as Juice sat down next to her. She stared off in the distance, chewing the inside of her cheek for a moment before clearing her throat. "If you're going to say you're sorry, I don't want to hear it again."

Juice wiped his hands on the thighs of his jeans. He didn't know where else to begin. "Okay," he said softly. He stared at her profile, contemplating what else to say. "I'm not good with words, Angel. Sorry's really all I got."

She closed her eyes, her brows furrowed together as though in pain before she relaxed and opened them again. "Yeah, I know."

He took her hand in his, finally getting her to look at him. "I've always wanted a family, Ang. The one God gave me wasn't so good to me, so I left my Ma's house and went searching for one. Found a place in the mob over in New York, got kicked outta there, blacklisted. Made my way 'cross the country to get away from them. Found the Sons by accident. Thought I'd found a real family."

She looked away then, staring as a few of the brothers milled about outside. It made sense. This was his family. Clay was like his father, and he wanted to impress him. That's why he'd let Carla pull him away. It was a stupid reason, but she understood it. She'd done her fair share of stupid things to impress Happy.

"Then I met you," he said, relieved when she turned her head to meet his gaze again. "And I got to know you and you…you listened to me and called me a goof instead of an idiot and you…you stood by me when I hit bottom, _rock_ bottom. And I fell for you without even realizin' it. It was just so…easy. I never saw you comin', Angel, but fate or God or somethin' decided to send you to me. To save me, I guess. 'cause I know that I couldn't a survived half the things I did without you at my side."

He felt stroked his thumb over her knuckles, swallowing hard once before continuing. "I was an idiot, and I got sucked into this whole…Clay thing. And that's on me. I was weak. If I could take it back, I would in a heartbeat," he said, squeezing her hand. "You're all I got, Angel. I don't want to lose you. I _can't_ lose you."

Angela wiped at her eyes, touched at his words, the sincerity in his voice. It killed her to give in to him so easily, but it would hurt her more to lose him. She just wanted this whole thing to be over with. "And you say you're not good with words," she said on a light laugh.

He carefully wiped away her tears with his fingers, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Angel," he said, his lips moving against her forehead. He pulled away so their eyes could meet. "You know that, right?"

Angela nodded, sucking in a deep breath to keep her tears at bay. "This has to be the first and last time, Juice," she said, her voice stronger than she'd expected it to be. "It happens again, and I'm walking. I won't be that girl who gets treated like some doormat. I don't deserve it."

"It won't happen again, Angel. I promise," he said earnestly. "You're it for me. The only one I want."

She nodded again, hating herself for giving into him, for not being strong enough to leave him. This wasn't the first time she'd been cheated on. When they were dating, Esai used to do it all the time. Once that portion of her life was over, she swore to herself she'd never let a man use her like that again. Yet here she was, letting it slide because she loved Juice too much to let him go. "Okay."

There was a look in her eyes bothered him. It didn't look like she was happy; it looked as if she'd lost something. "Okay? Are we good, Angel?"

Angela sucked in a breath. Her heart was telling her 'yes', but her head still remembered the sting of his betrayal. They weren't good. Things had definitely changed between them, but she didn't want to recognize it. "Yeah, we're good," she lied, trying her best to smile at him.

Juice took her face in his hands, gently swiping the tears from her eyes with his thumbs before pressing his lips to hers. It had been far too long since he'd last been able to kiss her, and he'd missed the feel of her lips on his. She kissed him back, hesitantly at first before she let her heart take over. Still the little voice in her head kept shouting that letting him back in so easily was a terrible mistake.

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><p>Juice helped Angela down off the ladder, his hands on her hips. Once she was on her feet, he took her face in his hands and put his lips to hers. There was something different in the way she kissed him now. He'd noticed it on the roof and wanted to try again to see if it was still there. It was. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly had changed, but that passion, that heart that she'd always put in her kisses was gone. She was hesitant now as if she didn't trust him. Pulling away, he looked in her eyes, seeing that same distrust in her dark gaze. He realized then that she wasn't totally over this, that as much as he wanted her to be okay, she wasn't. "Angel…" he started, feeling his heart beating fast.<p>

"Don't," she said softly, her fingers wrapping around his wrists. "We're okay."

A throat clearing interrupted what he was going to say next. Angela looked over to find Jax standing there, a little book in his hand. She let go of Juice's wrists and waited for him to take a step back. "Hey Jax," she greeted, with a small smile. "Everythin' okay?"

Jax nodded, his hand on the bottom rung of the ladder. "Yeah. You did a good job, Ang. Thanks."

"Yeah, of course," she replied, waving off his thanks.

"Chibs get you our…special request?"

Angela grimaced at Juice's questioning look. Apparently, he'd been kept out of the loop on his brothers' "parts" order, something he didn't look all that comfortable with. "Yeah," she answered, raking a hand through her hair. "Should have it to you soon. White girl, right?"

"Right. Thanks, darlin'," he said, a tired look in his eyes. "You ever find my mom?"

"Didn't really get a chance to look," she lied on a shrug.

"Think she's out in the garage. You mind tellin' her we're almost done?"

Angela glanced at Juice who nodded in approval. "Sure," she agreed, kissing Juice once more before heading down the hallway. She walked out of the clubhouse, heading over to the garage. The bay doors were closed which was odd considering Rat should still be out there working.

She could hear the screaming and grunting when she entered the office. It took her awhile to register that they were Tara's, paired with someone else's that she didn't recognize. "Shit," she muttered, upping her pace as she headed into the garage. The sight before her made her stop in her tracks. Tara had Carla pinned beneath her, her casted hand pounding into the older woman's face while Gemma watched on, hands on her hips, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Jesus Christ!" she cursed, staring at Gemma as if she was crazy.

When the Queen made no move to break it up, Angela intervened, grabbing Tara by the shoulders and pulling her bodily off the other woman. "Stop it, Tara! C'mon! Look at your hand!"

Tara straightened up, tugging at the bottom of her jacked as she took a few steps back. Her green eyes flashed wildly as she glared at Carla. "Get her out of here, Ang," she growled.

Angela moved to stand between Carla and Tara, breaking a rule Happy had taught her as she turned her back on Carla. "All right, I will. Just…calm down."

"I knew there was another one of you running around. Was wonderin' when you'd show up, _Angel_," Carla's voice came from behind her back. The teasing way in which she said Juice's nickname for her told her that she knew exactly who she was.

Angela clenched her jaw, wondering why on Earth the woman wanted to start something with her now. Hadn't she done enough damage? Tara took a step forward, ready to fight again, but Angela set a hand on her shoulder. "Don't," she said. This was her problem to take care of as she pleased. She was no Gemma, she wouldn't let someone else fight her battles.

"That's a beautiful tattoo your man has, _nena_," Carla continued, her eyes raking over the undertaker's slim figure, the small bulge of her belly that was barely hidden by her loose fitting top. She knew the girl was in a relationship with the Son who'd rejected her just the day before. Seeing her standing there, pregnant to boot, she almost felt bad for what she did. Almost. "_Hermoso cuerpo tam__bién. Lástima que tiene problemas en levantarse__. _Must be difficult for you." (Beautiful body too. Too bad he has problems getting it up.)

Gemma looked between them, shocked by the change in language. She wondered if Angela understood the other woman, how she'd react. She watched as Angela's fingers curled into fists as she turned to face Carla. "_Nunca tiene esa problema conmigo,"_ Angela replied, her voice dark, menacing almost._ "Debe ser que eras tan vieja que no podrías calentarlo._" _(He never has that problem with me. It must be because you're so old, you couldn't turn him on.)_

With that insult, Carla lifted a hand to slap her. Gemma saw the hit coming and grimaced, but Angela was faster. She caught the woman's wrist in her hand, flipping the older woman around while bending her arm behind her back so that she had Carla pinned against the car in front of her, the older woman's other arm squished between her body and the car. Gemma and Tara both exchanged shocked glances; neither of them expected that from the undertaker. It was position that gave Angela all the power and left Carla helpless. Gemma was willing to bet Happy had taught her how to do it.

"You don't get to touch me," Angela growled in Carla's ear, pushing her closer to the car. "You're a despicable excuse for a woman. Touching a man that you _know_ isn't yours is the lowest of the low. Stay the fuck away from me and my family."

"This ain't your family," Carla shot back, gritting her teeth together against the pain that was shooting through both her arms. _"Piensas que esas putas van a ayudarte cuando tu hombre finalmente pierda su interés?_ No. You're going to end up alone. Just like me, _nena_. _Y el se va a perder su interes, te lo juro. Siempre hacen lo mismo. Te hacen creer que te quieren y después de dejan como si fueras basura._ That's why he let me take him by the hand. That's why he didn't stop me in the first place. I'm warning you now, _nena_. You're better than this."_ (You think these whores will help you when your man finally loses interest?...And he will lose interest, I promise you that. They always do the same thing. They make you think they love you and then leave you like you were trash.)_

Her words hit a nerve. Angela let out a feral growl, using her free hand, she grabbed Carla's hair and slammed her head against the roof of the car. "I am _not _you. We're not even on the same level. _Puedo sobrevivir sin ayuda. No necesito un hombre para resolver mis problemas_. Don't come near me again. Understand?" Angela snarled in Carla's ear. When the woman didn't respond, she used her grip on her to slam her body against the car, tangling her hand in her hair to press the injured side of the woman's face against the metal. "_Me escuchastes, vieja_?" (_I can live without their help. I don't need a man to solve my problems…did you hear me, old woman?)_

"I got it," she managed to get out.

Angela gave her one final shove before letting go. She took a step back, rolling her shoulders as she tried to regain her composure. It bothered her to get physical like that with a woman when ultimately what had happened was Juice's fault. She'd tried her best not to let Carla's words sink in, but they'd gotten through. Once she saw that fist flying towards her, she'd seen red. After that, instinct had just taken over. She'd given into the feral side of her that she worked so hard to control, and that loss of control sickened her.

Gemma set a hand on her shoulder as she headed past, stopping her. "You okay, baby?"

She shrugged off Gemma's hand, setting her with a black glare before stalking across the lot and back towards the clubhouse. Anger still buzzed through her veins, making her antsy. The black punching bag hanging off the overhang by the ring caught her attention. She knew walking back into the clubhouse with the black rage she was currently feeling was not a good idea. Squaring off in front of the bag as Kozik had taught her to do so many years ago, she took one swing. Her unprotected hand hit the plastic bag hard, sending small waves of pain up her arm through the wrist that she continually injured. She ignored it swinging again and again. With each swing, she saw Carla's face in her head, saw Juice stepping out of the hallways half-clothed. She hit harder, unleashing everything she was feeling on the inanimate object because she knew she couldn't do it to either of them. She loved Juice too much to hurt him, and if she let her self control go completely with Carla, she might actually kill her.

The rhythmic sound of high heels clacking against concrete pulled her from her anger. She stopped, breathing hard as she stared at the unchanged bag before her. "You all right?" Gemma's voice questioned from somewhere behind her.

Angela sniffed, dropping her hands to her sides. Her arms felt like they weighed fifty pounds each, but the fury she'd felt just minutes before had abated. "No," she answered honestly feeling ashamed of herself for letting someone like Carla get to her. She was better than that. "I should've just ignored her. Walked out."

"She had it comin'," Gemma replied, stepping closer to the younger woman. "Bitch touched what was yours. Gotta send a message somehow. I'da done the same thing...I _have_ done the same thing. First time I saw the Old Lady in ya, to be honest."

She grimaced at that notion; that was the last thing she wanted to hear. There was no piece of her that wanted to be anything like Gemma Teller-Morrow. "Awesome," Angela muttered flatly, staring at her hands. Her wrist was throbbing, her knuckles split and bleeding. There was no way in hell she could hide them from Juice or Hap. They'd take one look at them and know what had happened. She stiffened when Gemma draped an arm over her shoulders.

"Be proud of what you did, baby. You did good," the Queen said, squeezing shoulder in emphasis. She kissed Angela's temple. "Now, c'mon. Let's go see off Ope."

Angela watched her walk away feeling even worse than she had before. The last thing she wanted to do was walk back into the clubhouse. She felt almost relieved when the black hearse pulled in, Bones at the wheel. Her apprentice stepped out dressed in the fanciest attire she'd ever seen him in, a black dress shirt with a royal blue bowties, black slacks, and black loafers. He opened the backdoor and stood awkwardly next to the empty hearse. "Lookin' good, Boner," she said, deciding talking to Boner was a good excuse not to go back to the clubhouse.

"Thanks. Skeet let me drive the hearse since he wanted to go home to watch some game. Rigs is at the apartment with Ken. I told the kid he could spend the night. His grandma said it was okay," he explained, so used to giving her the rundown on things that he did it without being asked.

"Good. He needs a friend," she said, taking a seat in the back of the hearse.

Bones sat next to her as he nodded in agreement. "You need a friend too," he stated, looking over at the clubhouse. "I know things aren't okay with you, Ang. You got this…bummer aura."

"Bummer aura?" she repeated, a hint of a laugh in her voice. At his serious look, she shrugged a shoulder, staring down at her hands. "I'm all right, Boner."

"I don't think you are," he answered honestly. He lifted his arm and let it fall over her shoulders. "But that's okay. I mean, you can't be okay _all_ the time. I'm here, though. Y'know? And I'm a pretty good listener or even if you want to come over and shoot some virtual people instead a tearing up your hands…I can help with that too."

Angela smiled just a little at his sweet offer. "I ever tell you you're like the littler brother I never wanted?"

Boner chuckled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, well you're kinda the big sister I always wanted."

"You're such a brownnoser, Boner," she said on a scoff, elbowing his side. "Thanks, though."

He smiled and nodded, his eyes being drawn to the Reaper on the front of the clubhouse. This was the first time he'd actually been on the TM lot, despite growing up in Charming. It was a lot bigger than he'd anticipated. He looked over the line of bikes, impressed by how many there were. "There a lot of people inside?"

"I dunno. Haven't been in there for awhile. Probably. Ope was a good guy," she said, frowning slightly. She looked down at her hands again, bringing her knuckles to her lips to staunch the bleeding a bit.

Boner handed her a pair of white pallbearer's gloves from his pocket. "I got another pair. We'll just bleach the shit outta those later."

"Thanks," she said, wincing as she tugged them on. "I'm gonna ride back with you, if that's okay. Not that I don't trust you, but I need my puppy and my car."

"And you're still pissed at Juice," Bones finished, standing up and stretching. He grabbed his spare pair of gloves and put them on before clapping his hands together nervously. "You think they're comin' out soon?"

Angela glanced at the door and nodded. "Probably. I'm sure they saw you pull in."

As if on cue, the door opened and Jax stepped out first, the rest of the boys carrying the casket behind them. She stepped to one side of the hearse, grabbing Bones' arm to move him out of the way. When he moved to help the Sons, she squeezed his arm once more, shaking her head discreetly. The guys slid the coffin in easily enough before Jax took the hearse door and shut it. With one final nod to Angela, he headed back inside.

Juice hung back, watching as Happy hugged Angela, all the while glaring at him over the top of her head. He grimaced at the black look knowing he was a dead man walking. "Stay strong, kid," Happy muttered before kissing her forehead and pushing her away. He glared at Juice but said the four words that he usually parted with anyway. "Take care a her."

"Always, man," Juice answered on a breath. He took a step towards Angela, taking her hands in his. He'd been watching the security cameras in the clubhouse to distract himself from the heavy feeling in the clubhouse when he saw her tear into the bag outside, barehanded. There were a few spots of red that had soaked through the white cloth on her knuckles. He had no idea why she'd beat up the bag, but he was willing to bet it had to do with him and that guilt fell heavily on his shoulders. "You ridin' with me, Angel?"

She shook her head, pulling her hands from his and glancing back at the hearse. "Gotta go with Boner. Grab my car and Rigs. I'll meet you back."

"I can take ya over," he offered, desperately feeling the need to go for a ride. He figured they could go somewhere quickly to talk and then head back to pick up Rigs.

"Nah, it's all right. I really should help Bones out. Kid doesn't know what he's doin'. Don't want him to drive too fast and scratch Ope's box," she explained. A light laugh escaped Bones' lips at the irony of her comment. She always got on his case for how slow he drove. If anyone would accidentally scratch a casket because it banged around in the back, it'd be her. She glared at him, and he quickly ducked into the driver's side of the car. Looking back to Juice, she tried to give him a smile but failed miserably. "I'll see you at home, though."

Juice sighed as he nodded his head; he was almost positive her excuse was bull shit, but he wasn't about to call her on it. "Okay, baby. See you later then," he said, gently moving a stray hair from her face. Dipping his head, he put his lips to hers in a goodbye kiss that didn't last as long as it usually did. He waited there awkwardly, expecting her to say goodbye, tell him she loved him like she always did. She didn't. With a murmured goodbye, she got in the passenger's side of the hearse. He heard her smack Bones' head, cursing him out as the kid started the car.

She waved at him as they drove by, a sad sort of wave that hurt just as much as her quiet goodbye. He could still picture her blowing kisses to him as she tore out of the lot like a crazy person, music blasting, windows down like it was yesterday. He wondered if they'd ever go back to that. If she would ever trust him again.

He didn't go out for a ride, too afraid that he'd get home and find her gone. Instead, he sat on the couch and just stared at the television, waiting for her to get home. The front door opened and Rigor bounded in, happy to see him. Angela walked in at a slower pace, her shoulders slumped, a tired expression on her face. He watched as she toed off her boots before straightening up with a sigh. Her hands were bandaged; something he was sure Bones had helped her with. It was a task that he should've done instead. He was the one that should be taking care of her, not her apprentice. The fact that she'd sought help from someone else further proved to him that they were not okay.

They were not okay, but she was still there. She hadn't left him. The look in her eyes was tired and weary but they were still together; he couldn't ask for much more. So as selfish as it was, he stayed quiet and didn't press the issue. He followed her to their room and lay down beside her, not at all surprised when she turned her back to him. He sidled up behind her, moving his arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. She'd tensed but didn't push him away.

Angela held her breath against the sobs that were threatening to escape her lips. She was too weak to leave him, and she hated herself for that. Hated him for making her feel like that. Staying with him meant losing a piece of herself…leaving him meant the same thing. She'd thought she'd picked the lesser of the two evils, but the more she went over things, the more it started to eat at her. Silent tears leaked down her face, unnoticed by the snoring man sleeping behind her. She knew what the right thing to do would be, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was only a kiss, she told herself, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Carla's smirking face, heard her warning: _You're going to end up alone…he'll lose interest…they make you think they love you and then they leave you like you were trash…you're better than this_. A part of her knew the woman was only trying to get a rise out of her while another part, a bigger part, was starting to believe she was right.

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><p><strong>Again...not the happiest of chapters... :( Sorry! <strong>

**Let me know what you think about both this chapter and the Season 6 premiere! :) I love hearing from y'all! **

**~Love Ink**


	68. The Ring

**As usual, I'm SO SORRY for the lateness of this update. It took me _forever_ to get it right. **

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, follow, favorite, etc. Most of you I thanked via PM, but thanks also to those unsigned reviewers: **_**There's Hope** (Things will get happy...eventually...),** DarkChild19 **(So glad you liked it! Angela is at the very end of her 3rd month here, around 13 weeks. ;) Also, I used your suggestion from a few reviews back because it stuck with me and I loved it so thank you!), **Kerry **(More Juice and Happy stuff comin' at ya this chapter! Glad you liked the analogy! Figured his techie brain would make that connection. ;)), **love for kozik** (Gah! Definitely didn't mean to make you cry! Sorry!), **Eleonora, kelsi **(Unfortunately, I do not have a set update schedule. It depends on how much time I have during the week/weekends! I_ try _and do at _least _one update a week, but I don't have the best track record with that. Some chapters take longer than others because of the content too...case in point, this chapter.), **and Guest **(You know, its really fun to write both the good and the bad of Juice and Angela's relationship because you're totally right, it can't always be good. I like the idea of putting more of her and Chibs and even adding more of Clay in there...don't be surprised if you see some of them soon. ;) Hopefully this chapter's long enough for you! :D)._

**So this takes place after Season 5, episode 4 "Stolen Huffy" and episode 5: "Orca Shrugged". In the fifth episode, Gemma mentions not having heard from Nero in four days which led me to the conclusion that there was a four day span between the episodes and that is when this chapter takes place. Hopefully that made some sense.**

_As an aside...how crazy is Season 6?! I'm doing my best not to post spoilers here because I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't watched it yet, but I just have to say...it's insane. I don't know where Sutter is going with all these different story lines, but I can't wait to find out!_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Chloe**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 68: The Ring_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the front door of the house she honestly hadn't spent that much time in . She'd grown up in a different small house in Oakland. It wasn't until she'd moved to Tacoma for school that her Mom and Aunt had decided to downsize into the even smaller house in Bakersfield. She twisted the ring Happy had given her around her finger nervously, she was really starting to wish that she'd just called her aunt. This conversation could have easily been done over the phone, but she had wanted out of the house. Jax had given the club four days of rest in memory of Opie. Four days where she and Juice could finally spend time together away from the club, and she didn't want to be anywhere near him. Two awkward days had already gone by filled with one word conversations and her sleeping with her back to him. To be fair, Juice was trying. He was trying so hard to be sweet to her, but she was stuck in angry mode and couldn't find her way out. So she'd driven the three hours it took to get to Bakersfield because when she wasn't mad at aunt, Elena usually helped her sort through these kinds of issues. Now, looking at the house, she was starting to regret ever making the trek out there.

Sucking in a deep breath, she kicked open her car door and headed up the front walk. She thought about knocking on the door before rolling her eyes at the idea of it; she hadn't grown up here, but it was still her house technically. Opening the door, she was met with the smell of freshly baked tamales that made her mouth water. "_Tia!_ _Ma!_" she called as she headed inside, her stomach grumbling. She headed into the kitchen, lifting the lid of the big pot on the stove, and grabbing a nearby spoon.

Her hand was quickly slapped away before she could get a taste. "_Que 'stas haciendo?_" Elena asked, a disapproving look on her face though her eyes held that familiar warmth to them. (_What are you doing?)_

Angela put the lid back on and frowned. "Just wanted a taste. Smells good, _Tia_."

Elena reached up her arms and pulled her niece into a tight hug. "_Yo te quiero tanto, mijita. _I just want you to be happy," she whispered, kissing her cheek. That was as good of an apology as she could muster. She pulled away, putting her soft, wrinkled hands on either side of Angela's face. "Are you happy, _mi vida_?" (_I love you so much, my daughter...my life.)_

She wasn't happy at the moment but in the grander scheme of things, she was, so she nodded her head. "Yeah, _Tia_."

"And this boy, he makes you happy?"

Angela nodded again, swallowing hard as she fought off tears. "Yeah, he does," she answered because it was the truth. Most of the time, Juice made her very happy. It was when he made out with other women and made her feel like trash that she wasn't happy with him. She just had to get over that, and they'd be fine.

"Then that's all I care about," Elena said decidedly. "You just scared me, _mija_. I've spent all my life wanting the best for you. I didn't want you to end up like me. Single with a baby. _Es dificil_. And believe it or not, my Happy was no angel growing up. I just don't want that kind of life for you. You deserve better." (_It's hard.)__  
><em>

Tears stung at the corner of her eyes as Angela smiled. "I know, _Tia_. But he is...Juice is good. He's so good, and he _wants_ to be a dad, _Tia_. Whatever happens between us...he's going to be there for this baby."

"Whatever happens between you..." Elena repeated, a worried look in her eyes. "_Que paso_? What's going to happen between you?"

She shrugged in response, leaning against the counter as she wiped at her eyes. "You know how the Sons are with women, _Tia_. Its not...they're not always faithful, and I don't know if I can...deal with that."_  
><em>

Elena's brow creased in concern. "Angelita did he…"

She shrugged again. "It was just...he just kissed someone else," she said, grimacing at her own description of it. It sounded so...insignificant. Her aunt's eyes darted to the doorway briefly before falling back on her. Angela was so wrapped up in her head, she didn't turn to see what she was looking at, she was more focused on the tan line Juice's ring had left behind on her finger. She still hadn't put the claddagh ring back on. She couldn't find it in her to wear such a strong symbol of loyalty and love."And I know that's really nothing, and I shouldn't be all that upset, but I can't...get over it. I don't know what to do, _Tia_. Every time I look at him, I see...her and it makes me sick."

"But you love him."

"I wish I didn't right now, but I do. I don't want to be without him," she answered honestly.

Elena's wrinkled hands reached up to cup her niece's cheeks. "_Mija_, sometimes, that is enough. He may have kissed another woman, but he came back to you, no? _El te quiere. _I saw it in his eyes. Last time I saw a love like that, it was your father looking at your mother." (_He loves you._)_  
><em>

A tear slid down Angela's face as she nodded. She didn't remember much about her father, but she remembered the way he was with her mother. The obvious love that held them together. "Yeah?"

"I would not lie about that, _mi vida_."

Angela heard the front door slam shut and jumped. There were only two people who slammed the door like that in this house. One of them was her, the other was... "Shit. Was that..."

Elena nodded. She'd seen her son walk in and knew better than to alert her niece of his presence. The man who hurt her had to pay for what he did and she knew her son would see that it happened. "He's going to make things right."

"Are you crazy?" she asked, grabbing her keys off the counter. "He'll kill him!"

She ignored whatever her aunt had to say to that and sprinted to her car, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew exactly where he was going; the clubhouse. Juice was working at TM that day. Jumping into her car, she started it and tore out of the neighborhood, trying her best to keep the Reaper on Happy's back in sight. Her hands shook as she picked up her phone,yelling at Siri to call '_Goofy_'. "C'mon Juice. Pick up, pick up, baby."

Happy had never ridden so fast in his life. He could see Angela's little Mazda in his mirror, weaving through traffic to keep up with him. Though warning bells went off in his head about how dangerous what she was doing was; he didn't slow his pace. She knew how to drive and knew how to drive well. He needed to get back to TM and beat the shit out of the idiot who'd hurt his little girl. There was a spot of traffic up ahead, a perfect way to slow Angela down. He went between the two lanes of cars, satisfied when he could no longer see the Mazda in his mirrors.

As soon as he pulled his bike to a stop in front of TM, he headed towards the garage bays. He could see that stupid mohawk from a mile away talking to some dark haired chick that was not his cousin. That was just icing on the cake. "Idiot! Ring! _Now_!" he barked at him, turning and heading towards the clubhouse, taking off his rings as he went.

Juice's eyes widened as he watched Happy head towards the ring. "Shit," he cursed, tossing his wrench into his toolbox and stepping around Chloe who'd just brought her car in to fix a flat. He looked around the garage, noting the excited gleam in Tig's eyes, the worried look on Chibs' face.

"Ring?" Chloe echoed, confused as Juice started walking towards the other side of the lot. She spotted the old, dirty boxing ring in the corner and realized what was going to go down. "Aw shit," she cursed, getting out her cell phone to call Angela.

"This deserved?" Chibs asked Juice as he jogged alongside him, holding a hand out to take his rings.

"Yeah," Juice answered honestly. He deserved to get the shit kicked out of him for what he did, there was no question about it. The fact that Angela had told Happy had him thrown. She had to have known this would happen, yet she wasn't there to stop it. Had she given up on him? Or was this something she needed for them to be okay? He dropped his heavy rings in Chibs' hands, taking special care with the one she had given him.

"Be careful, brotha," Chibs advised, watching the young man climb into the ring.

Juice nodded in response, feeling the adrenaline buzz through his veins as he watched Happy crack his knuckles. He wasn't sure what his game plan was yet. A part of him wanted to just take it. Let Happy wail on him as much as he needed to and then let it rest. Another part of him knew if he didn't fight back, Hap might lose control and really hurt him. Rolling his shoulders, he prepared himself for what he was sure was going to be an onslaught of pain.

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><p>Angela's heart was pounding as she pulled into the TM lot. She swung the Mazda into the closest parking spot before practically jumping out of the car. She saw Happy's first connect with Juice's face with a thud making her stomach churn. "Jesus Christ," she muttered to herself before running over there. "Stop! Cut it out! STOP!"<p>

But neither Hap nor Juice listened to her. They were too busy beating the shit out of each other. Juice had rebounded from Happy's hit and sent a good strong punch flying to Happy's nose, landing the hit with a sickening crunch. Blood poured from Hap's nose, but it didn't stop him from coming back at Juice and sending the younger man to the ground with a well placed hit. "That is _enough_!" she shouted, this time getting Happy's attention as she grabbed the ropes to hoist herself up.

Chibs was there in seconds, his arm around her waist to pull her back down. He sent Tig a look across the ring while Angela struggled against him. Tig nodded, ducking under the ropes and stepping in between them. "Stop!" he exclaimed, holding both of them off each other. "You're upsetting, Preggo! Hug it out and let's be done!"

Chloe watched in fascination as the two bruised and bloodied men embraced quickly, slapping each other hard on the back and walking away as if nothing had happened. She glanced at Angela who seemed to be pissed. "That feel good?" Angela asked her cousin, glaring daggers at him.

"Yeah," Happy answered honestly. He looked Chloe over, his dark eyes raking over her body quickly before settling on her face. She raised an eyebrow at him, more curious than intimidated by him. "Broken?" he asked, pointing to his nose.

Angela glanced over at Chloe, looking surprised to see here there. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, the words coming out angrier than she wanted them to. She was just frustrated with the whole situation.

"Nice to see you too, Ang. My car had a flat," the nurse replied on a shrug. Without a trace of fear, she carefully lifted a hand to touch Happy's nose, her eyes squinting as she applied just the slightest bit of pressure. He hissed in response, hitting her hand away. "Oh, its broken all right. Want me to fix it?" she offered.

He nodded again, tilting his head towards the clubhouse. Angela watched in complete shock as Chloe followed Happy inside. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head; there were more pressing things at hand than whatever bizarre thing Happy and Chloe had going on. She turned to Juice who had peeled off his bloodied shirt and was holding it to his split lip. Her look softened a bit as she reached up to touch a particularly dark bruise on his cheek. "C'mon, Rocky," she said on a sigh. "I'll patch you up."

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><p>Chloe looked around the small bathroom that was covered in random SOA paraphernalia, a large American flag mural on one wall. She laughed at the colored panties hanging on another wall near the toilet and smirked. "What do you got to do to get your panties there?"<p>

"Leave 'em here," Happy answered, taking a seat on the closed toilet. He nodded to the little shelf in the corner. "Kit's over there."

She turned to grab the plastic kit, setting it on the sink and opening it up only to find it mostly barren. She fought the urge to laugh. "There's barely anything _in_ here."

"Shit happens," he said by way of explanation.

"Right," she said on a breath. "Are there towels?"

Happy glanced around the room before grabbing a blue pair of boy shorts off the hook with all the panties and handing it to her. At her eyebrow raise, he shrugged. "Want me to do it?"

"No, no," she said, taking the underwear from him and running it under the faucet for a second. Carefully, she started wiping away the blood from his face to get a better look at his nose. "Blow your nose."

He did as he was told, going through a few handfuls of toilet paper before she deemed it acceptable. She bent down a bit so her face was even with his to get a better look at his injured face. With his face that close to hers, he could see the freckles dusted across her nose, something he hadn't expected to find in a girl with such pretty almond shaped eyes.

If she noticed him studying her, she didn't say anything. She was totally focused on fixing his nose. Pressing her fingers to the bridge of his nose, she told him to take a breath before saying, "All right, I'm going to straighten it on three," she warned him. "One…two…"

Happy let out a grunt of pain as she applied pressure to his nose to straighten out the bone. "What happened to three?" he growled.

"I like the element of surprise," Chloe quipped, smirking at him as she tossed the panties into the trash can. "It looks pretty straight. You can align it more by sticking your fingers up there and straightening the bones. Otherwise, I can pack it with paper."

He knew what she was talking about, he'd done it before, but he wasn't about to go sticking his fingers up his nose in front of her. He shook his head, grabbing some toilet paper and blowing his nose before rolling some up and packing his nostrils with it to staunch the bleeding. "I got it."

"You've done this before," she stated, not at all surprised when he nodded. Holding out her hands, palms up, she said, "Now let me see those hands."

He gave her a reluctant look which only made her shake her hands, insisting. With a sigh, he set his hands in them. "Idiot's got a hard head," he stated, explaining the split knuckles.

"Shouldn't you have wrapped them first?"

"I like the element of surprise," he repeated, giving her a smirk.

Chloe laughed lightly, shaking her head at him. "Of course you do," she muttered, dabbing at the broken skin with an alcohol soaked gauze. Despite having ink up and down his arms, his hands were bare, their only decoration the faint scars that criss-crossed over his tan skin.

"Why you here?" he asked, glancing up at her face. Her hazel eyes were focused on the task at hand, her short dark hair falling forward.

"Got a flat," she answered. He looked at her as if she was the dumbest person alive. "I know, I should be able to change it myself, and I did the first time. But this is like the third time it's happened in the past month to three different tires no less!"

Happy was surprised she knew how to change a tire. More surprised that she'd accurately interpreted the look he was given her and answered it as if he'd asked the question a loud. The only other people he knew that could do that were his mom and cousin. "Armenians tune it before all that?"

"Yeah. Rotated my tires," she said on a shrug. He raised his eyebrows at her and it clicked. She smacked herself in the forehead. "Ugh! I'm an idiot. I totally didn't make that connection! They messed with my tires!"

"Not the first time they've done it," he muttered as she finished bandaging.

He flexed his fingers, staring at the bandage. She'd done a good job of fixing him up. Lifting a hand to touch his nose, he was surprised when she hit it away. "Dude, I just set it. Don't mess," she said, pointing at his face. "Do I need to tape your ribs or anything?"

"I'm good. Idiot didn't get many hits in," he said, shaking his head as he stood. He looked down at her, still intrigued by her features. She must've come from a mixed family to have such unique features.

"I'm Chinese and German," Chloe answered his unasked question with a smirk. She'd caught that curious gaze in his eyes as he studied her face; it was a sight she was familiar with. "That's what you're wondering, right?"

He nodded, that was exactly what he'd been thinking. "Good mix," he said cryptically. He brushed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Thanks."

And just like that, he was gone, the bathroom door closing behind him. Chloe stared at the door with wide eyes wondering where the hell that had come from. Hap didn't look like the guy to drop a kiss on a girl's forehead and bail. He looked like the type to press a girl up against a wall and have his way with her before bailing. Opening the door, she was surprised to see him standing in the hallway, a staring at another closed door. She knew Angela was on the other side of it and had a feeling he was contemplating whether to go in there or not. "Give her space," she advised him.

He nodded but didn't move. Apparently, he thought the door that stood shut between him and his cousin was enough space. Chloe fought the urge to roll her eyes at the stubborn man. Sighing, she leaned against the wall, ready to intervene when necessary.

* * *

><p>Juice sat down on the closed toilet of his bathroom in the clubhouse, watching as Angela pulled out the first aid kit from under the sink. She looked over the supply before looking back at him, anger still glowing in her dark eyes. Thankfully, that anger wasn't directed at him. A frustration of his own swirled around in the pit of his stomach. He tried to get a grip on that feeling, knowing her deserved every bit of the pain he was feeling. Maybe that's why Angela let Happy do it. Why she hadn't stepped in until they were well into their fight. Had she been there the whole time just waiting? Had Chloe been there on purpose to call her when things got bad? "Are we okay now?" he asked after a moment.<p>

"What?" she replied, her brows drawn in confusion as she wiped away the blood from under his nose. His nose wasn't broken, but Hap had given it a good whack and made it bleed.

"Is this..." he gestured to his bruised face, "something you needed to have happen for us to be okay?"

Her dark eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Jesus Christ, Juice! Are you asking if I _wanted_ Hap to beat the shit out of you?" she asked, her tone incredulous.

He nodded slowly. He knew his answer would piss her off, but he had to know. "Why else would you have told him?"

She gaped at him in complete shock as the realization hit her. He thought this was on her. That she'd gone and told Hap because she wanted to hurt him. It was a move that would make Gemma proud, if it had actually been her plan. "I didn't tell him. I went to talk to my aunt. I told _her_ and that asshole over heard it," she said, feeling a bit hurt at the accusation. She met his stare for a moment. "Is that the kind of person you think I am?"

Juice took her hand in his own, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "No, its not, and I'm not the guy I was...the other day either," he admitted on a soft breath. He slid his bloodied hands under her flowy top, leaning his head forward to nuzzle his nose against the bump of her stomach. "I don't want to be that guy, Angel."

Angela felt her breath catch in her throat. She rubbed her palm over the strip of hair in the middle of his head, her heart aching at the sadness in his voice. "You're not, Juice," she whispered softly. "I know that."

He lifted his head, looking up at her. "Do you?" he asked, not at all sure of what she said. "You knew from the beginning that I was gonna fuck up, Angel. I don't know how you knew, but you did. It's why you never pushed to get married. And I...I didn't _get_ that at first, but I do now. I get why you were scared because I did exactly what you thought I would like a fucking asshole."

"Juice..."

He stood up, heading out into the bedroom and beginning to pace. Glancing at her, he shook his head, the adrenaline and anger from the fight coming back to him. "I'm not a good guy, Angel. You know that. You knew that the day we met and the club needed..._corpses_. And then you...you hacked your way into my life like some goddamn virus!"

"_Virus_?" she repeated. She would've laughed if he wasn't so riled up. "Juice..."

"But I don't want to get rid of you! I don't want anyone else! And it shouldn't have taken me almost fucking Carla to realize that, but it did because I'm a total fuck up! And you know what? I'm probably gonna fuck up our kid's life just like my dad fucked up mine! So I get it if you want a way out because I just handed you one!"

"Juice! Shut up, you big goof!" she shouted, cutting off his rant. He stopped pacing and just looked at her, his chest heaving up and down, out of breath from his rant. "Relax. You're not going to fuck anything up. We're going to be okay. Its going to take work, but we're going to be okay. Relationships take work. You hurt me and that...that sucks and yeah, I'm not over it. Not yet. But we can work on that. Because I love you and that's enough."

Juice relaxed at her reply. It was the first time she'd said she'd loved him since she'd caught him cheating. He'd said it to her every chance he got, but her answer was always a simple, 'okay.' He'd been afraid she didn't love him anymore. That he'd broken that part of her that loved him. "It is?"

It was what her aunt had said earlier and even though her aunt had also sent Happy to go after Juice, she trusted the older woman's judgement. "Yeah, it is," she said definitively. She wasn't one hundred percent convinced of her words, but she was willing to give it another try. Her aunt was rarely wrong, and it hurt less to be with him than without him. Plus, the way he was looking, all battered, bruised, and riled up was a total turn on.

She took a step closer to him, looking at his bruised face, lifting a hand to trace the ink on his chest. His hand covered hers, squeezing it tightly. Dipping his head, he caught her lips in a long, heartfelt kiss. He felt it then. That spark. It wasn't as strong as usual, but it was there. It gave him hope that what she said was true. That there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Her hands flattened on his pecs, gently pushing him back until the backs of his knees hit the mattress.

Happy heard the mattress squeak followed by his cousin moaning. "What the hell?" he muttered to himself. Of all the things he'd expected to go on in that room, sex was one he'd never considered.

Chloe fought against a laugh. "That would be the baby hormones," she stated with a smile. "Second trimester and women tend to get a little...horny."

He looked at her as though she was insane. This he hadn't remembered from his aunt's pregnancy, and he was very glad about that. His hand shot out for the doorknob only to be stopped by Chloe. "That ain't right," he said, pointing to the door.

"Hap, there are women's panties in the _bathroom_. _That_ ain't right," she shot back. "C'mon. Let's go see if that Rat kid finished my car so I can bounce. I've got stuff to do."

"Need a ride?" he offered again.

Chloe looked him over, a curious gleam in her eyes. She'd never ridden a motorcycle before, but she was always up for trying something new and if it got him away from the clubhouse where Juice and Angela were...reconnecting, she was willing to try it. "Y'know, I think I'll take you up on that."

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Let me know! I love hearing all of your input and ideas! They always inspire me! :) <strong>

**Thanks to _DarkChild19 _for the idea of Happy yelling "In the ring! Now!". After reading your review, it totally stuck, and I had to write it out. Thank you! And thanks to everyone else who reviewed saying they wanted Hap to take on Juice in the ring. I hope you liked it! ;) **

**~Love Ink**


	69. Goof

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I know I PM'ed most of you but thanks also to those who left unsigned reviews: _MsExpendable402, DarkChild19_**_ (I tried making it go for a bit longer, but it just didn't read well! Sorry! :( You had a great idea, and I'm so glad you didn't mind me using it! :)), **eleonora, Guest** 1 (Gah! Sorry if you thought the last two chapters were duds! I'm doing my best here! This season is a bit tricky to work with since there isn't a lot of Juice in the beginning episodes. As for length, the longer the chapter, the longer it takes for me to put it up! I've been ending chapters where a break seems to fit! Sorry to disappoint you again. :( Hopefully you like this chapter better!), **Liz, and Guest 2.**  
><em>

**This takes place during Season 5, Episode 5: "Orca Shrugged" (which was one of my favorites of the season thanks to Mr. Walton Goggins. Love that guy!) **

**Side note: How crazy was last night's episode?! I swear this show is going to give me a heart attack one day! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 69: Goof_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice woke up to the feel of something licking his hand. Groaning, he opened one eye to find Rigor staring back at him. Sometime in the night, his hand had fallen off the side of the bed and the dog was currently licking it as if he knew it would wake him up. "Hey boy. Need to piss?" he murmured, stroking a hand over Rigor's head. Rigor sat down, looking at his master expectantly. "All right, all right, I'll get up."

He looked over at Angela who was lying on her stomach with her face turned towards him, her hand resting on his chest just over his heart. The past couple of days, she'd fallen asleep curled on her side of the bed, her back towards him. The fact that she was at least touching him made him hopeful that things would get better. Picking up her hand, he pressed a kiss to her fingers before dotting kisses along her arm up to her bare shoulder.

"Mmm," she murmured, stirring as his hand stroked down the soft skin of her back. Her dark eyes slowly opened, a sleepy smile spreading across her face. "Hi."

"Morning beautiful," he greeted, kissing her shoulder.

Her hand moved to his face, thumb gently swiping over his bruised cheek. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice rougher than usual.

Truthfully, his muscles ached and his head was throbbing but waking up to her smiling face made it all worthwhile. "Never been better," he answered on a smile. "You got work today?"

"Mmm-hmm," she said, her eyes drooping closed. She was exhausted both mentally and physically, so she'd decided she was going to sleep in. As long as there was no pending bodies, she should be fine. "Later."

He chuckled softly, brushing her hair from her face. "I'm going to take our boy for a walk. You sleep," he said, leaning over to kiss her temple a few times. "Love you, my Angel."

"Go away goof," she murmured, moving her hand to cover his face and pushing him away, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. "Lemme 'n' monk sleep."

Juice grinned at that, happy to have his family close. Rigs whined from the bedside. He was still too small to jump on the bed by himself, but he had his paws up on the side of it, waiting impatiently. "Okay, Rigs. Let's let Mama sleep," he said, groaning as he got out of bed. He felt her hand hook around the elastic of his boxers and looked over his shoulder to find her sitting up on her elbow that dark, lusty look in her eyes. "Unless she doesn't want to sleep…"

Rigor whined again as if he knew what was going to happen and knew it was going to be awhile before he got his walk. Angela glanced at him and frowned. "One kiss and go take care of our boy before he pees on our floor, then come back and we'll have some fun," she said decidedly.

He leaned over and pressed a long, hot kiss to her lips, his hands tangling in her hair. Rigor barked making Juice pull away with a laugh. "Hold that thought," he murmured, kissing her nose. "I'll be back."

"Walk fast!" she called after him, laughing when he jogged out, hoisting his pants up as he went.

* * *

><p>Angela lay in bed reading one of the funnier baby books she'd found at the store. Juice had been gone for a lot longer than she'd expected him to be. She heard the front door shut and grinned, throwing back the covers and getting to her feet. Stretching her arms over her head, she grabbed Juice's black hoodie off of one of the hooks on the wall and slipped it on. She padded her way down the hall towards the living room, smiling when Rigor ran towards her. "Good morning handsome!" she cooed to the puppy, rubbing a hand over his head.<p>

"Mornin' to you too," came a voice from the living room.

She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening when she saw Clay Morrow sitting on one of her couches. "Oh. Hi," she said awkwardly. His blue eyes raked over her figure, making her feel awfully naked in the sweatshirt that was much too short on her. She tugged on the bottom of it uneasily wishing she'd at least thought to put underwear on underneath.

A smirk pulled up the corner of his lips making her feel even more uncomfortable. "Your uh…old man is gettin' somethin' outta the garage for me," he explained, jerking his thumb in the direction Juice had apparently gone.

"Right. Coffee?" she offered, ducking her head and walking quickly to the kitchen, anything to get away from his watchful gaze.

"I'm good, thanks," he answered, standing up off the couch with a grunt. "Heard you're having a baby. Congrats."

Angela gave him a trite smile as she nodded her head. "Yeah, thanks," she said, watching the coffee slowly drip into the mug. She wondered what Juice was doing and hoped like hell he'd get back soon.

"Heard you were there when they burned Piney," he stated nonchalantly, leaning against the counter next to her. She had no idea why he followed her into the kitchen, but he was much too close for comfort.

She nodded, stirring some sugar into her coffee. "I _do_ work there," she answered, moving around Clay to grab milk out of the fridge.

Clay bobbed his head up and down. "Must've heard a lot that night."

"Y'know, I wasn't really paying attention," she answered, hedging the question. Yes, she'd certainly heard more than she was meant to, but she wasn't about to tell Clay that. He'd threatened her family once before, she wasn't about to give him fuel to do it again. "It's none of my business."

He looked impressed with her answer for a brief minute before smirking. "You're turnin' out to be a good Old Lady, Angie."

"My life's ambition," she muttered sarcastically. She took a long drink of her coffee, the smooth taste of it soothing her as it usually did. "What brings you here?"

"Your boy's givin' me a ride to Church. Had to stop here to grab somethin'."

Angela frowned, disappointed. Apparently, she'd slept right through her opportunity to have her way with her man before the day started. "Right."

"Hey baby!" Juice greeted on a breath as he walked into the kitchen. He dipped his head to give her one long kiss. "You still have that fancy camera I got?"

She nodded. It was the first big present he'd ever given her. One day he walked into the work room to find her taking pictures of her work with an old Polaroid camera, the next he was handing her a brand new Nikon professional camera complete with a tripod, filters, an external flash, and software that was good enough to make people—in Juice's words-"shit unicorns". She loved that camera as she loved most of the things he'd given her. "It's at the mortuary," she said, glaring at him as he took the coffee mug from her hands and took a long sip.

He grimaced at the sickly sweet taste as he usually did. "You headin' over there?" he asked, nodding to Clay as the older man excused himself to go answer the phone.

"I gotta change first but then, yeah. Why? You need it?"

Juice nodded. He hated to ask, but the club needed a good camera, and he'd rather not go out and buy one. "You mind?"

"No, not at all. Take it," she replied on a shrug. She was dying to ask what he was taking pictures of, but she bit her tongue. If he wanted her to know, he'd tell her.

"Thanks, baby. I'll swing by and pick it up later," he said, giving her a relieved smile. He looked her over, only now noting what she was wearing and realizing Clay had seen her in it. "Damn, Angel. Are you wearing anything under there?"

Angela shook her head slowly, raising a suggestive eyebrow at him. "I thought you were gonna come home alone."

His hands found her hips, fingers curling around them over the fabric of the sweater in an attempt to keep the hem of it down. "I did, but then I got a call from Clay. Said he needed a ride to this Irish…thing. Figured I'd let you sleep in, and we could finish when I got back. Then I forgot somethin' back here so we had to come back and I invited him in…which I probably should've warned you about."

"You think?" she asked with a small smile. Her hands found the belt loops of his jeans, pulling him in even closer. Standing on her toes, she put her lips to his ear. "Too bad. Was really hoping to get some little Puerto Rican lovin' in too."

He was too distracted by the way she was trailing kisses down his neck to correct her. Gently tugging on her hair, he waited until she pulled away before pressing her up against the counter, his lips slanting across hers.

Clay watched the couple's ardent kiss for a moment, remembering the times he'd shared similar ones with his own Old Lady. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit irked that Angela hadn't cut Juice out of her life after his little fling with Carla. He didn't see how it was fair that Juice, idiot that he was, got to keep his girl while he was still struggling to hold onto Gemma. "Juicy! Let's go!" he shouted, smirking when they jumped apart.

Juice leaned over to give Angela one final kiss, murmuring a quick goodbye before following Clay out the front door. "Sorry 'bout that," he said, closing the door behind him.

The ex-president shook his head at the younger man's wide grin. "No, you ain't," Clay shot back as he got into the van.

His smile grew even wider. "No, not at all," he said getting into the driver's side.

Clay was about ready to smack that stupid, lovesick smile off that kid's face. "Would ya stop grinnin' like an idiot and drive already? Faster we get this over with, faster you can get back to your Old Lady."

* * *

><p>Angela stared at the little plastic cooler filled with cold packs before glancing at the open cardboard coffin in the fridge. "This is fuckin' ridiculous," she muttered to herself, carefully pulling back the sheet from the body in the coffin. It was a young girl, late twenties who'd unfortunately thought her latest breakup was a good reason to chase a shit ton of prescription meds with a bottle of vodka.<p>

"Sorry lady," she said to the corpse before taking a pair of pruning shears, she removed the woman's thumb with a sickening crack. Wiping it off on a towel, she gingerly set it on the cold packs. Next she slid a scalpel blade on a handle and carefully carved off one of the woman's breasts. She stared at her handiwork, strangely proud of how neat both appendages looked sitting on top of the packs. Writing a quick note, she pinned it to the breast and closed the lid before putting it in the packaging box. She could hear the sound of a motorcycle in the distance and grinned, Juice was on his way.

"Boner!" she shouted, closing up the box and sealing it with tape. She grabbed a Sharpie and wrote 'Jax Teller' on the top.

Bones came running in, his glasses slipping down his nose. "What? What? Is it the baby? Did I do something wrong?" he asked, completely out of breath as if he'd sprinted over there.

"No, relax," she said on a laugh. "Need you to take this to TM, please. Give it to one of the boys there. Preferably one with a patch. You can ask for Jax, but I get the feeling he won't be around."

He picked up the box, a curious look on his face. "Is this something I can ask about?"

"Nope," she replied, smiling at his disappointed look on his face. "Sorry, buddy."

Bones took the box and headed out, whistling as he went. She heard him greet Juice as he headed out the door. An awkward greeting the involved the word 'brah' and then Bones apologizing for calling him, 'brah.' She was still laughing when Juice walked into the work room. "Guy's kind of a spaz, huh?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"You make him nervous, bruh," she replied, closing up the cardboard box. She took off her gloves with a snap, tossing them into the red biohazard bin across the room.

He caught the glint of something silvery on her finger. She'd put the Claddagh ring back on. He couldn't help but smile at that discovery. Things were getting better. "She shoots! She scores!" Juice cheered, pumping a fist in the air. He hooked an arm around her waist pulling her into his chest, his hands sliding around her hips to grab her ass. "My turn to score now?"

"Not here." Angela smiled up at him, putting her hands on either side of his face and giving him a kiss. A sound of surprise escaped her lips as he gripped just under her ass and lifted her up, waiting for her to hook her legs around his waist before walking confidently down the hall to the bathroom. It was his preferred spot for a quickie since it was close, and he didn't have to deal with the guilt of hooking up Bones' apartment. He wondered if the poor kid knew that he and Angela had already christened the new couch in his apartment.

* * *

><p>Bones walked back into the mortuary and headed over to the workroom to check in with his mentor. Rigor greeted him with his tag wagging excitedly as though he'd been waiting for someone to give him attention. He scratched the puppy behind the ears. "Where's your mother?"<p>

He heard moans coming from the bathroom and grimaced. "Seriously?" he muttered under his breath. He went into the workroom and put his iPod in the docking station. He scrolled through his different playlists before finding one that was sure to put an end to what they were doing and cranking up the stereo as loud as possible. He sat down on the little stool in the corner and took out his phone, loading some candy game Angela had forced him to play so he could give her lives. He was obsessed with it.

He didn't notice them walk in until the music shut off. His head snapped up as he practically jumped to his feet. As soon as he was up, Juice pulled him into a headlock. It was one of the most terrifying things Bones head ever experienced…until Juice's knuckles dug into his head, rubbing back and forth in a noogie. "Disney don't bug us, kid," Juice said, holding him there while Angela laughed. "We're unstoppable."

"Why the hell do you have those songs anyway?" Angela asked, not moving a finger to help her apprentice. She was up on her toes to grab the camera case off of the shelf.

"My sister, Penny," he grunted, struggling against Juice's hold before giving up and going limp. "She's three and loves that crap."

Juice chuckled and let him go. He walked over to where Angela was struggling to reach the camera, pressing himself up against her back and easily taking it off the shelf. His hand curled around her hip, his lips brushing against her neck. She elbowed him gently to get him off of her, uncomfortable with being so showy in front of Bones. "Maybe we should get some of that for Monk," he commented, undeterred by Angela's elbow, his hand sliding around to rest on the bump of her belly.

Bones adjusted his glasses, suppressing a grin at the sweetness between the couple in front of him. "I can burn you like a CD…or twenty. I heard the baby can like hear in utero. I put these headphones on my mom's stomach once and blasted some Zepplin. Mom was not happy, but Penny liked it. She kicked her ass off."

"When does Monk start movin'?" Juice asked curiously as he looked through the camera bag to make sure everything was there and the battery was charged.

"Anytime now," Angela replied on a breath, rubbing a hand over her belly.

Bones nodded as if he knew. "Yeah, but only she can feel it at first 'n' then like a few weeks later you can. Its freakin' _weird_," he stated, his eyes glued to his phone. "Like some alien trying to break out."

Juice gave Angela a look that clearly said, _'Is this guy for real?_' She nodded her head slowly. "Boner's my pregnancy guru," she explained, gesturing to the awkward nerd in the corner. Bones didn't seem to care, he just nodded his head in agreement, more interested in his game then in their conversation.

"Does that mean I don't have to read those baby books?" Juice asked, leaning his back against the counter next to her and flipping through the pictures already on the camera. He pulled a face at one of the "before" pictures before beaming proudly at the "after"; his girl was good at what she did.

She elbowed his side again."No one asked you to read those in the first place, goof," she shot back honestly. She didn't know where those books had even come from. All of a sudden, they appeared on her nightstand along with a few new apps on her phone. Juice was good at being sneaky about it though and always denied that it was his doing.

His prepay went off, and he gingerly set the camera back in its case before digging in his pockets for it. He answered it, spent five minutes talking using one word answers and then hung up. "Gotta go, baby," he said, leaning over to catch her lips in a quick kiss. "I'll bring this by later."

"Bye, goof," she said, smiling at him as he headed out the door.

Bones watched Juice leave before he looked over at his mentor. "The guest bathroom. Really?" he asked, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Would you rather have us do it in your apartment?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. He paused a second, connecting the dots. "Wait…_have_ you done it in my apartment?"

"I lived there first, Boner," she reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know but like _after _you moved out…"

Angela gave him a secretive smile and shrugged a shoulder. "Some things you just don't need to know."

Bones watched her walk out before yelling, "Wait…_what_? Ang, you gotta explain!" Her laughter was the only thing that answered him.

* * *

><p>Angela smiled when the front door opened later that night and Rigor sprinted to it. Her smile grew bigger when she heard Juice's low voice greet the puppy. He passed by the couch, leaning over the back to kiss her cheek. "Hey baby," he greeted, looking at the book over her shoulder. He threw himself down on the couch next to her and handed her the camera. "We had <em>the<em> weirdest day today."

She looked at the camera, her finger hovering over the ON button. "Did you delete everything?"

"Yeah, deleted all my shit, but check this out," he pulled out his laptop and flipped it open. He brought up his best pictures from their little blackmail session. "Before and after. Just like yours."

Angela flipped through them, a surprised look on her face. "Is that a…is that a _dude_?"

"Yeah. Tig had a thing for her," he said as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. "See how I photo shopped the tape out? And take a look at this…"

She laughed at the last image, the most ridiculous one of them all. It was of the large man laying down by himself, still in his bondage gear with rainbows and unicorns coming out of his ass. "I love you, you know that?" she asked, a proud smile on her face.

Juice grinned at her as he nodded, his laughter joining hers. Her reaction was precisely why she'd been the only one he'd shown that picture to. He knew his brothers wouldn't appreciate it; they were all too wrapped up in the serious club stuff and his work of art would probably annoy them more than anything. But his Old Lady, she understood. She laughed with him, she was _proud_ of him. "I do, actually," he said on a nod.

"We all set for the doctor's appointment tomorrow morning?" she asked, a wide smile on her face. She hadn't told Juice, but Chloe said that she might be able to find out the sex of the baby or at least get a good guess on it.

"Oh shit, Angel," Juice said on a grimace. "I totally forgot about that. I got club shit I gotta do tomorrow. I'm gonna have to take a rain check."

Her eyes darkened with disappointment for a brief moment before it disappeared. "That's all right," she said on a breath. "Club comes first right?"

"I'm sorry, baby," he apologized, feeling like shit.

Her whole body tensed at the word. _Sorry_. She was starting to really hate that word. If she had a dollar for every time he'd told he was sorry, she'd be rich. "Its _okay_. I get it," she lied, trying to convince herself more than anyone. "Next time, yeah?"

He nodded, leaning over to kiss her. "Promise," he said, rubbing his hand over her belly. "I want to see my little sea monkey."

Angela gave him a small smile before getting up off the couch. The anger she'd been fighting off came back, and she tried her best to push it away. Carla's words rang through her head: _They make you think they love you and then they leave you_. He was leaving her for the club…again. She'd thought she was used to it, but now, with a baby on the way, she couldn't help resenting the club just a little bit. She headed to the kitchen to start washing the dishes.

Juice came in a few second later, taking the dish from her hands. "Stop. Go relax. I can clean," he said, smiling sweetly at her. "What'd you eat for dinner anyways?"

"Boner and I got In-N-Out," she said, leaning against the counter at his side. The dishes were leftover from their breakfast. It was unusual they shared any other meal. He gave her a disapproving look, and she shrugged it off. "What? Monk wanted animal fries."

"Monk or Mama?"

Angela shrugged again. "Definitely Monk. Sneaky baby."

He shook his head at her, fighting against a smile. "That processed shit can't be good for Monk."

"I don't know," she replied, a teasing look in her eyes. "I'll ask the doctor at the appointment, and depending on the answer, I'll let you know."

Juice could hear the bitterness in her voice, though she tried to play it off as teasing. He fought back the urge to grimace; another bad move. "Angel, you know I'd be there if I could."

"I know," she said trying for a smile. "I'm gonna head to bed. Night, goof. Love you."

"Be there in a minute," he replied, kissing her cheek. "Love you too."

He finished up what he was doing before grabbing his laptop off of the coffee table and heading back to their room. Angela was already asleep, curled on her side wearing one of his shirts and a pair of lacy boyshorts. Her dark hair was draped over both of their pillows, a mess of waves that twisted and curled across the stark white pillow cases. Stripping down to his boxers, he pulled back the covers and stretched out, propping up his torso on the headboard and opening up his laptop. He looked over at Angela, his heart warming as he heard her sigh in her sleep.

After checking his usual websites, he pulled up a site he'd been searching a lot lately. Rings of all shapes, sizes, and colors appeared on the screen. For the first time, seeing them didn't make him nervous. He clicked around, filtering different things here and there, checking prices on other sites. And then, he found it. The perfect ring for her. He smiled at the screen before looking over at his Old Lady. It was time to finally make things right.

* * *

><p><strong>A bit filler, but it setting a few things up, I promise... ;) <strong>

**Let me know what you think! As always, I love hearing from you! :D**

**~Love Ink**


	70. Begin Again

**Sorry it took me so long to update! (as usual). This chapter IS super long though! I hope that makes up for my tardiness! I had this going in all different directions so it took me a while to fine tune it. Hope its y'all like it! **

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and/or follow! I know I messaged most of you but thanks to those who left unsigned reviews as well: _MsExpendable402, DarkChild19_, and _Guest. _**

**This chapter takes place during Season 5, episode 6: "_Small World". _**

_Side note: HOW INSANE IS THIS SEASON!? I won't post any spoilers here but...damn. Each episode, I'm more and more surprised by the actions of the club and its Old Ladies... ;) _

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, & Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 70: Begin Again_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela walked into St. Thomas a little early to meet up with Chloe before her doctor's appointment. As she walked into the cafeteria, she already spotted the nurse sitting at the table with two steaming cups in front of her. "I'm guessing that's not coffee," Angela said, sitting down in the chair across from her friend.

Chloe shook her head. "Tea. You'll like it," she insisted, taking a sip of her own coffee.

She took an experimental sip of the tea and pulled a face. "Nope. Not drinking that. I've only had one cup today anyway," she said, reaching across the table and grabbing Chloe's coffee. Her friend gave into the switch with a sigh, grabbing Angela's tea and taking a sip of it. "Thanks for patching up my cousin the other day. You didn't have to do that. He could've figured it out on his own."

"You still mad at him for that?" she asked with a light laugh. "C'mon, they were both fine after. Isn't that what those macho Sons do? Beat the shit out of each other and then make up?"

"Be that as it may, I still am not a fan of watching the two men that I care about the most beat the shit out of each other."

Chloe rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her tea. "You know, he's not that scary. Kind of…cavemanish with his one word answers but not scary. Said thanks and kissed my forehead when I was done. It was kinda…sweet."

Angela choked on her coffee, sputtering slightly. First of all, Chloe had just called Happy '_sweet_', something unprecedented for people who were not related to him. Second, her cousin didn't kiss other girls like that. Ever. The only girls who received that kind of treatment were his mom, his aunt, and her. "He kissed your _forehead_?"

"Well…yeah…"

"Why?"

Chloe shifted in her chair, suddenly uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. She could see that excited look in Angela's eyes, watched as those little wheels in her friend's head started turning. If she was going to try to set her up with her cousin, Chloe would die. Happy didn't seem like the type of guy to get set up with women. "I don't know. Ask him."

"Did you kiss him back?"

"No! It's been awhile since I've gotten some manly attention, but I'm not a total desperate whore, thank you very much!"

Angela was still trying to process all the facts. "Did you want to fuck him?"

"Angela!" she exclaimed, looking shocked at the question. Of course she had. Happy wasn't an ugly man by any means. He was completely different than any man she'd ever met. "We're talking about _kissing_ here! Not…sex."

"Oh come on, Chlo! When was the last time you saw a man and thought '_Oh man, I can't wait to kiss the crap out of him'_? We are both adults here," Angela teased on a laugh. "And you want to fuck my cousin."

A blush colored Chloe's cheeks as she shook her head. "I'm not dignifying that with an answer."

"_That's _answer enough," Angela pointed out with a devilish smile. "You can, you know. I don't care. Just make sure he wraps his shit with a _new_ condom. He's been known to reuse them with Croweaters. Cheap bastard."

"Gross, Ang!" Chloe exclaimed on a scowl. "Can we please talk about something else? Like Juice. How is Juice?"

Angela looked down at her coffee sadly as she shrugged a shoulder. "I don't really know, to be honest. He left for work before I woke up this morning. Haven't heard from him yet so he must be busy."

"You guys work everything out?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean…kind of, I guess. I'm just trying to get back to normal but I can't…some days I want to jump his bones and some days I want to punch him in the face."

"Hormones," Chloe said, checking her watch. "Baby moving around yet?"

Angela nodded slowly, her shoulders sagging as if the idea of it made her sad. "This morning. It woke me up, and I reached out to hit him and wake him up and he…wasn't there."

"Guessin' that was a time you wanted to punch him in the face?"

She laughed and nodded again. "I'm just…with all this shit going on, I'm scared that I'm going to have to do all of this," she gestured to her baby bump, "alone."

Chloe shook her head as she pushed away from the table. "That's bullshit, and you know it. Without the club, you still have me and Boner. We'll always be here for you, Ang. You'll never be alone."

Angela smiled at her friend, standing to hug her. "Thanks, Chlo."

"Yeah, yeah," she said squeezing Angela tightly. "C'mon, let's go see your little monster."

* * *

><p>Angela walked out of the doctor's appointment with the sonogram clutched tightly in her hand. The baby in her belly was growing at a rapid pace and healthy as a horse. While inside the doctor's office, she felt it move again and had turned to look at Juice in excitement but found Chloe at her side instead. That had hurt. To her credit, Chloe had acted overly excited, had held her hand while the doctor drew blood and had given her just the right amount of support she needed, but it still wasn't the same. She'd wanted Juice there. He should've been there.<p>

She headed down the elevator, glancing at the map on the wall to see where Tara's office was. She hadn't seen or heard from the doctor since she'd pulled her off of Carla. The elevator doors opened and she stopped dead in her tracks, her heart sinking to the bottom of her chest. The tattoos on his head were unmistakable. Her eyes widened in shock, anger frothing in her veins. He was just standing there in the middle of the hallway, playing on his phone. _Playing on his fucking phone_ while she'd been in the exam room a floor above him getting vial after vial of blood drawn for different tests for _their _child.

He'd said he couldn't go, and she'd believed him. She'd understood. The club came first. She _knew_ that and had been okay with it ever since they first became an item. But to find him standing in the middle of fucking St. Thomas playing on his _phone_ when he could've easily been with her frankly pissed her off.

As if sensing her presence, Juice lifted his head, his light brown eyes meeting hers. "Hey baby," he greeted with a smile, pushing off the wall and approaching her as if nothing was wrong. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" she replied, mockingly. "Are you _serious_, Juice?"

Juice gave her a quizzical look. She was mad. Why was she mad? Then it hit him. The appointment. She was there to see their baby, and he'd missed it because he was busy waiting on Clay. "Oh shit, Angel! I didn't even think..."

"You said you were busy, and I understood. The club comes first which is fine. I get it. I know what I signed up for," she seethed, her eyes dark with anger. "But you're not doing shit right now! You're playing on your fucking phone literally down the stairs from where I was! What the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

Juice didn't have an excuse. He'd been with Clay all morning, driving him around to various things including this check up. He hadn't remembered that his Old Lady had a doctor's appointment for their child. Hadn't thought about her once save for her lack of texts which, he realized, was because she was at the appointment. "Angel, I'm sorry. Clay needed me to..."

Angela felt like someone dumped a cold bucket of water on her. Clay. He'd ditched her to help _Clay_. The very same man that had once threatened her by using her loved ones. The one who had tried to have Tara killed. That was the man Juice had chosen as an ally. She felt sick to her stomach. "_That's_ your excuse? _Clay_ needed you. Juice, _I_ needed you," she said, disbelief in her voice. "And you weren't there. You were here doing _nothing_."

"I'm sorry, baby," he repeated, a plea in his voice as he grabbed her hand.

She shook her head, pulling her hand away from his grasp. "I'm so _sick_ of hearing you say that."

"Angel..."

"I felt our baby _move_ today. We saw it on the sonogram," she interrupted, watching as pain flitted across Juice's face. She knew he felt like shit and that she was rubbing it in, but she couldn't help it. She was hurting, so he had to hurt too. "Chloe _knows_ whether it's a boy or a girl, and you weren't…you weren't there."

Juice's eyes widened in shock. "This was _that _appointment?"

"It doesn't matter what appointment it was!" Angela exclaimed, literally pushing him away with her hands on his chest. She would've hit him, but she didn't want to make a scene in the hospital. "You should have been there and you weren't! I had to do it alone!"

Her words hit him like a punch in the gut. He'd failed her yet again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Angel, I'm so sorry."

She raked a hand through her hair, disappointment in her dark eyes. "You're starting to sound like a broken record," she commented, shaking her head at him as her shoulders sagged in defeat. "I gotta get back to work."

No, she couldn't leave. Not like that. He needed to make it up to her somehow. He caught her wrist in his hand as she started to walk away. "Angel, please…"

"Don't," she said, pulling her hand from his grasp. One of the exam room doors opened and Clay walked out making her pause.

"Hey there, Angie," the old man greeted on a smile as his blue eyes looked her over in a way that made her skin crawl. "What are you here for? Baby giving you trouble?"

Her only reply was a glare that could've melted ice. Brushing passed him, she headed down the hallway and into the main lobby. She didn't know where she was heading, only that it was away from Juice. He wouldn't chase after her. Not when Clay needed him. She was safe as long as she was out of sight. _Out of sight out of mind_, she thought bitterly.

She came to a short stop when she saw Eli Roosevelt sitting on one of the couches in the hall, his head in his hands. Rita's attack had made the front page news in Charming, and Angela had been praying for her to get better. By the looks of Eli, her prayers hadn't been answered. Angela's eyes swept the hallway to see if anyone was going to try to console the poor man. Doctors and nurses scurried by without paying him any attention. She sighed, raking a hand through her hair as she prepared for what was sure to be an awful conversation. "Hey Eli," she greeted, taking a step closer.

He wiped at his eyes and looked up at her in surprise. "Ms. Ruiz," he replied on a nod. He'd gone back to using the formality after she'd told him off about Juice. His eyes drifted towards the window across the hall where the nurses were pulling a sheet over Rita's head. "Was just thinkin' about you. Need to make some...arrangements, I guess."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," she replied, her heart clenching painfully in her chest at the look of pure anguish on the Lieutenant's face.

"Suspect you think this is karma for everything I put Juice through…"

Angela took a deep breath, swallowing her anger at the statement. What kind of person did he think she was? "No, of course not," she said scowling despite trying her best not to. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

Eli ran a hand over his bald head and looked over the undertaker. He knew he didn't deserve her kindness. Not after what he'd done to Juice, and definitely not after what he was already planning to ask of the young man. She was truly a kind young woman; Rita had always said so. Then again, Rita had always brought out the best in people. "She liked you, you know," he said on a nod. "Always talked about how sweet you were. How you were different from the other Old Ladies."

She laughed a little at that. "She was a good woman. Strong. Heard she went down fighting."

"She did," he replied, thinking of the DNA evidence he'd found under her fingernails. The test results would be back soon, and he'd know who needed to be punished. "Whoever did this is not going to get away with it. I don't care what I have to do, he'll pay."

Angela sucked in a shaky breath, nodding slowly. Revenge was something she knew was going to come up especially since he knew of her affiliation to the club. It was his subtle way of asking her for information. "This wasn't my guys, Eli," she stated confidently. "No one in Charming would go that far. They don't kill innocent women, especially the Lieutenant's wife. They're not that stupid."

"And if it was an accident?"

Angela shook her head. There was no way any of the SAMCRO boys were behind this. There was no reason for them to be invading the homes of their own people. "Why would the Sons want to hurt Charming? It doesn't make sense. You _know_ how hard they've worked to keep Charming the way it is. Why mess it up now?"

"I don't know, Ang, but something about this doesn't feel right," he said, looking back at his wife. "I don't know the protocol from here. Do I call…"

"I'll take care of it, Eli," she said, setting hand on his arm again. "Just tell the coroner's to call Dubrowski's when she's ready to be picked up after autopsy. I got you from there."

He didn't understand why she was being so kind to him. She had no reason to be. "I'm still going after the Sons, Ang. This isn't going the change anything."

Angela looked over at the sheet covered body on the bed. "I'm not doing this for the club. I'm doing it for Rita. She was a good person, a good friend, and she didn't deserve to die," she said, her voice strong and full of conviction. She turned to glare at Roosevelt. "I'm not Gemma. Not everything I do is to benefit the club. Sometimes I do things out of my own volition because I know its the right thing to do. If you want to insult me by twisting it into some stupid plea to keep the Sons safe, go ahead. Doesn't change the fact that I will take care of her to my best ability."

Eli could hear the honesty in her words and sighed. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Yeah," she muttered, feeling like shit for having her motives questioned. "I'll see you around, Eli."

* * *

><p>"Let's see the picture," Bones said, holding out his hand to his mentor as she walked into the office. He was seated in the plush leather chair on the other side of her desk; his booted feet up on the edge of it.<p>

Angela knocked his feet down and handed him the sonogram picture. "Chlo knows what it is," she said taking a seat in her desk chair with a sigh.

"Why don't you?" he asked, squinting at the picture and bringing it closer to his face as if he could figure it out.

"I didn't want to find out without Juice."

Bones nodded, still looking at the picture. The little thing inside her stomach looked more and more like a baby with each new picture. Standing, he went over to book shelf where he'd taped all the other sonogram pictures and added it to the end. "That's fair. That why you're in a bad mood?" he asked, taping up the picture. She sent him a dark look which he just shrugged off. "You want to know how I know?"

"You got bitten by a radioactive spider and can now read minds?" she retorted sarcastically.

He scowled at her. "Spiderman can't read minds," he said as if the mere idea was ridiculous. "I know because your phone has been ringing with that dumb ringtone for like five minutes and you're totally tuning it out."

Angela reached down in her bag, pulled out her phone, and hung it up without even looking at the screen. It'd been going off since she'd left the hospital. Mostly it was Juice, but she'd seen Gemma's number flash across the screen twice. She ignored both while she took a long drive through the countryside, trying to sort out her thoughts. It rang again, a different ringtone this time, the ID telling her the number was blocked. "Shit."

"What are the chances that its him calling from another number?"

"High," she muttered, but she had to answer. It was probably Juice, but it could also be a client or Happy. Neither of those were calls she wanted to miss. "Angela Ruiz," she answered, doing her best to sound cheerful.

"Don't hang up!" Juice's voice shouted on the other end. "Just…hear me out. I know you're pissed and you got every right to be but…I need you to do me a favor...for the club."

Angela grimaced; that was the last thing she wanted to do. "Juice, I got a lot on my plate right now," she replied, rubbing at her temples as a headache started forming behind her eyes.

"Please, Angel. It's more for Gemma than the club."

She sighed heavily. That was probably why Gemma had called her anyway; the Queen of SAMCRO only called when she needed something. "What do you need?"

"Come to Gemma's place. Bring your sidekick."

* * *

><p>Angela walked into Gemma's house, Bones a few steps behind her. Juice wouldn't tell her what was going on over the phone, so she didn't know what to be prepared for. The place looked normal enough…save for the large bullet hole in the hardwood floor. "What the hell?" she muttered, exchanging a glance with Bones.<p>

The kid looked back at her with his wide hazel eyes, clutching the white plastic body bag closer to his chest. "Woah. Maybe you should've brought your gun, Ang."

She ignored him, walking deeper into the house. "Juice?" she shouted, looking around the living room as she tried to get a feel of what was going on.

"Back here," Juice replied, his voice coming from down the hall.

Angela hesitated at the end of the hallway, turning to Bones. "Stay here for a sec," she instructed, waiting for Bones' nod of agreement before heading towards the open bedroom door. As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw why he'd called her. There was a body on the ground, covered in a sheet with blood seeping through the golden fabric by the head. "Holy shit."

"Relax, undertaker," Clay replied looking completely calm from where he sat at the edge of the big bed.

She didn't pay him any attention, looking to Juice instead. "What the hell is this? Was this Gemma again?" she questioned, remembering the last time Gemma called her to "take care" of her father's caretaker.

"Again?" Juice repeated, a confused look on his face.

"Never mind," she muttered, taking a step closer to the body on the ground. Carefully, she pulled back the sheet to see what she was dealing with. The cold dead eyes that stared back at her made a chill go down her spine. It was Carla with a close range bullet hole to the skull. She dropped the sheet as if she'd been stung. "What the hell is this?" she exclaimed, her voice louder than she wanted it to be.

"Think of it as karma," Clay suggested, smirking as if he'd made a funny joke.

Juice grimaced at the idea, knowing Angela would _not_ find it funny. The dark glare she threw Clay's way told him he was right. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked, standing up, her whole body shaking with anger. A woman was lying dead on the floor and Clay wanted her to think of it as _karma_? The idea was ludicrous! Sure, she wasn't Carla's biggest fan, but she didn't want her dead! What had happened between her and Juice was just as much his fault as it was hers! She looked at Juice. "Was this _you_?"

"No! No, _God_ no!" Juice exclaimed quickly. "This was...she shot herself, Angel. I swear. I wouldn't…we don't kill women."

Angela swallowed hard, staring down at the woman's bloodied face. "Then what the hell happened to her?"

"That ain't none of your concern," Clay spoke, earning him a glare from the undertaker. "We just need ya to get rid of her."

"Get _rid_ of…this is a _human being_ we are taking about! I can't just 'get rid' of her like a piece of trash! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Angel," Juice's voice was a warning. Clay might not be president anymore, but he was still a Son, still someone that should be respected.

"What?" she demanded, glaring at Juice before looking back at Clay. "I'm an undertaker not a fucking cleaner! I don't just '_get rid_' of people like you, Clay!"

The anger came quickly, rising in Juice like tidal wave. He heard the implication in her voice, saw the way she was glaring at Clay. Putting two and two together, he realized that she knew Clay killed Piney. She'd probably known all along and hadn't said a damn word to him about it. His body moved of its own accord. His hand shot out and grabbed Angela's arm, using his hold to haul her out of the room. "You don't know what you're talking about!" he seethed, pushing her against the wall. "You better shut your mouth and do what we need you to or..."

"Or _what, _Juice? You'll get rid of me?" she shot back, trying her best to push him away.

Juice blinked, he hadn't known where that had come from. His thoughts were so twisted up, he didn't know what he was doing anymore. "No!" he shouted back at her, his grip on her arm tightening. "Just be a good Old Lady and do as you're told!"

A look of disgust passed over her face as she looked up at him. This was not the sweet, goofy man she was used to. This was a man who'd been poisoned by the venomous snake that was sitting in the bedroom. "Who _are_ you?" she asked, acid dripping off her words. She pushed him off of her and headed back to the living room, away from him. She glanced at Bones. "There's a DB in the back room. Load her into the van if you want. I really don't give a shit either way. Hell, maybe they'll ask you to hang around or prospect if you do a good job. Whatever you do, I don't want any part of it."

Bones nodded slowly, watching as his mentor stalked out the door. He turned to find a very pissed off Juice standing at the mouth of the hallway. "So…"

"C'mon," he growled, heading back down the hall.

Bones wondered if maybe he should run back to the van and bail but something told him he should probably stay on Juice's good side. Angela said he could help, after all, so he wouldn't be pissing her off. He jogged after Juice and together, they managed to get the body out of the house and into the back of the van. Angela was already sitting in the driver's seat, her hands gripped tightly around the steering wheel. "Tell him we'll 'get rid' of her after hours if he wants to say goodbye," she spat at Bones, though Juice was close enough to hear.

Bones looked awkwardly from her to Juice. "Uhh she said…"

"I heard her," Juice cut him off. He was staring Angela down, willing her to look at him, but she remained facing forward, her jaw clenched tightly. He was mad at her. For the first time in a long time, genuinely mad at her for acting like a total bitch in front of Clay. He'd spent weeks telling Clay how great of an Old Lady she was only to have it blow up in his face. "I'll be there."

"Oh good," the apprentice said lightly before turning to Angela. "He said he'll…"

"Just get in the car, Boner," she ordered, shaking her head at him. "We got shit to do."

* * *

><p>Juice pulled up in front of Dubrowski's, a wave of nostalgia hitting him when he saw the hearse pulled into the parking lot. It felt like yesterday that he'd pulled up to the same place and had seen a beautiful girl leaning against that hearse, blowing bubbles with her gum that little smirk on her face. He'd been drawn to her then, like a moth to a flame. Had almost offered to dig the corpse out just to spend time with her. He hadn't, though. He hadn't wanted to do the Prospect's work. The guys didn't take him very seriously back then (not that they did now either); offering to do the job would've given them ammo to tease him for weeks.<p>

He'd never have thought that the girl leaning against the hearse would turn into his Old Lady. That she'd be the one carrying his first child and hopefully his second and third, maybe even fourth; he'd always wanted a big family to call his own.

His anger had abated slowly as the events kept playing through his mind. He'd been wrong to grab her like that, wrong to be mad because she'd kept what she'd known about Clay and Piney to herself. That didn't made her a bad Old Lady. Hell, it made her a good one. She knew when to keep her mouth shut, a good quality to have. One he was willing to bet was instilled in her by her cousin. He understood where here her anger had come from too. The Sons continually used her to take care of their mistakes but none had ever told her to 'get rid' of someone as if she was some psychopath cleaner. They'd used a bit more tact when asking for her help in the past. Clay had disrespected her, talked down to her, and he'd done shit to defend her. Instead, he'd gotten mad at her. He was a shitty Old Man.

He climbed the stairs to the apartment, figuring she was hanging with Bones while she waited for him. It was strange to knock on the door. He was so used to grabbing the spare key and opening it himself. But that spare key was gone. This wasn't their place anymore.

"Oh um…hi," Bones greeted awkwardly as he opened the door. "Ang is already in the crematorium. Or maybe she's not…I dunno. Can't remember if she wanted me to tell you or not."

Juice sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "She mad?"

He shrugged in response. "She's hurt. I mean, you missed a pretty big appointment and then you kinda went alpha dog on her back there which doesn't help you any," he said, scratching nervously at his elbow. "But she kinda went psycho back there too so…don't tell her I told you that."

"Your secret's safe with me, Bones," he said on a tight smile.

"Just don't…don't hurt her anymore. Okay?"

Juice tilted his head to the side, looking the nerd up and down with a new appreciation. The kid obviously cared about Angela. "Yeah, kid," he said on a nod. "Thanks for lookin' out for her."

"Dude, Ang is the best. You're lucky to have her. Not that I…want her. I just…I want someone like her, I guess…but she is very yours."

"I get it, Bones. Thanks," he said, shaking his head as he turned and headed back down the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled open one of the wooden doors and peeked inside. Angela was there, sitting on the metal table in the corner wearing her rubber apron and gloves. Her legs kicked back and forth as she stared at the open cardboard coffin in front of her. He could see four finger shaped bruises on her upper arm from where he'd grabbed her earlier. The sight of them made his heart squeeze painfully in his chest. He'd never meant to hurt her like that. Hell, he never meant to hurt her period.

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes on the flaming cardboard box inside the cremator instead of him.

Juice sighed as he took a step into the room, moving to lean on the table at her side. "For what?"

"The way I yelled at you. Stormed out of there like…like…"

"Gemma?" he put in, one eyebrow raised.

Angela let out a light laugh, swallowing hard as she wiped at her eyes. "Yeah, I guess. God, I don't want to be her."

"You're not," he assured her, lifting a hand and running it over the skin on her arm. "I shouldn't have grabbed you so hard. Shouldn't be ordering you around. That's not us it's…"

"Them," she finished, knowing he was talking about Gemma and Clay. She met his gaze for the first time and swallowed hard. "Juice, I don't want to turn into them. They're not even together anymore."

He could see the fear in her dark eyes and worry pooled in the pit of his stomach. "We won't, Angel. I promise you we won't."

"Then why does it feel like we're headed there?" she asked, playing nervously with her ring. The question hung in the air for a few minutes as they both thought it over in silence. She blamed herself for what happened. If she hadn't gone on that little vacation with Chloe, he'd never have gotten so close to Clay, never have been poisoned by the ex-president's ideas. "What happened to us?"

"I don't know," he replied, his voice soft. "I wish I did. Wish I could rewind and go back to when we were happy. When our biggest problem was whose phone was going to go off in the middle of sex. Is that…can we do that?"

She laughed, wiping at her eyes. It hadn't been that long ago that they'd been standing in the same room flirting. She never would've guessed then that they'd be standing in the same place over three years later fighting to stay together. "I wish it were that easy."

"Can I…can we go for a ride?" Juice asked hesitantly.

Angela stared at the fire for a second longer, contemplating his question. The flames reminded her of the story of the phoenix. The mythical bird was reborn from its own ashes. Maybe, as morbid as it was, burning Carla like this could be a symbol of their rebirth. Maybe after dealing with this, they could start over again. They'd officially hit rock bottom, the only place to go now, was up. She looked up at him, meeting his hopeful stare as she slid her fingers in between his. "Yeah, let's get outta here."

A sigh of relief left his lips as he kissed her forehead. He'd been worried that she was going to give up on him. That what had happened that day had caused an irreparable tear in their relationship. But no, she took his hand in hers and met his eyes with a determined look; she wasn't going to give up on him. He'd never loved her more than he did at that moment.

* * *

><p>The cold wind bit at her cheeks as Juice flew down the back roads. Angela clung tightly to him, feeling a slight weight ease off her shoulders as they passed the Charming welcome sign. For some reason, passing that sign always made her feel better. She felt the tension in Juice's shoulders ease and smiled; apparently she wasn't the only one to feel that way. They rode for awhile before a familiar exit came into view. He pulled off and carefully climbed the road that led to their little spot on their mountain. She swung her leg off the bike and walked to the edge of it, staring at the dark town that lay sleeping beneath them.<p>

Juice leaned against his bike, studying her for a moment. She looked like she was deep in thought, small wisps of hair that'd come out of her braid blowing in and out of her face, catching the moonlight making a halo around her head. He smirked as he thought of the song he'd heard the other day. Turning, he grabbed his iPod out of his bike's dock and searched through it for the right song. He had a feeling it would make her laugh. Make her roll her eyes and call him a 'goof' like she'd done when they'd first started out. When he'd do cheesy shit like this all the time just to make her smile. He hadn't been doing much of that lately. He found the song, plugged it back in, and pressed play.

The opening notes of a reggae-sounding song filled the air, a heavy Jamaican voice speaking over the music, too fast for him to understand. She turned raising an eyebrow at him. "Reminds me of you," he explained, nodding to her.

A small smile spread across her face as she rolled her eyes. "Shaggy. Of all the songs you can pick with 'angel' in them, you go with 'Angel' by _Shaggy_?"

"It's a classic," he defended on a shrug. "Listen to the words."

"_Girl, you're my angel, you're my darling angel. Closer than my peeps you are to me, baby. Shorty, you're my angel, you're my darling angel. Girl, you're my friend when I'm in need, lady_," the reggae singer crooned.

"Closer than your 'peeps', huh?" she repeated, smiling wider as she shook her head at him.

"Damn straight." He nodded, holding out his hand to her. "C'mon, baby. Dance with me."

With a dramatic roll of her eyes, she let him pull her into his chest. And just like that, they were right back to where they'd started, goofing around and laughing with each other as if all the bullshit they'd gone through had never happened. Angela leaned her head against his shoulder, breathing in the comforting scent of leather mixed with weed and aftershave that was purely Juice. His lips brushed across her forehead, staying there as he held her tighter to him. They stopped moving, both of them relaxing into each other's embraces. The song ended and another started up, '_Earth Angel'_ by the Penguins. She tilted her head up to look at him. "Did you just look up songs with angel in them and make a playlist?"

"Just these two, I swear," he said on a chuckle. Swaying with her a bit before sighing. "I'm sorry things have been so shitty lately."

"Ssshhh. You're ruining the moment," she murmured, nuzzling her nose against his neck. What her aunt had said floated through her head. _Sometimes love is enough_. It was for them. Everything that happened was in the past. Things that they couldn't change but that they could learn from. She was willing to try because she loved him and the thought of being without him made her sick to her stomach. "It's done. New page. Clean slate."

His dark eyes brightened at her words. "Really, baby?"

Angela nodded. "I don't want to be mad at you anymore, Juice. It's exhausting and it…hurts," she admitted on a light laugh. "So stop pissing me off."

He bent his head to touch his forehead to hers. "I'll do my best," he promised, honestly meaning it. "I love you, Angel. You and my little sea monkey."

She smiled and felt a little stirring in her belly. It wasn't the usual butterflies she got when she was with Juice, but an actual movement. Her grin widened as she dropped a hand to her belly. "Monk's moving. He, she, whatever…loves you too."

He put his warm hand on hers and dipped his head to press a kiss to her baby bump. "Daddy's not going to piss Mama off anymore, Monk. Your dad's an idiot, but he's going to try and be smart for her 'cause he loves her."

Angela felt her heart warm as Juice kept talking to their unborn child. The more he talked, the more the baby seemed to move. Running a hand over the strip of hair down the middle of his head, she caught Juice's attention. "Love you, goofy," she said, laughing as he swept her off her feet into a bridal style hold.

He kissed her soundly on the mouth, carrying her back towards his bike. "Love you too, Mama," he said, sitting her on the bike. "We're going to be okay. I'm not gonna mess up anymore, I pinky promise."

She laughed against as she hooked her pinky around his. "Goof," she said, catching his lips in a quick kiss. Her hormones were bouncing off the walls as she grabbed the front of his cut, pulling him in closer and deepening the kiss. His hands found her hips, thumbs slipping under the fabric of her shirt and rubbing over her bump briefly before they slid up to her bra, grabbing at her enlarged breasts. She gasped at the touch, pulling her lips from his as he trailed kisses down her neck. The pregnancy had not only made her cup size swell, but she was more sensitive than ever. "Take me home, Juicy," she breathed.

She could feel him smile against her neck. He nipped at her collar bone, feeling quite proud of himself when a soft moan escaped her lips. "Your wish is my command, baby."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you think in a review! I love hearing from you! :)<strong>

**Disclaimer 2: I do not own Spiderman, the song "Angel" by Shaggy or the song "Earth Angel" by the Penguins... ;) **

**~Love Ink**


	71. Secrets

**NEW CHAPTER YAY! Sorry it took me so freaking long! I really, really didn't like the chapter as I originally wrote it, but I like it a lot more now. Thank you so much for your patience!**

**Thank you for all those who have read/reviewed/favorited/followed! I got back to most of you but thanks to those who didn't sign in: _Kerry, Guest 1, DarkChild19, Love for Kozik, _and _Guest 2_**_ (Hope I delivered this time. ;)). _

**As I've been promising for months, I started a new story that's a collection of stories from Angela and Happy's past. Its called "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" and you can find it on my profile. Check it out and let me know what you think! :) **

**This chapter is slightly AU, and I'm totally playing with the timeline, but it would take place in Season 5, episode 7: "Toad's Wild Ride". Hope y'all like it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, & Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 71: Secrets_

_ By Love Ink_

Greg the Peg looked up at the mortuary with unease pooling in his gut. Clay had wanted them to do one last break in after the horrible snafu with the Lieutenant's wife to prove that the hits weren't local. That whoever was doing them didn't give a shit about what happened to Rita and was just hitting up the houses of those close to SAMCRO, those close to Charming to prove a point. Why Clay had suggested hitting Angela's funeral home was beyond him. He hated the idea of putting his ex...whatever in danger. He hoped she wasn't there. They'd been told to beat up on anyone they found. When he'd asked about Angela, Clay had warned them to stay away from her stomach. Everything else was fair game. The lecherous look in GoGo's eyes at that statement put Greg on edge. If she was there, he hoped he found her first, so he could tell her to get the hell out before they hurt her...or worse.

He followed Frankie up the backdoor steps and waited anxiously while the larger Nomad kicked it in. There was a light on in the back room along with some loud instrumental music. It was a movie score that Greg vaguely recognized. They headed in that direction, throwing open the workspace door to find a gangly kid with shaved hair and thick glasses working on Rita Roosevelt. The irony did not go over Greg's head. The kid was so immersed in what he was doing; he didn't hear them enter until Frankie had a gun in his face.

The kid dropped whatever tool was in his hands and held them up in the air. Greg could see them shaking as Frankie demanded all the money the funeral home had. Unfortunately for the kid, when they opened the safe, there was nothing in there save for a bank deposit bag with a few hundreds. Not enough to make the break in worth it. Greg thought about mentioning the upstairs apartment which was sure to have more valuables but decided against it as he watched Frankie and GoGo give the kid a beat down before destroying the small office, breaking the computer screens and shattering the picture frames. He stepped carefully over one of them, feeling guilty as hell when he saw Angela and Kozik smiling back at him. He kicked it aside and laid a few hard kicks into the kid on the ground, taking out his anger on him. When he was done, he went to stand guard outside, waiting for the other two to come out.

* * *

><p>The Star Trek theme song woke Angela from her sleep. Opening one eye, she reached out for the cursed object and put it to her ear. "This better be good, Boner," she ground out, glancing at the clock. It really wasn't that late, just a little after midnight. Why was Bones calling her?<p>

"Ang, I need you," he grunted, his voice sounding rough like he was having a hard time breathing.

Angela was up in seconds, throwing the covers back and pulling on a pair of sweatpants. "I'm on my way, Boner. I'll be right there, kiddo," she assured him, getting dressed in a frenzy.

She practically sprinted into the living room where Juice was playing some video game, unwinding from the events of the day. He raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?" he asked, pausing his game and watching as she searched for her keys.

"Something's going on with Boner at the funeral home," she explained, tugging his sweatshirt on over her shoulders. "I gotta…I need to make sure he's all right."

"I'm going with you," he said, getting to his feet with a groan. She gave him a thankful smile, waiting for him to put on his boots before heading towards the door. He grabbed her car keys from her, heading to the Mazda and getting into the driver's side before she could protest. She sank down into the passenger's seat, her fingers nervously twisting at her ring. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know," she said, raking a hand through her hair. "But he sounded bad."

Juice nodded, pressing on the gas just a little harder. He knew the stress wasn't good for their kid and wanted to get there as fast as possible to ease her worries. Reaching over the center console, he took her hand in his and squeezed. "If he called you, he's fine."

Angela nodded, squeezing his hand back. As soon as the car stopped, she was out of it and sprinting toward the front door that was obviously broken. "Oh shit," she cursed as Juice pushed her behind him. He took out his gun from the back of his pants and held it out in front of him as they made their way in. The place was completely trashed. "Jesus Christ," she murmured, her hand fisted in the back of Juice's t-shirt.

Her heart rose to her throat when they got to the office. It was the worst room of all. Broken glass littered the ground, some shards covered in blood. Leaning up against her desk sat Bones with his eyes closed behind his cracked glasses. His face was badly bruised and cut up, his arms too. "Bones!" she exclaimed, pushing Juice out of the way. She kicked aside some glass and kneeled down beside him, reaching out a hand to touch his cheek. "C'mon, kiddo. Wake up for me. Please."

With a groan, he opened his eyes. "Ang… 'm sorry," he breathed, his eyes staring unfocusedly at her. "They took the money."

Angela shook her head, holding back tears. "Don't worry about that. Tell me what hurts, kiddo."

"Everything hurts," he said, leaning into her touch.

"I'm going to call Chloe, okay? She's going to come take care of you," she assured him, her thumb stroking over his cheek soothingly.

When she went to move, he grabbed her wrist. "Don't leave me, Angie."

"I won't, kiddo. I'm here." Angela looked over her shoulder at Juice, giving him a pleading look. "Call Chlo. Please. Get her over here. "

Juice nodded, crouching down to grab her phone from her back pocket and dialing the number. Chloe picked up on the second ring. He explained the situation to her, watching as Angela spoke in soft tones to Bones, one hand on his face, the other holding his hand. As twisted as it was, watching her take care of him like that just showed him how good of a mother she was going to be. He couldn't wait to see her in action with their own child. He finished talking to Chloe and hung up the phone. "Hey Bones. How you feeling?" he asked, moving to Angela's side.

Bones looked at him with dazed eyes. " 'm good. Just…tired," he said on a sigh. "Tried to fight back. Guys were big like Hulk big."

"Help me move him to the bathroom," Angela told Juice, taking Boner's arm and putting it over her shoulder. Juice did the same, both of them standing together to get Bones to his feet and move him to the bathroom. She knew Bones was leaning heavier on Juice, but she wanted to help all the same. Once they sat him down on the toilet, she grabbed a wash cloth and soaked it in water. "I'm going to clean you up a bit. See the real damage."

"My head hurts, Angie," he whined, his eyebrows drawn together in pain.

Angela frowned, running her hand over his buzz cut head. "I know, kiddo." She looked over at Juice with a worried expression. They both heard a Harley driving up. She recognized the sound immediately. "You called _Hap_?"

"What?" Juice breathed, shaking his head. "No! I called Chlo! Just her, I swear! I mean, I thought I heard a guy talkin' in the background but I never thought it'd be…"

"What the hell?" Happy's voice came from the backdoor.

Juice walked out to meet them, surprised to find Happy walking in front of Chloe with his gun drawn. The same position he and Angela had been in just moments before. "Over here! Its all clear!"

Happy lowered his gun, tucking it into the back of his pants. He took a peek into the office, "What happened?"

"I dunno. The kid called, said he needed Angel. I drove us over and…someone broke in, beat the shit outta him," he explained, gesturing towards the bathroom. "She's takin' care of him but…"

"I got it," Chloe said, pushing by both guys and heading towards the bathroom.

Juice glanced from Chloe's back to Happy, a questioning look on his face. Happy smirked. "Had to drop off her car," he explained on a shrug. At Juice's doubtful look, he shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said before heading in the direction Chloe had gone.

Chloe frowned when she walked into the bathroom to see Angela standing beside her apprentice who was sitting on top of the closed toilet, his head resting on her hip, eyes closed behind his thick glasses. Her hand was gently rubbing over the side of his head as she talked to him. He answered quietly, showing that he was still conscious. "Hey kiddo. My name's Chloe," Chloe greeted, setting her kit on the floor. "Want to tell me what happened to you?"

"Bones," he said, introducing himself as he opened his eyes. He took the pain meds she handed him, swallowing them dry before explaining what happened."I got beat up. Three dudes. One was like Hulkishly big. The other was more like…I dunno…Thor sized and the last was smaller like…Hawkeye."

"So you got your ass kicked by the Avengers?" Chloe asked, shining a light in his eyes. He was definitely showing signs of a concussion.

Bones seemed to perk up at that, looking up at his mentor. "Dude, she's a nerd too. You're like a nerd magnet, Ang!"

Angela laughed this time, shaking her head at her apprentice. "Guess so."

"That's so cool," he said as Chloe carefully prodded his ribs, watching as he winced every so often.

Juice poked his head in. "How you doin', Bones?"

"Pain meds are nice," Bones explained, tilting his head back to give him a drugged smile. "Chloe's nice too. Ang has nice friends."

Angela and Chloe exchanged glances before Chloe got back to work putting butterfly bandages on a cut by his cheek. "I think he's got a few cracked ribs and one hell of a concussion," the nurse explained. "He live by himself?"

"_All by myself_," Bones sang to the tune of the Eric Carmen hit.

Juice snickered by the door, earning him a glare from Angela. He straightened up and cleared his throat. "He can crash on our couch," he offered.

"Juice is cool, Chlo. I mean, he makes Ang mad like all the time, but he's…he's a good dude," Bones told the nurse just as Happy appeared in the doorway. "Woah. Dude. That's the scary guy. He's like…_Bane_ scary. You saw the Batman movie, right? Bane was badass and that dude right there…Bane."

Happy looked at the kid as if he was insane which made a small laugh escape Angela's lips. "Boner, I love you, but you need to shut up or my cousin will hurt you," she said, patting at his hair.

"Dude_, Bane_ is your cousin. Man, Angie, you're a total badass. That is why you're the best," he said squeezing her hand. "Best sister ever…hey, if you're my sister, does that make him _my _cousin too?"

"No," Angela and Hap both answered together.

"Bummer," Bones said before yawning, leaning his head against Angela's arm. "I'm tired, Ang."

"He's pretty concussed," Chloe put in, laughing a little. "But he'll survive. Someone needs to wake him at least once during the night. Check on him, make sure his symptoms don't worsen."

Angela looked down at Bones who was already asleep against her arm. She ran her palm over his fuzzy head lovingly. "Got it," she said, relieved that he was okay. "Can you guys help get him outta here?"

Juice and Happy both nodded, helping Bones to his feet and dragging him out of there. "Don't start, Ang," Chloe stated as she packed up her supplies.

"Start what?" she asked innocently. "Start asking what you were doing with my cousin at almost one in the morning? Why would I do that?"

"Because you're nosy as hell," Chloe replied bluntly. "He was just dropping my car off."

Angela raised her eyebrows, a doubtful look on her face. "At midnight."

"Yeah. Otherwise I wouldn't have it for my five o'clock shift…which starts in four hours," she explained miserably. "You're lucky I like you."

"Thank you for comin' out, Chlo," she said, turning serious again. "Boner scared the shit outta me. Bleedin' all over the place like he was."

"He's fine." Chloe smiled at her obvious concern. "You're gonna make a great mom, Ang. I'll make sure to block your number late at night 'cause I have a feeling you'll be callin' me every time that little monster does somethin' weird."

"Good thing Juice has those burners. You'll never know what number I'm calling from sucka." Angela laughed, hitting her shoulder against Chloe's as they headed out together.

Juice was leaning against the Mazda talking quietly to Happy. They both stopped when they saw the girls. "Hey baby," Juice greeted, opening the passenger's door. "Ready to go?"

Angela nodded, looking over at Hap. She knew what he was going to say to Juice; the same thing he always said. So with a smirk, she nodded to Chloe and said, "You take care of her."

Happy narrowed his eyes at his cousin, shaking his head at her. "Shut up, kid."

* * *

><p>The alarm clock Angela had set to remind her to wake Bones up went off just an hour after they'd gotten him settled on the couch. Juice reached over his sleeping Old Lady to grab her phone and turn it off. He hadn't gone back to sleep after they'd gotten home. He couldn't. His head was filled with 'what ifs'. What if Angela had been there helping Bones that night? It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to stay at the mortuary to supervise Bones especially if she knew he wouldn't be home from Chapel or a run until late. She didn't like to be at the house alone, and Bones was good company. If she'd been there, she'd have fought. She would've fought and those big ass guys that Bones described as "Hulk-like" would've fought back just like they did with Rita which meant he could've lost Angela just like Eli had lost Rita. The idea of losing Angela had his stomach in knots.<p>

He got out of bed and headed towards the living room, surprised to find Bones already awake and playing video games, Rigor sleeping at his feet. "Thought you were concussed," Juice commented, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. Pain killers wore off, I guess," Bones answered on a shrug. "I keep thinking I'm hearing things."

Juice shook his head. "Nah, Rigs would be all over it."

"I should get one of him for the funeral home," he muttered, pausing the game and running a hand over his face.

"I'll see what I can do," he replied. "How you feeling?"

Bones shrugged a shoulder. "I'll be fine."

"You wanna tell me a little more about what happened tonight?" he asked, watching as the kid shifted nervously.

"I didn't see them. They had…masks and were all wearing black. But one of 'em…asked me where she was. I mean, they asked for the safe first and then, the Thor sized one…he asked where 'little Ms. Ruiz' was. He knew her name, Juice. And the way he said it," he shook his head, swallowing hard as he thought of the lecherous way the man had asked for her. "I'm just glad she wasn't there."

Juice felt anger run through his veins. They wanted Angela. They'd wanted to hurt her to…he couldn't even finish that thought. He felt like he couldn't breathe. "What did you tell them?"

Bones felt his throat tighten, tears in his eyes. "I told them she wasn't there. That she didn't…she didn't work there anymore. And he just…hit me harder. They knew I was lying, but I wouldn't give in, Juice. I told them…I told them every lie I could think of except that she was at home with you. I didn't know how far they were willing go to get to her, but it was scary."

"Shit," he cursed, sitting down on the couch and letting his head fall into his hands. He ran a hand over his face as he sat back on the couch. He kicked at the couch angrily. "Shit! Angel could've been…and my kid…shit!"

"I wouldn't have let it happen, Juice. I woulda…I would've done everything I could to protect her, I swear. I know I'm not big or strong but I would've done my best…"

He looked over at the young man sitting at his side and nodded, "I know, Bones. Thanks."

Bones nodded, looking down at his bruised hands. "It scares me sometimes," he said softly. "The shit she has to deal with. I mean, she pregnant and she's…running around with guns. She thinks she's…Wonder Woman, but she's not and one of these days…she's going to get hurt 'n' I really, really don't want that to happen."

Juice winced at the accurate description of his Old Lady. He knew that she knew her limits, but he also knew those limits were not those of a normal pregnant lady. Angela was a daredevil and growing up with Happy certainly didn't help; it made her feel almost invincible. "What do you want me to do about it, Bones?" he asked softly.

"I don't know, but…can you teach me how to shoot a gun? Maybe…maybe if I have a piece on me, I can help protect her."

He smiled a little at Bones' enthusiasm. "Yeah. I'll hook you up."

"Cool. Want to play some Call of Duty?" he asked, handing Juice another controller.

Juice smirked, taking it from him as he nodded. "Let's go, kid."

* * *

><p>Angela woke up to her alarm blaring. It was an hour earlier than usual because she had to check on Bones. She reached a hand out to the side, not really surprised to find Juice's side of the bed cold and empty; he'd been leaving early a lot these days. Yawning, she stood and padded her way to the living room. She bit back a laugh when she saw Juice and Bones sitting on the couch, X-box controllers in hand discussing strategies as they worked together. "Mornin', gentlemen," she greeted, heading towards them.<p>

"Hey baby," Juice said, his eyes darting to her quickly before going back to the screen. Bones didn't give her that courtesy. He just nodded and continued playing.

She leaned over the couch to press a kiss to one of the lightning bolts on Juice's head. "Morning, handsome," she greeted before leaning over to rub her hand over the short hair on Bones' head. "Morning, nerd. How are you feeling?"

"Am I handsome or…" Bones started, laughing as Angela glared at him. "I'm fine, Angie. Thanks for letting me stay over."

"You're family. You're always welcome," Juice said as if it was no big deal.

Angela couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. She leaned over the back of the couch again, grabbing Juice's chin and planting a loud, smacking kiss on his lips. "I love you," she said, kissing his nose quickly before straightening up. "I'm going to make breakfast."

"Yes! I _love_ breakfast!" Bones exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. He looked over at Juice excitedly. "Does she always cook breakfast?"

Juice glanced back at Angela and smiled as he shrugged a shoulder. "If she gets around to it by the time we gotta leave."

"Oh. _Oh_. Ew," Bones said wrinkling his nose. "God, with the amount you two go at it, I'm surprised you don't have a bunch of little monster's runnin' around."

He chuckled at that, looking over at Angela who hadn't heard. It was true, they'd been lucky in the past. Both of them had been incredibly OCD about taking preventative measures. Then he went inside for a year. By the time he got out, they'd wanted each other so badly that neither of them had even thought about it. "We're usually careful," Juice replied on a shrug and a smile. "Monk was…a surprise."

Bones knew that. He remembered the day Angela found out, how shocked she'd been. It was the quietest he'd ever seen his mentor. "At least she was a good one though, right?"

Juice smiled, looking over his shoulder at his pregnant Old Lady. He could see her at the stove, flipping over whatever she had going in the pan as she danced to the low music coming from the iPod speakers he'd set up in the kitchen. Everything about her had been a surprise to him. From the day he met her, to when he realized he loved her, to the moment she'd said she was going to have his kid, all of those moments had been surprising. "The best," he agreed on a nod.

* * *

><p>Angela was off for the rest of the day since the funeral home was currently a crime scene. She avoided it like the plague. Skeeter and Bones could deal with all the legal shit; she didn't need the stress. After taking Rigor for a run, she was surprised to find a missed call from Tara asking her if she wanted to go with her to the clubhouse to help her make a care package for some Son named Otto. Since Juice was on her ass for her to get over there anyway for "protection", she figured she might as well go help the doctor.<p>

So there they sat in one of the apartments, boxes of photographs and papers on the table before them, all filled with pieces of SAMCRO's history. "So what exactly are we looking for, T?" Angela asked, her eyes looking over a picture of men she didn't recognize.

Tara sighed, picking up another stack of pictures. "I don't know. I need to give Otto something that makes him feel…nostalgic. Reminds him of his brothers. Maybe he'll cooperate with me then."

Though the doctor had told her the bare bones of what she was doing with Otto, Angela still didn't think the old photos would do anything for the old prisoner. "Maybe send in one of the Croweaters. I'm sure he'd like that," she joked.

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything," she said on a sigh.

"God, they all look so young," she said on a light laugh as she came across a picture of Clay, Piney, and a few men she didn't recognize. She moved onto the next picture and her breath caught in her throat. "Uncle Cheeks," she breathed, tracing a finger over his smiling face. "I never realized he was a Son!"

Tara furrowed her brow at Angela, holding out her hand and taking the photo from her. It was of two tanned men studying the billiard table. She recognized one as Happy, the other was a bit older with the same dark skin, his long dark hair slicked back, a dark mustache on his face. "How could you not know he was a Son? He was your uncle."

She shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. I just…I never saw either of them in a cut until I was a lot older. Chico…he never wore one. Not around me, at least. Hap didn't until Cheeks died. That's when I remember learning about the club. I was ten, and Hap sat me down, showed me the Reaper and explained that I should trust anyone wearing one. That if he wasn't around, they'd take care of me. Even then, I didn't fully understand the weight of it until I was twelve."

Tara mulled that over for a moment before she frowned. "You really had no idea about it until you were _twelve_?"

"I knew what Hap did was dangerous. I mean, I had a gun held up to my head by a robber when I was eight. But Hap always taught me never to ask questions, so I just…didn't. He's always been my own personal Superman. I figured he just fought crime and that's why what he did was so dangerous."

"You were held up at gunpoint at _eight_?" she repeated, eyes wide. She shouldn't have been surprised, Abel was kidnapped when he was just a baby. Luckily Thomas had yet to be affected by their crazy life which was why she was working so hard to get her boys out of Charming.

Angela shrugged. "Yeah. But Hap was there, so it was fine."

Tara sighed, wondering if her own boys would be so desensitized to violence that they could shrug off being held up at gunpoint like Angela just did. "I wish my boys were lucky enough to be as ignorant to this whole thing as you were."

"It was a blessing and a curse. I missed out on having that big, overprotective family that Abel and Thomas do. That would've been fun," she commented. At Tara's dark look, she smiled. "Oh, come on, Tara! You know your boys have fun with their pseudo Uncles. I'm kinda excited for this little monster to have that."

The doctor smiled warmly at her friend. "How's everything going with the baby?"

"It's in there. Chillin'. Movin'," Angela said with a small smile as she rubbed her hand over the small bump of her belly. "Juice is more concerned with these though," she said pointing at her ample chest. "I swear I went up two cup sizes."

"Perks of being pregnant," Tara said on a smirk. "Must be nice to have him around. When I was pregnant with Thomas, Jax was still inside."

She frowned and shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah," she said, trying for a smile. She never really thought about it that way Though Juice was busy a lot of the time, at least he was still around; Tara had to deal with being pregnant and birthing Thomas alone. Maybe she shouldn't be so hard on him for missing stuff.

Both women stopped their conversation when Clay wandered into the room, apologizing for his presence. Tara stood immediately, her whole body tensed as she headed straight for the door. The doctor exchanged a few terse words with the Old Man about being "already dead" to her and "staying away" before making her way out of the room, all of the pictures she'd been looking at forgotten in her haste to get the hell out.

Clay sat down on the couch with a sigh as he looked over at the undertaker who seemed to be struggling with getting everything to fit back in the box. "Got something to add on to that, undertaker?"

"Nope," Angela replied on a breath, cursing Tara for leaving her with the cleanup duty. "She said quite enough."

"Want to thank you for helping out the other day," Clay offered, trying his best to be cordial. He knew the girl hated him. The feeling came off of her in waves. "You're a great asset to the club."

She laughed humorlessly. "Oh am I? That's good to hear. That's the whole reason I got into the undertaking business. To help your club 'get rid' of people," she said sarcastically.

"I'm getting the sense you don't like me here, Angie."

"Good," she shot back, putting the box back on the shelf. "I don't. Guess that happens when you threaten someone."

Clay grimaced at her blunt words. "Well, I'm sorry for that then. Thought it was all…water under the bridge. Wish there was something I could do to change it. Your Old Man…he's been a great help to me these past couple of weeks. Know that means he's been missin' out on some of your shit."

Angela felt sick to her stomach at the mention of Juice. The fact that he was throwing the way her Old Man had been at his beck and call in her face pissed her off. "What he does is none of my business," she said, leaning against the doorjamb. She checked her watch, to give her an excuse not to look at Clay. "I gotta go back to work."

"To check on your apprentice? Heard he got pretty beat up."

She gave him a quizzical look. How could he have known that? From what she heard, the boys were trying to keep the recent break in on the down low so as not to call more attention to themselves. "He's fine," she said awkwardly. A suspicious feeling started to creep up on her. Clay knew a little too much.

"Juice told me," he explained as if sensing her suspicion.

"Right," she said, not at all convinced. "I'm gonna go now."

"You want me to stay away too, undertaker?"

Angela felt a shiver go down her spine at his question. Turning, she faced him, lifting her chin to convey her strength as she shrugged a shoulder. "I honestly don't give a shit what you do," she answered on a shrug before heading out.

As soon as she stepped out of the room, a hand grabbed her forearm, startling her. She was met with a familiar set of warm brown eyes staring back at her. "What was that about?" Juice asked, a concerned look on his face. "He threatened you?"

"No…I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" she asked, anger coloring her words. At his wounded look, she took in a deep breath, reigning in her feelings. She wasn't mad at Juice. Not this time. "I have to go check on Boner. I'll see you at home later, okay?"

"Okay, baby. Got V-Lin to tail you. Don't make it too difficult, all right?" he said on a nod, still looking a bit worried. She rolled her eyes at him as she nodded exaggeratedly, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before she started walking away. "Love you," he called after her.

She turned, her smile lighting up her whole face. "Love you too," she shouted back, blowing him a kiss before she disappeared around the corner.

Juice sucked in a deep breath, walking into the apartment to face Clay. "What happened, Clay? What'd you do to them?"

"Same thing I always do," he said, looking at his hands. "What do you want?"

Juice gave him the message about Greg, watching him leave as a feeling of unease came over him. Angela had told Clay straight up that she didn't like him, that she didn't trust him. Why didn't she trust him? What had he done to her that made her feel that way? Had he really threatened her? He couldn't think of a time she'd ever been left alone with him, let alone a time he'd ever seen them talking. What could he possibly have to threaten her about? A part of him didn't want to know. He had a feeling she was keeping something from him, and it bugged the crap out of him. Though he didn't tell her everything he did with the club, he expected her to. Already she'd mentioned something about Gemma killing someone before; about being there for Piney's cremation…he was beginning to think she was deeper into SAMCRO than she made it seem.

* * *

><p>Juice walked into the house to find Bones still stretched out on the couch watching some tattoo competition tv show, his fingers absentminded brushing over Rigor's head. V-Lin was sitting on the ground by the couch, also petting the dog. He told V-Lin to get lost before raising an eyebrow at Bones. "You're still here?"<p>

"Angie would let me leave," Bone explained on a shrug. "Thought I might as well get another breakfast out of it. I can go if you want though. I mean…I get you need your privacy and stuff..."

He shook his head, smirking as Rigor ran over to him, his tongue lolling out of his mouth with excitement. "Nah, you're good, kid," he said, scratching his dog behind the ears. "She home?"

Bones nodded, his eyes darting to the hallway. "She fell asleep on me last episode, so I made her go to bed," he explained. At Juice's raised eyebrow, he backtracked. "She wasn't…_on_ me but we were watching it together and talking and then she was just…out. So I woke her up and told her to go to bed. I didn't touch her, I swear."

Juice chuckled as he hung up his keys and toed off his boots. "Don't worry about it. If I thought you were a threat, you wouldn't be sleepin' on my couch."

The younger man relaxed a little as he laid back down on the couch. "Right," he said on a breath. "She should be asleep, but I think I heard pages turning when I went to the bathroom so she might just be reading. I dunno. I didn't open the door to check."

"Thanks for the heads up," he replied, heading back towards his bedroom. The light was on meaning she was awake. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to think of a way to confront her about her conversation with Clay that wouldn't start a huge fight. He shook his head, there was no way. Especially since he also had to tell her that Greg and Go-Go were responsible for the break in and that they'd paid the ultimate price for them. Possibly at Clay's hand. Maybe that would redeem the ex-President for her, but he doubted it.

Juice quietly pushed open the door and was relieved to find her already asleep, her book resting open on her stomach. Slowly, he undressed, trying his best to be as quiet as possible as he went through his nightly routine. Once he was done, he carefully moved the book setting it down on the bedstand beside her and turning off the light before getting in on his side of the bed.

He scooted closer to her, putting his head on her shoulder, his hand resting on the bump of her belly. She stirred a little, a soft groan escaping her lips. "Juice?" she asked, blinking at him in the darkness.

"Go back to sleep, baby," he murmured, lifting his head and shifting to lie on his back. She rolled to her side, laying her ear over his heart as he wrapped an arm around her back, fingers still tracing over her baby bump. Turning his head, he pressed a kissed to her forehead. "Love you," he whispered because he did. He truly loved her. Whatever was going on with her and Clay, he'd choose her. He had to. She was something he couldn't lose, not without losing a piece of himself in the process.

* * *

><p><strong>Gah! This took an abnormally long time to write. Its still not my favorite chapter, but its setting things up for what's to come, I swear! :) As always, I'd love to know what you think in a review! <strong>

Disc 2: Bones mentions a plethora of superheroes and I don't own a single one of them, but I love them all. (Go see the new Thor movie. It is AWESOME!)

~**Love Ink**


	72. Breaking Down

**This chapter is probably the longest one I've posted so far since I wanted to make up for being such a terrible updater. :( Thank you so much to ****all who have stuck with me! :)**

**How crazy was Tuesday's episode?! My mind is still reeling from it! Lots of interesting material there though... ;) **

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review, follow, and favorite! I got back to most of you, but thanks to: _Guest1, Kerry, Ortiz_**_ (He lived! YES!)__, **Guest, and Eleonora! **_

**This chapter takes place during season 5, episode 8: "Ablation". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, & Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 72: Breaking Down_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice's phone went off in the middle of the night. Angela was already awake, tossing and turning this way and that as she tried to get comfortable. The baby in her belly was kicking up a storm and driving her insane. Not that it bothered Juice, though. He could sleep through anything including the loud incessant beeping sound of his burner. Angela couldn't think of a sound she hated more than that stupid tone. She thought about not waking him up since it felt like he'd only just gotten into bed, but she knew better than to let him sleep through it. They would keep calling until they reached someone. "Juice," she muttered, trying to shake him awake. "Baby, your phone."

He groaned as he opened his eyes. "Shit," he muttered, running a hand over his face as he reached out to answer it.

In almost the same instant, Angela's phone went off. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she said, grabbing it and checking the ID before answering. "Chloe? What the hell?"

"Sorry, lady," Chloe's voice was truly apologetic. "We've been trying to get a hold of someone in the Teller family for a half hour and have gotten nothing. You're second on Thomas and Abel's emergency contact lists at the day care, figured I'd give you a shot."

Angela sat up, watching Juice as he paced back and forth, his phone pressed to his ear. Tara had never told her she was on their emergency contact list, though she understood why; the doctor had told her more than once that she was one of the few friends she had left. "Shit. What happened?"

"Gemma was in an accident with the boys in the back seat of her car," she explained on a sigh. "Thomas is fine, but Abel got a pretty bad bump on the head and something funky happened with his heart. Can you get a hold of Tara?"

"Yeah, yeah, definitely. I'll figure it out," she said quickly. "Should I head over?"

"That wouldn't be a bad idea, per se. I'm sure Margret would appreciate someone looking after Thomas while she does all the paperwork," Chloe replied.

"All right. I'll be right there. Thanks Chlo." Angela hung up the phone and got out of bed with sigh, heading over to her dresser and pulling out a pair of yoga pants with one of her looser tank tops before turning to Juice. "What was yours for?" she asked, watching him get dressed.

"Jax and Chibs were run off the road," he explained, pulling up his pants. "You?"

"Gemma got into an accident with the boys in the car. I'm on their e-cards at the day care so Chloe called me to go down there to take care of 'em. Do you have a way to get ahold of Jax or Tara again?"

Juice ran a hand over the strip of hair in the middle of his head. "Shit. Those poor boys. Yeah, I'll let 'em know," he muttered, crossing the room to her. She'd put his big baggy sweatshirt on to hide her baby bump, something she was still getting used to. He zipped up the sweatshirt for her, kissing her forehead when he got to the top. "Gonna head to Clay's. Let him know what's up."

Angela's disapproval was apparent on her face. "Can't you just call him?"

"I don't got the number for his burner, and he doesn't have his house phone set up," he explained, a little irritated by her attitude. "It's club business, baby. That's how we do it."

She didn't look convinced. "Whatever, Juice," she said on a sigh. She absolutely hated how close was to Clay. "I'm gonna head to St. Thomas."

That small feeling of annoyance he'd had when he'd gotten home earlier grew stronger. There had to be a reason why she hated Clay so much other than the fact that he killed Piney. What was she hiding from him? What made her hate Clay so much? "What's your deal with Clay?"

"Nothing, Juice," she murmured, shaking her head at him and sitting on the bed with a sigh. She leaned over with a grunt, slipping on her shoes.

He caught her chin in his hand, lifting it gently so that her eyes met his. "Baby, you can't keep me outta this," he said, letting go of her chin and tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You don't keep secrets from me."

The way he said it caught her attention. He wasn't saying they didn't keep things from each other. No, his statement was one sided. _"_But you're allowed to keep them from me? Right? Is that what you're saying?" she asked, moving away from his touch.

Juice was taken aback by her questions. He'd never thought about it that way. Sure, he had secrets from her, but they were club secrets. He thought she understood that. Taking a step back, he shook his head. He saw the fight on the horizon. Lately, fighting was all they'd been doing. He couldn't catch a break. "I don't want to fight right now. I don't have time for this."

"Of course you don't," Angela said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes as she got to her feet. He rarely made time for her anymore. He was always too busy helping Clay, driving Clay around, talking to Clay. It was bullshit. "Go on back to Clay like the little minion you are."

"_Minion_," he repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion. He felt his anger growing, felt it choking him as he took a step closer to her, getting in her face as he tried to intimidate her. She didn't back down, she raised her chin defiantly, her eyes telling him she wasn't afraid. "You gotta be kidding me with this shit, Ang!" he exclaimed before sucking in a deep breath and continuing calmly. "I'm gonna pretend it's the hormones that's making you act like a total bitch and ignore what you said."

She laughed. It wasn't the hormones. The hormones made her cry at the drop of a hat, made her crave strange things, but they did not make her hate Clay and they certainly did not make her speak her mind. This fight had been coming for a long time now. "What would you know about my hormones, Juice? You've missed the last _three_ appointments!"

"One! I missed one!" he shouted back.

"Three!" she corrected, holding up three fingers to emphasize her point. "I let the other two go because you were actually busy and they were just check ups, but it's been three!"

Juice felt like she slapped him in the face. Three appointments. He'd felt bad for missing one but _three_? Where had he been? This was his child that he was skipping out on. "Jesus Christ, Angel."

Angela knew what was coming next and held up a hand. "Do _not_ say you're sorry because you're not! If you were, you'd have remembered, you'd have moved hell and earth to go to the next one!"

"What do you want me to do, Angela? Tell the club no? I can't! You know that!"

"You're telling me that Jax, father to not one, but _two_ kids wouldn't let you take one _hour_ out of your busy schedule of helping Clay to go to your own child's appointment?"

He'd never asked Jax if he could take the time to go. Not once. To be honest, he had a sick feeling that the other two appointments he missed, he'd been at Clay's house, unpacking his shit, something he easily could've gotten out of. "You don't understand!" he said as an excuse. "This is my family!"

"And we're what?" she shot back, gesturing to her stomach.

"You're…you're my family too! It's different!" he said, frustrated beyond belief. "Didn't you have to deal with this shit with Hap too?"

"No! Believe what you want, but unless they were locked up, neither Hap nor Koz missed a _moment_ that I needed them! They were there for every event, every birthday! When Kozik found out that I was pregnant, he offered to ride down here to go to the doctor's with me, and he would've done it too if I hadn't told him not to!"

Juice didn't know what to say to that. He hadn't missed a single one of her birthdays save for when he was in jail. They didn't really do anniversaries, so he hadn't missed those. It was just the appointments. That was it. He was getting reamed for missing three stupid appointments where he'd just have to sit there and watch the doctor poke and prod his Old Lady. "I haven't missed anything else, Angela! Just those appointments! Is there really a reason I need to be there anyway?"

She clenched her jaw, breathing in deeply and fighting against the urge to punch him in the face. "You know what? Go fuck yourself, Juice," she spat, her eyes black with anger as she slung her purse over her shoulder. "I need to take care of your family's kids."

With that, she quickly walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Walking into the living room, she was surprised to find Boner sitting there, his jaw slack as the game controller dangled out of his hand. "Um. Hi," he said awkwardly. "Are you…"

"I'm going to St. Thomas. You stay here with Rigs," she ordered breezing past him and toward the exit. She ignored Juice who was shouting her name, grabbing her keys pulling open the front door.

Juice caught up to her easily, grabbing her arm and hauling her away from the door. "What the hell was that? You can't talk to me like that!"

"What are you gonna do about it? Huh? You gonna hit me, Clay?" she shouted, remembering the way Clay had savagely beaten Gemma. The angry look in Juice's eyes told her he wasn't far from doing just that. "Want to smack me around a bit? Go ahead! I dare you!"

He was disgusted at the mere idea of doing what Clay did to Gemma to her especially with his child in her stomach. The fact that she was _daring_ him to do it as if she thought he was capable of it, made him feel even worse. "No! What do you want from me, Angela? I can't do everything! I can't be everywhere!"

She put her hands on his pecs and pushed him off of her making him stagger back. "I want you to care! I want you to be here!" she exclaimed, pushing him away with each exclamation. She sucked in a deep breath before sighing. "I don't want to do this alone."

Juice hated himself in that moment. She'd been there for him every moment he needed him no matter what. He'd thought he'd been doing the same for her, helping her through losing Koz and Mel, but he'd been wrong. He hadn't helped her through shit. It was Chloe who'd finally gotten her out of Charming, had given her the relaxation time she needed. And he thought he'd been good at taking care of her and the baby by getting her those baby books, downloading apps onto her phone, and making sure she had the vitamins she needed. True, he hadn't read any of the books nor had he made sure she was taking the vitamins, but he was trying! He'd planned to make her a healthy dinner, but he'd been so busy with Clay, he'd never gotten around to it. She was right to be mad at him. He stared at her with wide eyes, utterly speechless.

"You're not alone," Bones piped up from the couch, saying the words that Juice couldn't.

Angela's eyes were filled with disappointment as her gaze met Juice's. "Thanks, Boner. Good to know someone cares," she said, wiping at her eyes as she opened the front door.

Juice watched her leave, unable to do anything else. The door closed behind her and the Mazda started up and just like that, she was gone. Bones was sitting on the couch with Rigor at his feet, his dark eyes also on the door. Juice ran a hand over his head, cursing under his breath. "I gotta…I gotta go," he muttered, heading for the door.

"Please tell me you're going after her," Bones said, a pleading note to his voice.

Juice looked back at him and sighed. "I can't. I gotta…I need to tell my club."

He shook his head, a disappointed look on his face. "Yeah, I know but sometimes…sometimes you should put her first."

Juice didn't reply. What did the kid know about his life? He headed out to his bike, swinging his leg over and putting his helmet on. There were two ways to go now. If he went left, he'd be headed to St. Thomas, he could make things right with Angela. If he went right, he'd be headed to Clay's where he was supposed to go for club business. He was literally at a crossroads. He knew going after Angela meat more fighting, most likely with Happy within hearing distance. That meant another beating for him. Going to Clay would be a hell of a lot easier. With a sigh, he started up his bike and turned right.

* * *

><p>Angela stood in Margret's large office with Thomas in her arms, rocking him as she walked around the room. She spoke softly to him as she held him close, happy for the captive audience. "You're going to have a little friend to play with soon," she murmured to him, kissing his forehead. "I don't know if they'll be a boy or a girl, but I know they'll be cute. A pain in the ass if they're anything like their father, but damn cute."<p>

Thomas cooed back to her, his hand fisted in the big fabric of her sweatshirt. "You like that, Tommy?" she asked, smiling down at him. "You want a little buddy?"

"I didn't know you were pregnant," Margret's voice interrupted.

Her dark eyes found the red haired woman leaning against the office's doorjamb. An embarrassed blush colored her cheeks for a brief moment as she nodded. "Oh, yeah. About five months now."

"Congrats, Angie. I'm very…happy for you," Margret said, a worried note in her voice. She hesitated a moment before saying, "The father, he's…a club member, right?"

Angela nodded slowly, already not liking where the conversation was going. "Yeah," she answered, noticing the disappointed look the flitted over Margret's face.

"And you're staying with him?" she asked in disbelief. "After everything that's happened with Tara, you're staying…"

"I'm not Tara, Margret. You and me, we don't have this kind of relationship. You can judge me all you want, but please keep your opinions to yourself. I don't need to hear them; I can already see them on your face."

Margret ducked her head, a blush coloring her cheeks. "My apologies," she murmured before clearing her throat. "I came in to let you know Tara's here and Abel just got out of surgery. I was going to take Thomas over."

"Sure." Angela smiled, gently moving Thomas to give him to Margret, but the baby fussed, his face distorting as if he were about to cry. She pulled him back to her, and he relaxed again. "How 'bout I take him?"

"You can follow me over," Margret said, walking swiftly out of the room towards Abel's. She hesitated at the door. "You go ahead. I'm going to check on the paperwork once more, and I'll be back in to update them about Abel."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Margret," she replied on a small smile. She walked into the brightly decorated room, frowning a little at the sight of tiny Abel in the large hospital bed. She looked at Jax and Tara who both looked worried beyond belief. Tara stood when she saw her, moving to take Thomas into her arms. "He's been fed and changed," Angela reported, running a hand over Thomas' soft hair.

Jax gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Ang," he said, standing to hug her.

"No problem at all," she said on a shrug as she hugged him back. "How's Abel doing?"

Tara sighed, holding Thomas closer to her chest. "He's stable. Needed a procedure to fix his heartbeat, but he'll be good as new when he wakes up. Heard you were the one they called. Thanks for being there. I'm sorry if it woke you."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I wasn't sleeping anyway," she said, setting a hand on her belly. "Hard to get comfortable with this little monster moving around."

"Not to mention the one sleepin' next to ya," Jax teased, giving her a smirk.

She laughed lightly. "Him too," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I'll give you two some space. Margret said she'll be in with some info about Abel in a sec."

Tara nodded in response, giving her friend a half hug. "Thanks again, Angie."

"Don't even worry about it. I love these boys," she replied, looking at Abel once more and heading out the door. She greeted Margret softly as she went into the Teller's room before turning to find Bobby heading her way. "Hey Bobby."

"Just the girl I wanted to see," he said, digging into his cut and pulling something out of the inner pocket.

Angela raised an eyebrow at the envelop Bobby was extending to her. Slowly, she took it from him, peeking inside to see a pretty thick stack of bills. "What's this?" she asked, flipping through it. It was mostly fifties and twenties.

"Ash cash," Bobby stated simply.

Her eyebrows rose at the words. "_Ash cash_?" she repeated as if the concept was foreign to her. She hadn't burned anyone for them in days besides Carla, and she was pretty sure the club didn't know about that. She'd adamantly refused payment for Piney and Koz's cremation. Where the hell was this coming from? "For _who_?"

"Greg and GoGo," he said simply. Her face fell briefly, her breath catching in her throat. His brows furrowed in concern. "You didn't know, did you?"

"No. Juice didn't…he didn't say anything," she breathed, her heart felt like it was beating too fast in her chest. Pressing her hand to it, she inhaled deeply trying to calm herself as her head swam dizzily. Another brother she'd been close to was gone.

Bobby set a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. "Ya all right? Why don't we find you a place to sit?"

Angela shook her head, giving him a shaky smile. "Nah, I'm good," she lied, leaning against the wall behind her. "What…Can I ask what happened to them?"

"Ain't my place to tell ya, darlin'. 'specially if Juice didn't tell you beforehand. 'm sorry," he said, an apologetic look on his face. He didn't know how much Angela knew about the club or if there was a reason Juice hadn't told her. Either way, he'd leave the explaining up to her Old Man.

"Right," she said on a nod. She handed the envelope back to him. "We don't need this."

Bobby held up his hand. "I insist. You do a lot for us. Keep doin' it for free and you'll be outta business," he said giving her a smile. He didn't tell her that Skeeter had asked for the money over the phone to cover the costs of the break-in. If he did, he'd have to tell her that the two men she was about to burn were responsible for beating the shit out of her apprentice. She didn't say anything more, just tucked the envelope into her purse. He set a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lovingly. "Thanks for your help, Angie. Know we don't say that enough."

Angela gave him a small smile. Bobby's thanks felt different than Clay's had. It was more genuine, made her feel good for helping them. "Anytime, Bobby. Really."

"Stay safe, sweetheart. Wouldn't want anythin' to happen to you or the little Rican inside ya, all right?" he said, giving her a warm smile.

She smiled back at him or tried to. She was teetering on the edge of a breakdown and doing her best to remain strong. It was easy to do when she was fueled by anger, but in the face of Bobby's kindness, she felt herself cracking. "I'll do my best."

Bobby's brow furrowed as he looked her over again. Her eyes had that glassy sheen to them that precluded crying, tears were gathering along her lashes. "You all right, darlin'?" he asked again.

Angela nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, fine. Thanks," she replied wiping at her eyes. "Just baby hormones. I'm gonna go grab a coffee or something."

"All right," he said on a nod. "Gonna go talk to Jax. You let me know if you need anythin', darlin'."

"I will, thanks," she said, trying for a smile again. She waited for him to leave before heading down the hallway and through the closest set of double doors looking for a relatively empty place to gather her thoughts.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a familiar voice. "You seem a little nervous. I bet Clay's real curious about our private little conversation right here. Our blood bond we share," Roosevelt's voice was deep, smooth and not at all trying to hide what he was saying.

The responding voice made ice run through her veins. "You're gonna get me killed," Juice was whispering, clearly worried about being overheard.

"That concern left me when I watched my wife die," was Roosevelt's reply.

Angela's breath caught in her throat, her heart sinking to the very bottom of her chest. Roosevelt was going to expose Juice. He was going to send him to his death all to seek revenge for his murdered wife. It wasn't fair. When was this man going to stop playing with their lives like this? Giving Juice freedom and then binding him again all because of some sick need to kill a man who had wronged him. Tears clouded her vision as the very real scenario played through her head. Roosevelt would tell Jax, Jax would take it to the table, they'd vote, and Hap or Tig would kill Juice for being a rat. Just like that the club that was constantly taking him away from her would take him away for good. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Quickly, she walked away, finding another quiet corner and sitting down heavily in one of the chairs. She dug in her purse, sighing when her fingers found the cold metal ball chain and the tags attached to them. Pulling them out, she ran her thumbs over Kozik's name, tears falling steadily down her face. God, she needed him. Needed someone to lean on. Someone that would understand or at least, help her understand.

"What happened?" a rough voice asked from her side. She felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder.

Leaning back in her chair, she wasn't surprised to see her cousin sitting there. "Nothing. What happened to Greg?" she asked. She didn't give two shits about Go-go; that guy had always creeped her out, but Greg had been kind, a truly nice guy.

"Nomads were behind the break ins. The tried to break into Unser's, and he defended himself," Happy explained easily.

Angela let out a light laugh, she couldn't help it. She was starting to feel like her life was slowly but surely falling apart. Greg, the man she'd mourned for the last ten minutes, had broken into her funeral home and beaten up the kid she considered her little brother. Meanwhile, she couldn't manage to be nice to Juice for more than an hour without wanting to rip his head off. She should've gone to him after she'd heard Roosevelt threaten him, should've tried to console him in someway, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was still so angry with him for what he'd said that morning, for the mere fact that he'd once again chosen to go to Clay's rather than chase after her. The club was screwing up her life left and right, and it was driving her insane. If she didn't laugh, she'd be headed head first into a breakdown. "I'm so done, Hap," she said brokenly. "I'm so done with everything."

"That include the idiot?"

Angela laughed again, she couldn't help it. Was she done with him? Sometimes it sure felt like it. "No. I'm…frustrated with him, but we're not…done. I love him. He's the future father of my kid, Hap. He's not going anywhere," she said unconvincingly. She looked down at the dog tags in her hands, curling her fingers around them as her vision blurred. "I just…I miss Koz."

Happy sighed, running a hand over his head. "I ain't him, kid. I don't know what to say to make ya feel better," he said, that familiar pain twisting at his heart as he watched a tear slide down her cheek. "But I love ya. That ain't ever gonna change. You wanna talk, talk. You don't, don't. But I'm here."

Angela nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. Silent tears slid down her face as his arm slid around her shoulders. Despite his words, she still felt alone, burdened by a club she didn't have a choice in being a part of. "I should have listened to you, Hap," she stated softly. "I should've stayed away from the club."

"That's on me," he admitted after a moment. "Shouldn't have brought ya to Charming. I knew you had other job offers in other states, but I wanted ya close. Knew the club would reach out to ya in Charming. Knew Gemma'd take ya in soon as she found out who you were. Didn't think it'd happen so fast though."

"You wanted me to be a part of the club?" she asked, shocked by the revelation. "But you kept me away. Shit, Hap, I didn't even realize Cheeks was a Son until yesterday."

He nodded slowly, taking his arm from her shoulders and playing with his rings as he thought of how to explain it. "He didn't want you to be a part of it because your dad didn't want it. I respected that. But you went ahead and fell in with the Mayans, and I didn't have a choice, I had to get you out. Had to bring in Koz to help me. Back in Tacoma, you were goin' to school, doin' well. Didn't want you to get your head all wrapped up in club shit, so I kept you away as much as I could. You finished it, wanted to get outta the rain and Charming had a spot open. Figured it was as good of time as any to let you in."

Angela looked at Happy as if she was seeing a new man. He had orchestrated everything. From the very first moment to the very last. The one thing that he hadn't planned out was Juice. "Jesus, Hap. Why didn't you just take me to the clubhouse? Introduce me to everyone?"

"Didn't want to force it," he said on a shrug. "Wanted you to make your own tie with the club on your own terms. Didn't think it'd be by gettin' an Old Man though."

"Are you disappointed?"

The ghost of a smile turned up the corner of his mouth. He wasn't disappointed all. Everything she had done had made him proud as hell. "Nah," he answered, looking up to see Chibs gesturing for him down the hallway. He leaned over and kissed her temple, ruffling her hair as he stood. "Gotta go."

She nodded, slowly pushing herself out of the chair and giving Hap a quick kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Happy."

"You too," he said, pushing her away. "Be strong, kid. Keep it together for the brat."

* * *

><p>Chloe looked over at Angela from her spot on her friend's couch. She was off of rotation for the night and had come over to give her pregnant friend some company and unwind. She had a glass of wine in front of her, Boner sitting on the floor at their feet coaching her through Mario Kart while Angela waited patiently for her to get it. But it was clear Angela had stopped listening awhile into it. Her dark eyes were focused on the wall across from them, finger slowly dragging around the rim of her wine glass filled with the grape juice Bones had bought for her when he heard they were going to have a "wine girl's night".<p>

"Hey Boner, why don't you take Rigs outside for a sec?" Chloe suggested, nudging the younger guy's head with her socked foot.

Bones raised an eyebrow, his eyes looking to Rigor who was dozing contently in his little bed. "But…"

Chloe nodded over to Angela who was still staring at the wall, oblivious to the whole exchange. He sighed and stood up, heading to the back door. As soon as it was open, Rigor got to his feet and ran out of it. The sound of the door sliding closed again snapped Angela out of her trance. "Talk to me, Ang," Chloe encouraged softly. "What's going on with you, lady?"

Angela sighed, rubbing at her tired eyes. It felt like she hadn't slept well in days. "Nothing," she answered automatically. She moved a hand to her belly as the baby stirred a bit inside of her. "Monk's been kicking up a storm."

Chloe frowned at her attempt to change the subject. "What're you, eighteen weeks now? Almost halfway. We can get a definite sex next appointment. I've got a great guess, but if you want to know for sure…"

"I need to talk to Juice about it first," she replied, going to mess with her ring only to find that she wasn't wearing it. She'd taken it off to shower and hadn't put it back on. That was weird. She always put it back on.

"What the hell is going on with you two? Boner told me you fought again this morning. Said you told him to go fuck himself? That's not right. Let me in, Ang. You're supposed to tell me this shit so I can either help you through it or help you dig a hole for the body. Now, do I need my shovel or not?"

Angela smiled at Chloe's speech, rolling her eyes. "No shovel needed. We're just hitting a rough patch right now."

"Because he cheated?"

She frowned, staring into her glass. "I don't trust him anymore, Chloe. I want to. I want to start over. I _told _him we were starting over with a clean slate, but every day is something new. We fight constantly and if we're not fighting we're…"

"Fucking," Chloe finished with a laugh. "Baby hormones."

Angela wrinkled her nose at that. "Fuck that. That isn't an excuse. He tried to say the same thing. I'm not angry because of my hormones, I'm angry because I'm…frustrated with this whole relationship. Its starting to feel one sided. I give and I give and I help his club, and I comfort him and clean him up and make sure _he's_ okay, but he can't even make it to one appointment for me? He can't stay to have dinner with me for one night?"

She nodded in understanding, taking a long sip of her wine while she thought. "You've been together for how many years now?" she asked. Angela held up three fingers in response. Chloe raised her eyebrows in surprise; she thought they'd been together longer. "Maybe you guys just need some space."

Angela almost choked on her grape juice. "What?"

"You've been together for three years and have gone through more than most couples do in _ten_. Maybe you just need a breather. A break from each other."

"Are you crazy? If I let him go now, I'm never going to get him back. He is going to start screwing all those dumb Croweaters and realizing how much he likes that freedom and then I'm going to be stuck raising this kid on my own."

Chloe shook her head. She couldn't see Juice doing that in a million years. "Or he spends that time trying to make it up to you. Proving to you that it's you he wants. _You_ that he'll do anything for. He wants a family…make him prove it."

"And if he figures out he doesn't want me?"

"Then that's not the kind of man you want raising your child," she replied as if it was the easiest thing in the world. At the unsatisfied look on Angela's face, Chloe sighed, "Look, you are clearly unhappy with the way things are right now. You can't just suffer through it, Ang. Its only going to get worse."

"I'm not unhappy or suffering, drama queen," Angela lied in response.

Chloe rolled her eyes, ignoring her friend's answer and continuing. "You are. I can see it, Boner sees it, Hap sees it. Hell, I bet Juice sees it too. You two keep going at each other like you are and that baby is going to be born into complete in utter chaos. Take a break. Be friends while on that break. Make sure you still include him in all the baby stuff but just keep the…intimate stuff out of it. Come stay with me or something. If he's the guy that I think he is, he will make you fall in love with him all over again."

Angela looked as if they idea of it physically pained her. "Chloe, I can't…"

The front door opened at the same time the backdoor did, cutting off her sentence as Juice walked in and Rigor sprinted for the door. Angela could see the weight in Juice's shoulders as he crouched down to his knees to greet his dog. "Hey Rigs," he murmured, scratching it behind the ears. He looked up to where both women were watching him, then to Bones who was standing in the open back door, and then back to Angela. She wouldn't look at him. "Hey Chloe, Bones. How's the head?"

"Still on my shoulders," Bones answered on a shrug. "I was gonna head back to my place actually."

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "No rush," he said, looking at Angela for reaction. He thought she'd be happy as she usually was when he was nice to her apprentice, but she wasn't. She was staring at the wall, running her finger over the rim of her glass. He noticed she wasn't wearing his ring. "Wine?"

"Juice," she replied flatly, finally meeting his gaze.

"What? Are you drinking wine? Angel, you can't…"

"It's _juice_," she interjected, an annoyed look on her face. "I'm not an idiot."

Juice shook his head; clearly she was still upset from earlier. By the way Chloe was looking at him, he guessed she'd told her best friend all about it. "Didn't say you were," he said under his breath as he headed to the kitchen in desperate need of a beer.

Chloe could feel the tension in the room. Draining the last of her wine, she stood. "I'm going home," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "_You_ should really think about what I said."

Angela stood, hugging her friend tightly. "Drive safe. Tell Hap I said hi."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chloe said looking guilty as sin. She turned to Bones and tossed him her keys. "C'mon, nerd. I'm buzzed, you're driving."

Bones didn't catch them. The clumsily fell out of his hands and hit the floor. A blush rose to his cheeks as he stooped to pick them up. "Got it!" he said holding them up in triumph. "Bye Ang!"

"Bye Boner," Angela replied on a light laugh as he awkwardly hugged her. "See you at work tomorrow."

"Yes! Definitely! I will be there because I live there," Bones said with a wide smile. "Bye Juice!"

"See ya," Juice called back, nodding to him from the kitchen. He watched as Angela stood at the front door, waving to her friends. She closed the door with a sigh, moving to grab the empty wine glasses off of the table and take them to the kitchen. She walked right by him and put them in the sink. "You're not talking to me? Thought we were starting new? Clean slate and all that," he said, reaching out a hand to brush a stray hair from her cheek.

She moved away from his caress, her dark eyes flat when they finally met his. "I'm tired, Juice," she stated. "The baby's been kicking me all day and I didn't sleep at all last night and I have to burn Greg and Go-go in the morning and I just…I don't have time for this. I just want to go to bed."

He hadn't realized just how much those words could sting until they were thrown right back at him. She didn't have time for him. It was still early, though which meant she had time, she just didn't want to waste it on him like he hadn't wanted to earlier that morning. "Okay," he replied softly. "I'm sorry, Angel."

"Yeah," she said on a light laugh that was anything but humorous. "Night."

Juice smiled sadly at her. He could feel something shift in their relationship, and it worried him. "Night, baby."

He watched her walk away as he sipped on his beer. Finishing it off, her put the empty bottle in the recycling bin and headed back to their bedroom. The light was already off; she was already in bed, lying curled on her side, her back to him. He got ready for bed and slid in next to her, turning his head to study her back left mostly bare by her tank top. Her smooth caramel skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. He stared at the space between her shoulder blades, the spot where he'd wanted to put his mark on her but never had. He brushed his fingers across the empty space now, watching as her shoulders tensed at his touch. What had he done to her? She'd given him everything, and he'd given her nothing in return. No crow, no ring, just a baby that he wasn't even taking care of. He didn't deserve her. Every day they stayed together, that became more apparent. He was going to lose her soon if he didn't change, he could feel it. "'m sorry," he repeated, his words barely above a whisper as he ran his knuckled over her smooth skin. She was awake, he knew she was, but she didn't say anything. "Don't give up on me, Angel. Please."

* * *

><p><strong>Not the happiest chapter in the world but considering the way Juice has been during Season 6, there's going to be a lot more turmoil to come. :( <strong>

**Let me know what you think! I love hearing from y'all! :D**

**~Love Ink**


	73. Screwed

**Sorry about the late update (again)! These chapters are getting harder and harder to write! Also, I was away from my computer for the holidays so there was that delay too! Sorry, sorry!**

**I hope you all had the most wonderful holidays! And HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! I hope 2014 brings you good fortune! :D **

**Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with me and read/reviewed/followed/favorited. I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Kerry_**_ (__I know, sorry about the sad chapter. This one is a little better...and I know exactly what you mean with those naked Juice gifs! ;)), **DarkChild19** (__I can assure you that whatever happens, Angela would never pull a Tara and try to keep Juice out of their child's life. ;) And thank you for your kind words regarding my turtle-status updates! You are totally right, Christmas and the holidays were crazy busy for me! Thank you, thank you for understanding! :D Your review made my day!), __**Love for Kozik (**Ah yes! A bit of a mistake. To clear things up, Chloe has a very well educated guess on the sex of the baby, but its not a hundred percent...the next appointment (whenever that is...) she can tell for sure. I've never been pregnant, so I'm new to the whole process. I've been using a few pregnancy sites to guide me through it, so bear with me. ;)), **Lilmissdeadgirl (**They're trying to work it out, I promise!), **monica**_** (**_With all the heavy content going on in both seasons, its hard to write much faster, but I'm doing my best, I swear!), **Guest **(The only reason why my updates are slow is because I take great pains to make sure everything reads well and is believable. I seriously edit each chapter over and over again trying to make it fit in with the storyline. Its harder than it looks, I swear! I'm sorry if I don't update fast enough!), **Max **(So glad you're liking it! :D Don't fall off your seat!), and **Guest 2!**_

**This chapter takes place during season 5, episodes: 9, "Andare Pescare" and 10 "Crucifixed." **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 73: Screwed_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice woke up to find Angela's side of the bed empty. He sighed heavily, running a hand over his face. Usually, she woke him up after she did so that they could spend some time together; no matter how brief it was. If she hadn't bothered, she was either still angry at him or preoccupied with something else. He got out of bed with a grunt, rubbing at his stomach as the smell of coffee and freshly baked cookies hit him. He loved that smell; it meant she was home and would be for awhile...at least until whatever she was baking was out of the oven. Walking into the living room, he saw her sitting curled up on couch, a book in her lap. She was wearing Kozik's SAMTAC sweatshirt, something she did when she missed him. He wouldn't be surprised if she had his dog tags around her neck too. It didn't bother him. Her relationship with Kozik never had. In fact, he wished Koz was still alive to help him fix things. The blonde SAA always seemed to understand her better than anyone and had helped him with Angela more than once. "Mornin'," he said, catching her attention.

Angela looked up from her book and nodded. "Hi," she greeted softly, her eyes flitting back to the book.

"You're up early," he commented, grabbing a protein bar and what was left of his shake from the day before.

"Couldn't sleep," she replied simply. Her voice was rough as if she'd been crying. "It's...it's Koz's birthday and I...I woke up early to call him and the line wasn't connected and I..."

Juice felt his heart break a little as her eyes grew glassy with tears. She shook her head slowly and sucked in a deep breath, trying to regain her strength, but he could see she was struggling with it. He sat down next to her, reaching a hand out to brush away her tears. " 'm sorry, baby," he murmured, unsure of how much she was willing to let him touch her after their argument the previous day.

"I miss him," she whispered, leaning into his caress. His warm touch had made butterflies flutter in her stomach as the feeling of his fingers on her skin usually did. She shifted slowly, moving so that her head was against his shoulder. Her heart felt heavy with grief. She'd woken up before dawn to call Kozik in the hopes of waking _him_ up for once as she did every year. Usually, it worked and his response was a grumbled 'eff off' before he hung up on her. This year, all she got in reply was an automated message saying the line was no longer in use. In the early hours of the morning she'd forgotten that he was gone. That he'd never pick up again. She'd sat there in the living room watching his goodbye video just to hear his voice as the sun slowly started to rise.

"Tell me what I can do to help," Juice said, his hands brushing over the skin of her arm.

Angela sighed, other than bringing Koz back, there wasn't much he could do. The pain of losing him was still fresh even after all this time, but as soon as Juice touched her, that pain subsided just a little. Despite how angry she'd been with him before, she drew strength from his presence, as she always did. He made the load easier to bear. She snuggled in closer to him, taking a deep breath, comforted by the smell of his skin. "Just...stay."

"Okay, baby." He slid his arm around her back, his hand coming to rest on the bump of her stomach. Turning his head, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, happy just to hold her, to not be fighting for a moment. "Are we okay, Angel?"

When she didn't answer, he looked down to find her sound asleep. He held her closer, playing with her hair as he relaxed. It felt good to have her close; she'd been so distant lately. Her hate for Clay had somehow changed into anger at him. Anger he couldn't do away with without cutting off his relationship with Clay. In theory, he could do it. His mandated duties to the ex-president had long been over. Jax didn't give a shit whether he helped him or not anymore. In actuality, he liked spending time with Clay. He was like the father he never had, something he didn't want to give up. It bothered him that she wanted him to stop especially since he didn't quite understand why. He kept circling around to the conversation he'd overheard between her and Clay just a few days before. She'd mentioned something about Clay threatening her, but Juice couldn't understand why the old man would ever do that. What connection did Angela have to Clay that he was using against her?

The oven dinged loudly, jolting Angela awake. She sat up quickly, rubbing at her eyes. "Shit," she murmured, looking up at Juice. "Sorry. You're warm and I'm so…tired."

Juice gave her a small smile, putting his lips to hers in a quick kiss. "S'okay. Happy to be your teddy bear," he said before moving his arm from around her. "Whatcha cookin', Ang?"

"Cookies for Abel," she replied, standing up with a grunt. She headed to the kitchen, not surprised when Juice followed her. "Thought it might cheer him up a bit."

His smile widened as he watched her pull out the baking sheet and set it on the oven. He loved how much she cared about both the Teller and Winston kids. Ellie was constantly calling her for boy advice and Kenny was always hanging around somewhere. She wasn't as close to the Teller boys, but they were young still. He could only imagine how they'd be when they were older. When his own child was thrown into the mix of club kids. He was willing to be they'd all be over at his house at a daily basis especially when the Winstons learned how to drive. "You headin' over to the hospital soon?"

"Was gonna stop by on my way to work," she replied on a nod. "What are you up to today?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder, leaning against the counter and watching as she started to clean. He stepped in, waving her away. "I got this," he said, taking the sponge and bowl from her. "Got club stuff to do in a bit. Thought I'd get some Angie time 'fore I left. Feels like we haven't hung out together in a long time."

Angela raised her eyebrows in surprise. '_Angie time_' was something he'd joked about a few times when they were first starting out. There'd been times when his phone would interrupt and he'd say, 'Angie time's over' and bounce. She hadn't heard him say that in a long time. "Yeah…yeah, it's been awhile," she replied on a shy smile. She took the bowl from his hands and set it aside, a mischievous look in her eyes. "How 'bout I kick your ass at Mario Kart?"

He grinned at her, remembering all the times they'd raced before. It always led to something good. From the first kiss on the cheek she'd given him the first time they'd ever played, to the last time they played both completely naked. It hadn't taken them long for the controllers to be forgotten. "You can try," he said, following her to the living room. She tossed him his controller before settling down on the couch next to him. "Rainbow road?" he asked.

She smiled at him, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "Still tryin' to beat me, goofy?"

"It'll happen," he assured her, gazing intently at the screen. "Let's go."

They played a few games, tied for the most part until Angela decided she was bored with it. She turned to look at him, not really paying attention to the race at hand. "Juice?" He was into it though, his focus totally on the screen. She put her lips to his ear. "Juan Carlos," she murmured, kissing the spot just underneath his earlobe. "_Besame_." (_Kiss me.)_

Juice paused the game. He didn't know much Spanish, but Angela was slowly teaching him different words. This one he knew and knew well. He turned his head and slanted his lips across hers in a hot kiss. "_Te amo_," he whispered, trailing kisses down her neck, hovering over her as she lay back on the couch. (_I love you.)_

The game sat forgotten in front of them, their characters whining as they lost the race. Angela hooked her fingers around the elastic of his boxers, starting to tug at them when his phone went off. He reached out an arm to grab it from the table, not moving from where he was. His calls were usually quick. Two seconds to confirm something and then he could get back to his Old Lady. Angela knew the drill and usually waited patiently while he talked.

"Hello?...What's up, Clay?" Juice asked, knowing he'd made a mistake in saying his name when Angela's eyes darkened angrily. To his surprise though, she didn't push him off. Instead, she started trailing kisses down his throat, her hand sliding under the waistband of his boxers. "Jesus Christ," he breathed into the phone at the feel of her hand around him. "I gotta…gotta call you back," he said hanging up the phone with a snap. "Baby, what…"

"Clay sees you all the time. It is _my_ turn," she murmured possessively, her teeth scraping against the skin of his neck. "It's _Angie _time now_."_

Juice swallowed hard, tugging on her hair to gain access to her lips. " 'm all yours, baby."

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><p>After dropping off the cookies with Tara at the hospital, Angela picked up some flowers and drove to the funeral home. Rigor waited patiently in her back seat as she did her errands. As soon as she opened the hatchback door, he bounded out, headed straight for the tree in back; one of the few places she didn't mind him using as a bathroom. "Good boy, Rigs," she exclaimed when he returned. "Go ahead. Explore the lot, you know the drill."<p>

Rigor raced ahead of her, running around like a crazy dog for a moment before stopping a few feet in front of her and barking at a mausoleum. She raised an eyebrow; he'd never done that before. When she got closer, she was surprised to find Gemma and Nero exiting the small stone building. "It's okay, Rigs," she assured him petting his head lovingly. She looked up at Gemma and then to the broken glass. "Did you really have to break the glass? I mean, those locks aren't that hard to pick."

Gemma looked over at the man standing beside her and smirked. "Wasn't us, sweetheart. Grave robbers."

She rolled her eyes, noting the name on the top of the mausoleum so she could tell Skeeter the glass had to be replaced. "Uh-huh," she replied, not at all convinced. "What were you guys doing in there anyway?"

"Don't worry about it," Gemma said on a smirk. She turned to the man at her side. "Nero, have you officially met Angie? She's our resident Latina and undertaker."

"_Mucho gusto_, Angie," Nero said extending his hand for her to shake. "Thank you for all this," he said gesturing to the black plastic box in his hand. (_Pleased to meet you.)_

"_Encantada_," Angela replied on a polite smile. "Sorry for your loss." (_Kind of like saying 'pleased to meet you'...)_

Nero shrugged a shoulder. "Everyone's gotta go sometime."

"Ain't that the truth," Gemma muttered, her eyes drifting off towards where two younger men were around a grave site. One digging, the other watching nearby. "That Kenny Winston you got diggin' graves over there?"

Angela looked over her shoulder and smiled. After Opie's funeral, Kenny had started showing some interest in the funeral home and what they did there. With Skeeter's permission, Angela said he could help out around the place as long as Bones didn't mind. "He asked to help. Likes spending time with my apprentice. They nerd out together."

Gemma smiled, a genuine smile. She was glad someone was taking care of the Winston kids. "Good to see him out and about. Glad someone's watching over him. Know its gotta be hard for Lyla with her bum leg and all."

"Bum leg…" she drawled out, a confused look on her face.

"You didn't hear? Frankie shot her in the thigh last night 'fore he made his big getaway."

Angela raked a hand through her hair. "Shit. Is there anyone in the club who hasn't caught a bullet?" she asked looking between Nero who was chuckling and Gemma.

Gemma shook her head. "Just me, I guess," she said, her tone making it clear that she knew all about the bullet Angela had caught earlier that year. She looked the undertaker over appraisingly, her eyes lingering on her stomach. "How you doin', preggo?"

She set a hand on her bump and shrugged. "Just fine, thanks."

"Ah, congratulations, Mama," Nero said, a wide smile on his face. "This your first?"

Angela nodded, smiling back at him. She liked Nero, he reminded her of a mix between her Uncle Chico and Marcus Alvarez. "Yep."

"She's Juice's Old Lady," Gemma explained. At Nero's blank look, she elaborated, "Guy with the mohawk and tattoos on his head."

"Right, right. Keepin' it brown, huh?" he teased, winking at her.

"Guess so," she said on a laugh.

Gemma chuckled herself before pulling Angela into a hug. "We're gonna head out. Good to see you, baby," she said, giving her a quick squeeze. "Don't be a stranger just 'cause you're preggo. Gotta keep that man of yours in line."

"Right," Angela replied awkwardly. She wasn't used to talking to or hugging Gemma. It seemed lately they'd been living in different worlds. It'd been weeks since she'd last seen the older woman, though she heard plenty of stories from Juice. "Good to meet you, Nero."

" 'ey, likewise, Angie. _Cuidate_," he said, with a nod of his head. (_Take care.)_

She nodded, watching them walk away hand in hand. She was happy for Gemma, proud of her for getting away from Clay and finding someone who wouldn't beat the shit out of her. Sighing, she started walking again, heading for the white stones in the distance.

The way to Kozik's stone was one she knew by heart. With a sigh, she lowered herself onto the soft grass, leaning her back against the white stone. Tilting her head back, she smiled as the sun warmed her face. "Hey Kozi," she greeted on a small smile. It seemed the sun was always beating perfectly down on the gravestone. "Happy Birthday, you old fart. Hope you're doing it big up there."

She frowned, pulling out his dog tags from inside her shirt and holding them tightly. "I'm trying to work through these problems with Juice. I was so mad at him yesterday but today…today I needed him and for once, he was there and moments like that tell me that I'm not crazy for stickin' with it. Chlo thinks we should take a break and maybe we _do_ need it but...I don't want one. I want...I just want him to be here for me...for us. I mean, I get that he has club duties. That he needs to be there for that family but...he's been leaving me just for _Clay_ and that...that's what I don't like. Clay...threatened me. He threatened to send Hap and Juice back to prison and I can't ever be okay with that. And I know Juice doesn't know that, and I'm sure you want me to tell him, but I can't do that either. What if he goes to Clay and Clay makes good on his threat? I can't deal with losing both fo them, Koz. Not now."

Angela sighed heavily, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She knew he wouldn't answer her, but it still felt good to talk to him. "I just wish you were here to tell me I'm crazy and then explain how I can fix all this shit," she said on another sigh. She stood with a grunt before kissing her fingers and pressing them to the clean stone. "Well, thanks for listening. Love you, Kozi."

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><p>Juice opened the back door of the cabin, gun pointed at Frankie's chest. "It's over, Frankie," he stated, hate surging through him. This was the man that had broken into Angela's work. That had asked for her by name. Frankie had put his pregnant Old Lady in danger and there was no way he was getting out of it alive. "Breakin' into Angela's place...she's fucking pregnant! You coulda hurt her!"<p>

"I didn't know! It wasn't me, Juicy, I swear," he pleaded, his hands raised high. "Clay put this whole Nomad shit storm in motion."

He hesitated, almost lowering his weapon. It was all Clay? Had Clay sent the Nomads to Angela's place knowing she'd be there...knowing she was pregnant? He shook his head, no. Clay wouldn't do that to him. "You're a liar," he growled, shoving the gun into the man's chest.

"No, I ain't! I'da never broken in to Ang's place if I knew! Clay wanted us to. Told us we could do whatever we wanted so long as we stayed away from her stomach. I swear!" he babbled on, begging for his life in anyway possible. "All the break-ins were on him! We stole his safe, gave him back all his legal shit! He has it!"

Juice didn't flinch as Clay kicked in the door, pointing his own gun at Frankie and practically knocking him out of the way. He lowered his gun, leaning against the cabin wall as he tried to soak in all the information Frankie had just given him. If what Frankie was saying was true, then Clay had knowingly put his family in danger. Had given three men with terrible reputations free reign to hurt his girl. Why though? Why would he do that to Angela? What did she know that made her such a threat? Juice didn't get it. But what if it was all a lie. What if Frankie was spewing out exactly what Jax wanted to hear just to save his own skin? That made sense. Still...

The loud gunshots that signified Frankie's end cut off his thoughts. He looked up to see Jax looking incredibly frustrated with the whole situation. Juice wondered if he'd been expecting to hear Frankie's confession. If the information he currently had could somehow be useful to the club president. There was no way to tell, though. No way he'd say anything unless he knew for sure it was right. Clay was as close to a father figure as he'd ever had, and he wasn't about to turn him in without knowing for sure.

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><p>After a long day at work, it felt good to finally be home. Even Rigor seemed to feel that way as he trudged tiredly to his little bed in the corner of the room. Angela smiled at the pup who was growing bigger every day. She took him everywhere with her since neither she nor Juice were ever at home for too long. She sat down on the couch heavily, kicking up her aching feet as she yawned and grabbed the TV remote. She was about halfway through a mind numbing episode of some reality TV show when her phone rang. Digging through her pockets, she glanced at the screen, not at all surprised to see an unknown number calling. "Angela Ruiz," she answered around a yawn.<p>

"Hey Ang, it's Jax," came the response.

That got her attention. She sat up straight, her heartbeat kicking up a notch. Jax rarely called her. If he did it was because a club member died. One day it would be the club president telling her something had happened to Juice or Happy. She prayed today wasn't it. "Hey. Everything okay?" she asked, trying hard to control her breathing as she looked out the front window. She raised an eyebrow as she saw two cops stop in front of her house. What the hell was going on?

"Got another body for you to burn," he answered on a heavy sigh. "You at work?"

"No, but Boner's at the funeral home. I'll let him know you're droppin' someone off. We'll burn him tomorrow night after hours. Oven's out of gas after the last drop off you guys had," she answered, raking her hand through her hair. Body number five to be cremated. She'd never had so many from the club in such a short span of time. Ope, Carla, Greg, Gogo, and now…she could only guess who was going to be lying on her table when she got to work the next morning.

"Aight, thanks, darlin'," he replied. "Juice home?"

Angela kept staring at the two cops parked in front of her house, her hand rubbing protectively over her belly. She thought about mentioning them to Jax but remembered just in time the little thing Roosevelt and Juice had going on between them. If this was more of that crap, she thought it was best the President didn't know. "Not yet," she answered on a tired sigh. "I think he's at Clay's place. Helpin' him with some motor or somethin'."

"Spends a lot of time there, don't he?"

"I don't know what he does most days, Jax," she answered honestly. "Did you need him for something?"

"Nah. I'm good," he said, sounding more tired than he ever had. "Baby doin' all right?"

"Yeah. Baby's fine, thanks," she said, a curious note in her voice. She and Jax didn't talk like this. With him it was always business. "How's Abel doing?"

"Good, better. Loved the cookies you brought. Kid ate 'em all."

Angela smiled at that. "Good," she said on a sigh. "And you're sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah. Just checkin' up on you, makin' sure you're all right. You mean a lot to us, Ang. The stuff you do for us…we'd be in some deep shit if it weren't for your…services. Not to mention my kids 'n' Old Lady love ya. Wouldn't want anythin' to happen to you."

For some reason, his answer made her uneasy. Why would _he_ check up on her? That's what Juice was for. If he had questions about her well being, shouldn't he be asking her Old Man? Shouldn't they be together? Unless…unless he didn't want Juice to know he was looking for him. "That's really...nice of you to say. Um...thanks, I guess. Listen, I hear Juice's bike, so I'm gonna go. I'll let you know when to pick up the ashes."

"Thanks, Ang. Have a good night."

"Yeah, you too, Jax."

Angela hung up the phone and opened her front door. She headed down to the police officers at the end of the walk, leaning into the side window of the police car. "Good evening officers," she greeted, giving each a polite smile. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We're just waiting on Ortiz. Need to bring him in for questioning," Cane explained with a small smile.

"Why?"

"Not at liberty to discuss that with you, Miss," he replied as the sound of a Harley was heard in the distance. "I think you should go inside."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Y'know, I think I'll wait right here. My property and all. I like to greet my old man when he pulls in. Make him feel special," she lied with a wink.

She watched as Juice pulled in, aware of the black truck that parked across the street. Someone had been following him, she realized as her stomach twisted into knots. Juice glanced at Angela quickly as if seeking some sort of explanation before he turned to Cane. She tuned out their conversation, her eyes zeroed in on the black truck across the way. It was one she didn't recognize but anyone following Juice wasn't a good sign.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Juice said her name. Glancing at him, she raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"Someone asks, tell them they're taking me in to ask about the attack on Unser," he said, taking her face in his hands. "I'll be back soon, all right?"

Angela took her eyes off the truck to look at him. She nodded quickly. "Okay."

He pressed a long kiss to her lips, his thumb stroking over her cheek as he pulled away. "Love you."

She repeated the words back to him, her heart feeling heavy as she watched him get into the cop car. The sight was becoming too familiar to her. He waved to her from the back window, and she blew him a kiss, hoping whatever he was being taken in for wasn't serious, and that he'd come home to her in one piece.

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><p>Juice's mind was racing. Jax knew. Jax knew he was a rat. He knew what he'd done and now, Roosevelt was telling him to get out of Charming. He couldn't get out of Charming. He had nowhere else to go, nowhere else to run to. His club was here, <em>Angela<em> was here. How could he run out on her? Her coming with him was dangerous. She was pregnant, due in just a few months. He wasn't about take her away from her doctors. The club would find them eventually, and he'd be damned if he got her caught in the cross hairs.

"Juice," Roosevelt's voice broke through his thoughts. "You have to take Angela and get out of here."

"Angela's pregnant," he croaked, trying to keep his tears at bay. "I can't…I can't just take her away."

Eli blinked at Juice's statement. No, there was no way. How could he have missed that? The last time he'd seen the undertaker was at Rita's funeral. He hadn't noticed a baby bump. Honestly, he hadn't noticed anything that day. Guilt churned in his stomach; he'd just sent a man to his own death. If something happened to Juice, it would be his fault that Angela's child didn't grow up without a father. "Jesus Christ, Juice. Is there anything I can do?"

Juice felt like decking him. No, there was nothing he could do. There was nowhere he could hide now. This man had put him and his family in danger and there was no way he was going to come to him for help. "No, I got this," he answered on a breath, running a hand over his hair. "I gotta…I gotta call Angela."

With that he opened the door of the office and headed out to the front desk. He didn't ask to use the phone, just picked it up and dialed the number he knew by heart. She answered on the first ring. "Angela Ruiz."

He let out a long breath at the sound of her voice. "Hey baby," he greeted, swallowing hard as he thought of what was to come. "Can you come pick me up?"

"Already out here."

God, he loved that woman. With a quick goodbye he hung up the phone and headed out of the office. He didn't say a word to anyone on his way out, either, just grabbed his shit and walked out. It was easy to spot her; she was the only civilian car in the dark parking lot. She was lying across the bonnet of her car, eyes on the stars as they usually were when she was bored. He wondered if she was having a mental conversation with her dad or Kozik; she'd often confessed to doing that what she zoned out.

Angela sat up when he got closer, the sound of his boots alerting her of his presence. He didn't know what to say as he stood in front of her. It was all just too much. "Angel, I…" he started before just shaking his head. She got to her feet, reaching up her arms and wrapping them around his shoulders as she pulled him into her. He slid an arm around her back, resting one hand on the bump of her stomach. "I'm so screwed," he whispered, tears clouding his vision.

She pulled away, her brow furrowed in concern. "What happened?"

He looked over his shoulder at the station. He knew they couldn't hear him, but he didn't want to take any chances; he wanted to get out of there and fast. "I can't…not here," he said swallowing hard.

"Okay." She nodded, putting her arms down and looking back at the car. "You driving?"

Juice held out his hands for the keys. He needed something to do, something else to keep his mind from going to the dark place it kept traveling back to. Jax knew what he had done. Jax knew he was a rat. There was only one end for a rat. He started the car, pulling out of the parking lot slowly and getting on the main avenue. They drove in silence save for the radio playing some slower music, a lite rock station playing through Angela's Bluetooth.

He stared straight at the road, focusing on nothing else but getting out of Charming. Just for a moment to clear his head. There was tension in the air as if both of them were holding their breaths until she reached out a hand and set it on the back of his neck, her fingers gently scratching over the point of his mowhawk before massaging the muscles of his neck. He tilted his head back into her touch, trying his best to relax. The feel of her hands on him always soothed him, but it wasn't helping much at the moment. Still it made him feel just a little better than he had before.

Pulling to a stop, he looked over at her, turning his head to press a kiss to her wrist. He kicked open the door and got out, going to sit on the nose of the car. Angela sat down next to him and waited for him to talk. "He knows, Angel," he said finally, his eyes looking over the view from their mountain. He couldn't look at her, not now. "Jax knows what I did."

"What?" she breathed, her eyes widening in surprise.

He nodded sniffling slightly. "Roosevelt told him. He…he took me in to tell me to run," he explained, looking over at her. "To take you and get outta here, but I'm not…I can't do that to you, Angel. This is your home. _Our_ home. And you got the baby and your doctor's here..."

Angela felt like she could breathe as she let it all sink in. "No. No, its okay, Juice. There are doctors everywhere. I don't need any special treatment. I'm _fine. _Let's just get out of here. We can totally do it. Let's go home and pack and just run. We'll figure it out as we go!"

"What about your family, Angel? Your Ma, your aunt…Hap? You're just gonna leave 'em all behind for me?" he asked, his voice rough. He shook his head again. "You'll be miserable. I can't do that to you."

Tears slid down her face as she tried to play it off as no big deal. "It's okay. We'll make new friends and we'll be…we'll start a new family with Monk and we'll be happy," she tried, knowing she didn't sound convincing. Juice was right. She could deal with leaving behind her friends but the idea of never seeing her family again made her feel like sobbing. No matter how crazy they were, she loved her mom and aunt to death and couldn't fathom just leaving them behind.

He shook his head again. "I'm not gonna take the coward's way out, Angel. Not again."

"What if…what if you talked to Jax? Try and…try and explain it," she asked, taking his hand into her own. "You really didn't do anything wrong, right? The club…RICO didn't touch them. You were trying to protect them. Maybe…maybe he'll understand! You can't be the only one to ever make a mistake like this, Juice!"

Juice hung his head, his fingers rubbing over the ring on hers. What she said made sense, maybe if he just talked to Jax they could sort this out. Maybe if he brought her with him, Jax would be less inclined to shoot him on sight too. He wouldn't kill him right in front of his Old Lady, would he? "Maybe," he said softly. He brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

Angela stood, moving around to face him. She kept one hand intwined with his, the other reached out to caress his cheek. He leaned into her touch, his eyes closing as he sighed. "We're going to be okay," she assured him, though she wasn't sure of the statement. "We'll figure it out. We always do."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "And if we don't?"

"Then we're getting the fuck out of here before anything can happen to you," she said determinedly. "I've gotten job offers all over the nation. I'm sure we can find someplace out of SAMCRO's reach. And my family will…they'll have to deal. I don't want to lose you, Juice."

He kissed her then. He couldn't stop himself. She was willing to give up her life just for him to be safe. She loved him that much. Her hands cupped his cheeks, keeping them warm as he moved to hold her face in his hands as well, his thumbs sliding over her cheek bones. He pulled his mouth from hers. "I love you," he whispered, dotting kisses across her cheek to kiss away her tears. "No matter what happens to me, I want you to know that. I can't say it enough, Angel. I love you."

Fresh tears fell down her face as she shook her head. "Nothing is going to happen to you," she said, putting her forehead to his. "You hear me, Juice? We're going to be okay."

Juice took comfort in her words, though he didn't believe them. He knew his club better than she did and knew there was no forgiveness for a rat. If they didn't kill him right away, it was only a matter of time before he met Mr. Mayhem. He just hoped he got to see his kid first. No matter what, he wanted to be there with his Old Lady for that. She deserved that much from him. He sucked in a deep breath and tried for a smile. He'd do anything to avoid his death sentence, anything to see his child. Hopefully he could convince Jax that he was still useful. That he hadn't really done anything wrong, though he knew it would sound like it. Maybe the new president would understand. Maybe it would be okay. Whatever the outcome, he was going to fight to stay alive for his family. "Yeah, baby. We'll be fine."

* * *

><p><strong>Gah! Sorry about all the saddramatic chapters...its just where the seasons have been heading lately, unfortunately! Ugh! **

**Anyways, let me know what you think! Good, bad, whatever you feel, let it all out in a review! I love hearing your opinions! ;) **

**~Love Ink**


	74. Together

**Thank you, thank you to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow. I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _DarkChild19_**_ (Happy New Year to you too! You're definitely right, Happy would be very very upset if they ran, though that would be an interesting twist...I think Eli wasn't noticing much after his wife died. He seemed so focused on finding Frankie, that's probably all he was thinking about. ;) After the S6 finale, I don't know what to think about Gemma, but a small part of me is holding out hope for Juice. I can't wait to see what happens in S7!),_ **_Franki _**_(Never fear, new update is here!), _**and _Guest_**_ (Thank you! :D I have to keep reminding myself of that, but I have so much fun following the series and imagining what's going on around what we see on the show, that it's hard to break away from that!)_

**This chapter takes place during Season 6, Episode 10: "Crucifixed." **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Chloe ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 74: Together_

_ By Love Ink_

Tara heard the knock on the front door and smiled as the sight of Angela and Juice standing with just their pinkies linked together. She saw Angela's hold tighten briefly, a squeeze she was sure was meant to reassure him of something before he let her go. The undertaker had called her earlier that morning asking if it was okay for them to stop by since Juice wanted to talk to Jax. Though she found it strange that Angela had called her instead of Juice calling Jax, she'd said it was fine for them to coming over. She'd been up early with Thomas who'd been fussy all morning. "Good morning," Tara greeted, smiling as Thomas reached out his arms to Angela. "Looks like someone's excited to see you."

Angela grinned, taking the little boy from Tara's arms. "Hi Tommy," she cooed, kissing his temple as the little boy's chubby fingers grabbed at the dog tags hanging around her neck. "Long time no see, buddy."

Juice smiled softly at the sight of Angela with a baby in her arms. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest when he realized he might not ever get to see her holding his own child. He gently reached out a hand to stroke over the baby's soft hair. "Kid gets bigger every time I see him," he said in wonder.

Tara nodded, taking Thomas back from Angela. "Gotta feed him quickly, then I'm gonna take him over to the hospital."

"You want me to take him over for ya? Save you some time?" she offered, carefully prying her dogtags from Thomas' grasp in an effort not to be strangled by them as Tara walked away.

"It's fine, thanks. I have a meeting actually," Tara said with a small smile.

Angela's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oregon?"

Tara nodded trying hard to keep her smile from growing bigger. "They just want to talk but…who knows?"

"Congrats, T!" she exclaimed with a wide grin. "Good luck, lady!"

"Thanks."

Angela nodded, grinning when she heard the patter of little feet running down the hall. "Gee!" Abel exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her legs.

She laughed, gently rubbing a hand over his hair. "I knew there was another monster running around her somewhere!" she said, dropping a kiss to his head.

"Hi Uncle Juice!" Abel said turning to look at Juice.

Juice gave the boy a half hearted smile, lifting him up onto his hip. "Hey kiddo," he said, his tone less enthusiastic than normal. "How's it going?"

"Good! We play?" he asked squirming to get down. As soon as Juice set him down, he tugged on his hand, pulling him towards the toys in the living room. Angela couldn't help but feel her heart warm as Juice sat down and started playing with Abel on the floor. She hoped to God that someday he'd be around to play with their child like that. That they could have a home like this one filled with toys and laughter.

"Hey Ang?" Tara called from the kitchen. Angela shook herself from her thoughts and drifted towards the kitchen where Tara was feeding Thomas from a bottle. "I'm gonna wake Jax up. Tell him what's going on. Elyda will be here to watch Abel in about twenty minutes, so you don't have to worry about him."

"Sounds good," Angela replied with a smile before wandering back to the living room and taking a seat on the armchair by where Juice and Abel were playing. Tara breezed in, kissing Abel once more and telling Juice that Jax would be out in a minute before making her way out the door.

Juice's eyes sought Angela's out, a worried look in them. She tried to give him a reassuring smile but found it was hard; she was just as worried. "It'll be okay," she whispered, though she wasn't at all sure of what she was saying.

Jax walked in a moment later, pausing at the opening of the living room, his blue eyes on Juice. "Hey," Juice greeted awkwardly.

"Mornin'," Jax replied, nodding his hello to Angela. "Hey darlin'. How're you?"

"Good," Angela answered, trying to smile at him. "How are you?"

He shrugged indifferently as he headed lazily into the kitchen. Juice stood, leaning over and giving Angela a sound kiss on the mouth before following after his President. Once they were gone, she found a good movie on TV, making sure it was low enough so she could hear what they were saying.

The conversation started out pleasant enough, but she found herself not wanting to listen anymore after she heard the rough edge to Juice's voice as he said, "I know you know. Eli told me hopin' that I'd take Ang and split. I got no place to go, Jax. No friends. No family. She's all I got, and I'm not gonna take her away from her home. Not with my baby inside a her. I can't leave her behind either…things would turn to shit without her."

Tears filled her eyes as she listened to him speak, knowing he meant every word. She turned up the TV, drowning out the conversation. She couldn't listen to him suffer like that any more. She had to be strong. Abel looked up at her with a questioning glance. "Gee cry?"

"No, baby," Angela answered, wiping at her eyes. "Just got something in my eye. You like this movie?"

Abel nodded enthusiastically as he snuggled into her side. "Chunk is silly!"

"Do you know how to do the truffle shuffle, Abie?" she teased, tickling his tummy and smiling as his laughter filled the room.

* * *

><p>Juice stood up as if in a daze, heading back to the living room where Angela was watching a movie on the couch with Abel. The little boy was leaning against her side, watching the movie as she played distractedly with his blonde hair. She looked up when he walked in, her eyes studying his face for a brief moment before she whispered something to the little boy and stood. "Juice?" she questioned, a worried look on her face.<p>

Juice shrugged a shoulder, holding out his hand for her to take. "Ready to go?"

She searched his face again, trying to get a good read on him and failing miserably. "Okay," she said, leaning over to kiss Abel's head. "See you later, lil' monster."

"Bye Auntie Gee," he said, his little hand waving at her while his eyes stayed glued to the television screen.

Taking Juice's hand in her own, she let him lead her out to his Dyna. She was taking full advantage that she wasn't too big to ride yet and enjoying it while it lasted. Once they were both on the bike, Juice drove out to that familiar spot they seemed to visiting all too often. He waited for her to dismount before getting off himself.

"What happened, Juice?" she asked, watching as he looked over the town of Charming. Their little spot looked so different in the light of day.

Juice swallowed hard before looking back at her. "He offered me a pardon. Long as I do everything he says, he won't bring what I did to the table," he admitted finally. He wished Angela didn't look so relieved, wished she wasn't smiling at him like that was the best news in the world. "Baby, I…I have to turn in Clay. I have to find the papers he stole and…prove that he was behind those break-ins that he wanted to take down Jax."

Angela's smile faltered a bit, knowing how much turning in Clay would break him. As much as she despised Clay and the hold the old man had on Juice, she knew that doing something like this would mess with Juice's mind. He was loyal to a fault. Turning on his brothers had made him attempt to take his life once, she worried it would happen again. "Okay," she said softly. She sucked in a deep breath, placing a hand on either side of his face and meeting his gaze. "You can do this, Juice. I know you can. I'll help you. We'll turn Clay's house upside down to find those stupid papers, okay?"

He nodded slowly, his hands coming to rest on her baby bump. "If I don't find those papers…"

"Don't," she said, cutting him off. "We're going to find those papers. Together. I don't care if I have to pretend to be nice to Clay, I'll do it."

"Angel, I find those papers and Jax'll…he'll kill him," he stated, tears gathering in his eyes.

Her thumbs swept under his eyes, wiping away his tears. "And if you don't, he'll kill _you_," she added, her own tears clouding her vision, distorting his face. "Is that what you want? To die? To leave me and our baby alone?"

"No," he breathed, shaking his head. "No. Of _course_ not, Angel!"

"Then you have to give up Clay, Juice," she said trying her best to sound strong. "I know it sucks and Jax is…he's a real shitty brother for putting you in this situation, but if it keeps you safe, keeps you _here_. You have to do it. For us, Juice. For _me_. Please."

Juice nodded, his fingers wrapping around her wrists as he held turned his face to kiss her palm. "Okay, baby," he murmured, pressing his lips to hers. "For you."

* * *

><p>Angela grabbed one of Clay's boxes and pulled it to her, rifling through the papers as Juice looked in his shelves. "What exactly are we looking for, Juice?" she asked, grimacing at the stacks of receipts and old magazines.<p>

"Birth certificates, death certificates, legal shit," Juice replied, shuffling through more papers. "They should all be together."

"Okay," she said, starting on another box. The place was an unorganized mess, though she couldn't say she was very surprised. Apparently, the boys of SAMCRO had helped Clay move his shit but no one had bothered to help unpack very much of it. She looked over at Juice who was busy moving a lock box off a shelf. She watched as he moved off the top shelf and paused at whatever it was hiding. "You find it?"

Juice stared at the silver gun lying there in the box a moment, before taking it into his hands. It was heavier than it looked. The design of the grim reaper gleamed back at him, reminding him of what his fate would be if he didn't find those damn papers. "No," he said, pausing a moment as he heard the sound of a car pulling into the drive. "Shit."

"I thought you said he wouldn't be back for awhile," Angela hissed, quickly throwing everything back into place.

"I didn't think he would be!" he whisper-shouted back, putting the gun back into its place and closing up the little cabinet. "Get in the kitchen. Do somethin'…domestic."

Angela laughed at how outrageous that comment was. "Domestic? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Just go!" he said, gesturing wildly with his hands.

She rolled her eyes, heading to the kitchen and staring at the dishes left in the drying rack. With a sigh, she started opening the cupboards to put stuff away, surprised when Juice came to her side to help. "This domestic enough for you?" she whispered at him as she heard the garage door close.

The corner of his mouth lifted up into just the smallest hint of a smile. "I love you," he reminded her, kissing her temple. He heard Clay's footsteps and cleared his throat. "Hey man."

Clay walked into the kitchen, a confused look on his face. Never in a million years did he think Angela of all people would come to his house. Nor did he think she'd be there helping to _clean_ it. Something was off. "You guys don't have to do that," he said, a small smile on his face as he did his best to look friendly.

"It's cool," Juice replied, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "We just came by to see if you needed anything. Ang and I are doing a Costco run."

"Is that right?" he asked, looking over at Angela.

Angela did her best to smile at him and act like she didn't totally despise him. "Yeah," she put in awkwardly. "Always nice to help a brother out. So do you…need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. Sit for a sec, will you?" he asked Juice. Juice sat down, fighting the urge to smile when he felt Angela step behind him, her hand on his shoulder. Clay looked at her for a brief moment. "You mind givin' me and your Old Man some privacy?"

"Yeah, 'course." She nodded slowly, pressing a quick kiss to Juice's head before making her way out.

Clay caught her arm on the way, not missing the way she tensed at his touch. " 'm sorry, Angie," he stated, his blue eyes looking truly apologetic. She stared at him open mouthed, wondering what exactly he was sorry for. There was no way he'd apologize for threatening her in front of Juice. No, this had to be a show about what happened with Carla. As if sensing her question, he elaborated, "For the way I treated you before with Nero's whore. Had no right to talk to you like that."

Angela fought the urge to tell him exactly where he could stick that fake-ass apology. She had no doubt that it was just a ploy to manipulate Juice, to win his favor. Gritting her teeth together, she nodded, not trusting herself to say another word. She stared pointedly at his hand that was still gripping her arm, waiting for him to let go before heading out the door.

She took a deep breath of fresh air, trying to reign in her anger at Clay's latest move. She wished she could've stayed inside to hear what other poison the ex-president was pouring into her Old Man's ear, but she respected Juice too much to insist on staying. She just hoped it wouldn't twist up Juice anymore.

"What are you doin' here, preggo?" Gemma's words cut into her thoughts.

"Oh. Juice and I were about to head to Costco," she lied, raking a hand through her hair. "Wanted to see if Clay needed anything."

Gemma held up two plastic bags, gesturing to the open trunk of her car that held a few more. "I got him covered."

Angela studied her quizzically. "Why are you helping him? After what he did…" she trailed off. She had to admit she was worried about Gemma. Falling back into her abusive relationship wasn't the best idea the Queen of SAMCRO ever had.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart. I'll be fine," Gemma said, touched by her concern. She watched as Angela moved to grab another bag. "Nuh-uh, preggo. You leave those there. Don't want you hurtin' yourself."

She made a face at Gemma's back as the Old Lady stalked up the walk and to the door. Grabbing one of the bags, she was surprised by how heavy it was. "Shit. What'd she buy? Rocks?"

"Jesus, Angel! Stop!" Juice exclaimed, trying to take the bag from her.

Angela wouldn't let him grab it. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. C'mon, you're already carryin' a kid, you don't need to do groceries too," he said, taking the bag from her and grabbing the other one. "Just…wait for me by my bike. I'll be right back."

She nodded, feeling useless as she trudged back to her bike. "I totally could have done it, Monk. Gemma just decided to buy rocks at the supermarket today."

"Talkin' to yourself?" Juice asked, his tone light but the look on his face told her something was weighing on him.

"No, I'm talking to Monk," she said, rubbing a hand over her belly.

Juice chuckled, kissing her quickly. "Does Monk talk back?"

"No, but it moves like a crazy person," Angela replied, still not over how weird it felt to have something moving around in her belly.

"_It_? When we gonna stop calling our kid, it? Feel like it makes us bad parents," he commented scrunching up his nose in distaste.

She shrugged a shoulder. "How much time do you have before work?"

He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, checking the time. "An hour or two. Why?"

"Let's go bug, Chlo. Find out what this little sea monkey is so we can stop being bad parents," she replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

Her excitement was contagious, and he found himself smiling with her despite the awful way the day had been going. "Let's go see our sea monkey."

* * *

><p>Chloe watched the Harley pull in as she took a step out of her car. She'd been on her way to work for the start of her shift when Angela had called and demanded a sonogram. She watched as Angela got off the bike and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, guys? A pregnant lady on a <em>motorcycle<em>?" she asked, her eyebrows raised high on her forehead. "Thought I told you to stay off, Ang!"

"Is that wrong?" Angela asked, an innocent look on her face.

She narrowed her eyes at her friend. It was wrong not to mention incredibly dangerous, something they'd already had a conversation about."I _told_ you that last time."

Juice looked at Angela suspiciously. Not once had she mentioned taking her car instead of his Dyna. He would've done it in a heartbeat if he knew Chloe had advised her not to ride. "You didn't say anything."

"It was just a suggestion," she said on a shrug as if a suggestion from a nurse were no big deal.

Chloe scoffed. "I told her to stay off your hot rod," she said looking at Juice. The guy looked like he was holding back a laugh as he exchanged a glance with Angela who was hiding a laugh behind her hand. The nurse rolled her eyes, smacking Angela's arm. "Get your minds out of the gutter! Jesus Christ!"

Angela laughed, hitting Chloe back. "You started it, lady," she said on a snicker. "So…got a minute?"

"Lemme guess, the idiot wants to see the baby," she said, smirking as Juice gave her a quizzical look, repeating the insulting name under his breath. "Come on, I'll see if there's a baby room open."

Juice was still puzzling over Chloe's new nickname for him when Angela grabbed his hand. "Clearly, she's been hanging out with my cousin too much."

"Poor lady," he muttered, letting her pull him towards the elevator. He kept his hand in hers, his thumb rubbing over the Claddagh ring he'd given her as he only half-listened to Angela tease Chloe about Hap. His stomach was twisted in knots. Knowing whether he was going to have a daughter or a son would make it all more real. He'd either have a daughter with a bright future ahead of her or a son destined to follow in his own footsteps. He held his Old Lady's hand as Chloe set up the machine. "Don't you already know, Chlo?"

"I got an educated guess. This time I'll know a hundred percent," Chloe answered confidently. "And so will you."

Angela squeezed his hand, meeting his gaze, her brow furrowed in worry. Juice lifted their hands to brush a kiss across her knuckles. "Least we can finally stop calling Monk, 'it'," he said on a shrug.

"Right," Angela said, hitting Chloe when she laughed.

"_That's _why want to know? Not to decorate or buy stuff but because you feel bad about calling your baby '_it'_? You guys are ridiculous," Chloe snorted, squirting the gel onto Angela's round stomach. She turned on the machine and gently touched the probe to her skin. "You guys ready for this?"

They both nodded, holding tightly to each other's hands as they saw their baby appear on the screen. Chloe went painstakingly slow, showing them fingers, toes, eyes, and ears before finally getting to the big reveal. "Now here is the good part," Chloe explained a small smile on her face.

Juice squinted, trying to make sense of the image. "There's nothing there…"

"That's right."

Angela wiped at the tears in her eyes, she knew what that meant though Juice seemed to still be processing it. "Monk's a girl, goofy," she explained on a laugh.

His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the image on the screen. "A girl," he repeated softly, awestruck by the image of his baby. He would've been happy either way, but a girl…that was a beacon of hope. Hope that someday his family would be out of the club and away from all of its hardships for good. His hand reached out to touch the image on the screen. "My baby girl."

"Monk-ette," Angela teased, squeezing his other hand as she laughed.

Juice smiled faintly, his eyes still on the screen. All of a sudden, he couldn't breathe. It was all too real. He was going to have a daughter. A daughter who would look like Angela and would grow up in this world full of violence and hardship. Maybe he'd be around to meet her, maybe he wouldn't. If he was lucky enough to see her grow, to raise her…how was he going to do it? He didn't know the first thing about girls! Hell, he barely understood Angela! "Holy shit," he breathed, shaking his head.

Chloe could see the nervous look on Juice face and frowned. Tossing Angela a towel, she stood and headed for the door. "I'm going to leave you two alone. Congrats on my goddaughter," she said, winking at Angela.

Angela rolled her eyes. She hadn't discussed baptism or godparents with Juice yet, but Chloe insisted that it was her right to be godmother whether or not it was official. She agreed wholeheartedly with it; Chloe had been there for her in ways that no one else had, but she still needed to talk to Juice about it first. Once Chloe was gone, she turned to Juice, studying his face for a moment. She knew there was something that was bothering him, could read it all over his face. "Say it."

"How 'm I gonna raise a little girl?" he asked, his voice rougher than normal.

She squeezed his hand tightly. "We'll figure it out together. You and me."

Juice gave her a half-hearted smile, leaning over to press his lips to hers, his hand brushing over her belly. "I hope I'm around to meet her."

Angela scoffed, shaking her head at him. "You will be. You're not going anywhere, Juice. Not if I have anything to do with it."

He smile widened a bit at her promise, though he knew there was only so much she could do to short of killing the rest of his brothers that would keep him from being punished for his crimes. "What're you gonna do, baby?"

"First, I'm gonna find those papers," she stated, sitting up and getting to her feet so she was standing in front of him. Her fingers gently traced over the planes of his face. "And if I can't, I got my Glock and good aim."

Juice felt his heartbeat kick up a notch as her eyes darkened, that dangerous glint shining through. He stood, grabbing her hips in his hands and pulling her towards him. "You gonna take care of me, Mama?" he asked, biting his lip as he looked her over. She was sexy as hell when she was threatening to kill people.

A slow smile spread across her face as she nodded. "Always, Daddy," she replied as her lips crashed against his, her hands fisted into the front of his cut.

The door opened and Chloe's sigh of exasperation was only just loud enough to force them to pull apart. "Seriously guys? I leave you alone for two minutes and you're already at it like rabbits? Y'all need to get out before the next patient comes in. Please," she stated, a hint of amusement in her hazel eyes.

"Fun sucker." Angela stuck her tongue at her friend, grabbing Juice's hand and tugging him out of the room.

"Keep at it, and she's gonna end up having twins," Chloe threatened Juice playfully.

Juice waited until they were already out the door before turning to Angela. "Can that really happen? I mean, we've had a lot of…"

Angela's laughter cut him off. She gave him a sound kiss on the mouth before shaking his head. "No, goofy," she assured him on another laugh as a look of relief crossed his face. "Not this late in the game. Only one bun in the oven at a time."

"Oh good," he said on a sigh, his shoulders relaxing. He caught himself quickly. "Not that I don't want another one, I just..."

"You want _another_ one?" she asked, eyebrows raised in shock. "Juice..."

"No! Not right now!" he exclaimed quickly. "Just...if this whole thing blows over and I surv-"

Angela cut him off quickly. "Don't you finish that sentence, Juan Carlos!" she insisted and for a moment, he could see her little chola side coming out as she waved her finger at him. "You are going to be fine, and we are going to raise this little girl to be a total badass and in the future, if we want her to have a badass brother or sister...we'll talk about it, okay?"

Juice chuckled, grabbing her hand. "Whatever you say, little _chola_," he said, kissing her quickly. "C'mon, let's get home. I gotta head to TM soon."

"_Little chola_," she repeated, in disbelief. "Really, Juice?"

"Really, _Angelita_," he mocked, chuckling as she punched his arm lightly. "Maybe we'll stop by the store. Get you some lip liner and hoops."

Angela glared at him, shaking her head while grabbing the helmet he held out to her. "You're lucky you're cute, otherwise, I'd totally kick your ass," she muttered, getting on the bike behind.

"Love you, chola," he teased, squeezing her knee.

She wrapped her arms around him as best she could with her baby bump in the way, nuzzling her nose against the part of his neck left uncovered by his helmet. She knew this would be the last time she rode bitch with him for awhile since Chloe spilled the beans that she wasn't supposed to, so she was savoring every moment of it. She kissed his neck, squeezing him lovingly. "Love you too, asshole."

* * *

><p><strong>A bit of lightness towards the end for once! :) And SURPRISE! They're having a baby girl! :D<strong>

**Disclaimer 2: Abel and Ang are watching the Goonies, which I do not own any rights to, though I do own the DVD and I love it! ;)**

**As always, I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter! Good or bad, let me know! Thanks so much for reading!**

**~Love Ink**


	75. Last Time

**Thank you so much to everyone who's taken the time to read, favorite, follow, and review! I got back to most of you but thank you also to: _DarkChild19_**_ (I totally agree, and you'll just have to wait and see where the whole mess with Clay goes... ;)), **Guest**_ _(Your wish is my command! Just a bit of Happy and Chloe in this chapter...just testing it out to see if I like it...), **Redkazi,**_** _and_**_** eleonora. :)**_

**This chapter takes place during Season 5, Episode 11: "To Thine Own Self"**

**A bit of Chloe and Hap this chapter! Let me know what you think about it! **

**Also, I'm curious to see if there are any actresses/actors you picture as Chloe and Bones! I have a very clear picture of them in my head and want to see if anyone sees them the same way! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Bones & Chloe!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 75: Last Time_

_ By Love Ink_

Chloe sighed as she got into her car after a long shift at the hospital. It was just after midnight, and she was exhausted. Flipping on the radio, a soft sigh left her lips as the car was filled with classical music. Angela always gave her crap for having the classical radio station on her programmed radio stations, but it always relaxed her after a long day at work. She pulled into the driveway, fighting a smile when she saw her living room lights on. Flipping down her visor, she looked herself over in the tiny mirror. Her hair was a mess and she looked like she hadn't had a goodnight's sleep in weeks, which was true, she hadn't. Shrugging, she flipped it back up. "This is as good as its gonna get," she muttered to herself.

Opening the door to the house, she smiled as her grey pitbull lazily made his way over to her. "Hey Hades," she greeted, rubbing a hand over his big head.

"Didn't bark when I came in," a rough voice said from her living room.

Chloe smirked, looking over to find Happy on her couch, his legs stretched out, feet on the coffee table, a beer sitting on the coaster beside his sock clad foot. She'd told him once she didn't want his boots on the coffee table, and he'd taken them off when he came in ever since. "He's gettin' used to you," she said, a little voice in her head telling her that she was getting used to him too. That was a scary thought. Men like Happy didn't stay in one place for too long.

Happy tilted his head at her, his dark eyes regarding her with a curiosity she was used to. He'd been trying to figure her out for a week or two now. It seemed he was always there when she got home lately. He used to wait outside for her, and she'd silently let him in, they'd share a beer in silence and then somehow it always ended up in the bedroom with mind-blowing sex. After she'd told him where the spare key was, the situation changed. They'd talk a little first, mostly about her day and Angela. Then they'd get onto the sex. Sometimes he stayed the night, sometimes he didn't. Sometimes he was too rough, other times he was almost gentle. He was a complete mystery to her, but she was having a good time figuring him out. "Guess so," he said after a moment.

She nodding, heading to the kitchen to pour herself some wine. "Beer?"

"Yeah."

She grabbed him another bottle and headed to the couch, handing it over before looking hesitantly at the furniture. He was seated in the middle, elbows hanging off the back of the couch. She sat down next to him, turning to face him, her feet on the cushion just by his thigh, his hand was close to her cheek but not touching it. "Your cousin and her Old Man came by today," she stated, seeing if he'd take the bait. Very rarely did they have conversations, mostly it was just a contest to see who would attack the other first, but Chloe was thoroughly exhausted and not up for a romp in the bed, no matter how amazing it would be. She just wanted to sleep.

"She okay?" he asked, turning his head to meet her gaze. She could see the hint of worry on his face, though she knew he was trying to keep that mask of calm on. Angela was his soft spot. She was the only reason he ever opened up to her in the first place. Angela was the only thing they had in common. When the did talk, it was about Angela first and then the conversation would meander to other things.

"Totally fine," Chloe said, dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Juice wanted to be able to stop calling their baby 'it'. He thought it made them bad parents."

"Idiot." Happy snorted, shaking his head. "And?"

"Oh, I can't tell you. Ang'll kill me," Chloe said, smiling from over the rim of the wine glass as he scowled at her. "But they weren't fighting, which was good. She was happy, they were holding hands it was…pretty disgusting."

Happy fought against a smile. He didn't know what kept drawing him back to the nurse's house. It wasn't the sex, he could get that at the clubhouse, this was something more. Sitting there with Chloe felt normal, almost like he'd known her all of his life. The only other relatively young woman he was this comfortable with was his baby cousin, and they didn't hang out like they used to. She was busy with her man now, and he was left trying to find someone to fill the void she'd left behind. Chloe, so far, had been a good fit. The nurse was smart, knew when to ask questions and when to bite her tongue, and didn't expect anything from him. "She really happy?"

Chloe smiled, that warm smile that made him feel weird things in the pit of his stomach. "I think so," she replied, taking a deep sip of her wine.

He studied her face again, noting the deep circles under her eyes. "Tired?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice. His finger lazily lifted off the back of couch to brush her cheek.

"Mmm," she hummed, leaning into his touch, her eyes feeling heavier than normal. "Sorry, 'm not much fun tonight. Today was…heavy."

Happy knew what that meant. There'd be no sex for him tonight. He knew he should get up and leave, but something made him stay. "What happened?"

She sighed, shrugging a shoulder. "Lost one of my patients today," she admitted on a frown. At Happy's eyebrow raise, she sighed. "I mean, I knew she was going to die. It was…inevitable but…"

"Still hurts," he muttered, knowing exactly how she felt. It was a lighter version of how he'd felt while watching his Uncle deteriorate when he was sick, how he felt now, watching his mother get sicker and sicker.

"Yeah, it does," she said, her voice rougher than normal. She stood, setting her wine glass on the table. "I'm going to change out of these gross scrubs. If you need to go, you can go."

Happy nodded in response, his eyes lingering on her back as she walked away. The only other places for him to go were either back to the clubhouse or to the shitty motel room he was living out of, neither of which seemed too appealing. He had to admit Chloe's bed was the most comfortable of the three options and though he wouldn't be getting any that night, he might be able to luck out in the morning. He considered his options as he finished off his beer as he pet Hades.

After a long hot shower, Chloe changed into a pair of sweats and a white v-neck undershirt. She walked down the stairs, not at all surprised to find the living room empty. The back door was open though, and from it she could hear the sound of Happy's voice. Raising an eyebrow, she headed that way, leaning against the open door to see him messing with Hades. The dog abandoned him when he saw her, lopping over to her, his tongue hanging out. "Hey handsome," she murmured, rubbing her hand over his coarse hair. "You havin' fun with Hap?"

"He's a good dog. Smart," Happy replied, straightening up and wiping his hands on his jeans. "You train him?"

Chloe nodded. "Me and my brother."

"Brother?"

"He's younger. Works at one of those start-ups in San Francisco," she explained on a shrug. "Livin' the rich life over there."

"Thought you had a sister."

She raised an eyebrow wondering how he remembered that. Maybe he'd been paying closer attention to her than she thought. "Yep. Got one of those too. I'm the oldest. Lucky me," she said, sarcasm in her voice. "What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

"Just Ang."

"Bet she was a fun kid."

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "Was a pain in the ass," he said, though the smallest of smiles turned up the corners of his lips. "Still is."

Chloe smiled. "Not as bad as my sister," she murmured, thinking of her gold-digging sister who now lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills with her second husband in two years. She yawned, covering her mouth in an attempt to be polite.

"Gotta be up early tomorrow?" he asked, smirking as she shook her head, another yawn preventing her from answering. "Go to bed."

"I don't want to be a bad hostess," she said, walking back inside with him.

Happy shrugged again. "You're not. 'm goin' to bed too."

Chloe looked up at him curiously, still trying to figure him out. "You gonna cuddle with me, Lowman?" she teased, elbowing his side as he lazily slung an arm around her shoulders.

He smirked, shaking his head slowly. "Don't push your luck."

* * *

><p>Angela was just finishing off showing Bones the proper way to apply blush to one of the bodies at the mortuary when her phone went off, the "Imperial March" from Star Wars filling the air. She grimaced; only two people had that ringtone. Neither of which she wanted to talk to, but both of whom she had to. Not answering would only make it worse. With a sigh, she handed the brush over to Bones. "Light blush, Boner," she instructed with a smirk. "Please don't make her look like a clown...again."<p>

Bones took the brush from her with a roll of her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said waving her off. "Go deal with one of those crazy ladies."

She flipped him off, stripping off her gloves before grabbing her phone out of her pocket and checking the ID to see who it was. "Hey Gemma," she greeted, slightly nervous as to why the head Old Lady was calling her. "What's up?"

"Need you to stop by the clubhouse," Gemma replied without a formal greeting, as usual.

"Gemma, I'm working..." she started, as she usually did. Her excuse had yet to work, though. Gemma always found a way to hook her into doing what she wanted.

"Hap's hurt. Get over here, preggo."

Angela's breath caught in her throat. Happy was hurt. It had to be bad for Gemma to call _her_. "What! What happened?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest. There was no response on the other end. The line was already dead. "Shit! Boner!"

Bones stuck his head out of the workroom, his eyes wide. "What? Are you okay? Is it the baby? Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked, rapid fire, his questions all jumbling together.

"Stop! I'm fine! I need to go! Hap's hurt!" she exclaimed, grabbing her purse. "Watch the front and the phones!"

"Hap...that big dude? What happened?" he asked, trailing after her.

Angela gave him a frustrated look as she headed to the door. "I don't know. Can you handle being here by yourself or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" he said, leaning against the front door and watching her rush to the Mazda. "Drive safe, Ang! Not too fast!" He chuckled as she responded with her middle finger held out the window as her car sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

><p>Angela parked haphazardly in the parking lot, slamming the front door behind her before practically sprinting to the clubhouse, intercepting Jax who was on his way out. Her eyes were wide, her heart on overdrive. Gemma had called to say Hap was hurt but hadn't explained what happened or how badly he was hurt. For her to call, it had to be bad. She was in full blown panic mode, different scenarios running through her head, each bloodier than the last. " 'ey Angie," Jax greeted, nodding to her. "You here for Hap?"<p>

She nodded, raking a hand through her hair. "Is it bad?" she asked, feeling tears prick her eyes. "Gemma didn't say anythin' on the phone…"

Jax set a hand on her shoulder, giving it a loving squeeze. "Relax, darlin'. He's fine. Chibs is patchin' him up right now. 'm sure he'll be happy to see ya. We gotta head out," he explained, glancing over at Bobby who was gesturing that it was time to go. He squeezed her shoulder once more. His blue eyes raked over her figure briefly before they met her gaze again, an unreadable look in them. "Take care a yourself, Ang."

"Yeah." Angela watched him walk away, wishing she could read his mind. Did he feel bad for what he was doing to Juice? Did he know she knew? Knew that he was using Juice as his own personal puppet. If so, was he sorry for it? She didn't understand what was going on within the club only that it was in a state of turmoil. A part of her was thankful Jax was at the head of the table; Clay wouldn't have showed Juice such mercy. He'd have killed him without a thought. Donna's face flashed in her mind. Her hit had been meant for Ope after Clay suspected he was a rat. She could only imagine what Clay would've done to Juice in Jax's shoes.

Shaking her head from those thoughts, she pushed the door open and walked into the clubhouse. The first thing she saw was the blood covering the side of Happy's head, soaking through his wife beater. "Jesus Christ, Hap!" Angela exclaimed, running over to him. "What the hell happened?"

"Just a graze, kid. Chill," Happy muttered, wincing as the needle dug into his skin. Angela hovered over him, her brow furrowed in concern. Her nervous energy was putting him on edge. He was in enough pain as it was, he didn't need to worry about her and the baby on top of it. "Would you sit?"

"By a _bullet_?" she exclaimed, ignoring his request. "Holy shit, are you serious?"

Gemma watched the exchange with a small smile on her face. She'd never seen anyone fuss over Happy the way Angela was nor had she ever seen Happy be so patient. She could tell it was taking ever ounce of his self control not to grab her and force her to sit down. His dark eyes landed on her for a brief moment, a silent plea for her to get his little cousin to relax.

Gemma pulled out another chair, pushing it towards Angela. "Sit, Preggo. Relax. He's fine," she ordered, grabbing Angela's shoulder and pushing it down until the younger woman was forced to sit. "He's fine. Stay here and relax. I'll be right back." She waited a moment to make sure the pregnant undertaker stayed seated before she, Unser, and Nero made their way out the door.

Angela couldn't relax, her cousin was bleeding. He'd been shot. In the _head_. How was she supposed to relax? She twisted the ring around her finger roughly, wincing as it twisted the skin of her swollen fingers. A large hand covered hers, rough and calloused. " 'ey, kid. Relax. 'm okay," Happy's rough voice assured her. "Breathe. Tell me about the kid."

She breathed in deeply, letting it out slowly. "Did Chloe tell you?" she asked, watching as Chibs worked the needle through her cousin's skin.

"Nah," he said, pouring himself another shot of Jack. "So?"

She hesitated, looking around briefly before sighing. "I don't know if Juice wanted me to say…"

Chibs snorted at the mention of her Old Man, something that was strange to her; the Scot had always been one Juice's greatest allies. His dark eyes looked her over and softened some. "Ye know what yer havin' then?"

She nodded slowly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear nervously. "Yeah."

"You gonna tell us or not?" Happy asked, wincing as Chibs' needle dug into his skin.

Prompted by the way Happy winced, she blurted it out, "It's a girl. A baby girl."

"That's fantastic, Angie-girl!" Chibs said with a wide grin as Gemma walked back in. "You hear, Gem! Angie-girl's havin' a lil' girl!"

Gemma smirked, one hand on her hip as she looked Angela over. "Been awhile since we've had a little girl runnin' 'round the clubhouse. Congrats, sweetheart."

Though Angela was appreciative of their congratulations, there was only one person's opinion she really cared about. She met Happy's eyes, fidgeting nervously as she waited for him to speak. His dark eyes regarded her with pride as he nodded. "Congrats, kid," he said, a hint of a smile on his face. "You gonna tell your Ma?"

"Eventually," she answered on a sigh. Telling her mother was the very last thing on her mind at the moment. "You gonna show up there with stitches on the side of your head?"

Happy smirked, shaking his head. "She don't need that stress."

Angela laughed, rolling her eyes at him. She felt a hand on her shoulder and tilted her head back to find Tig's clear blue eyes looking down at her. "You up for a game of pool, preggo?" he asked.

"Always," she said, taking the hand he offered and allowing him to help her off the stool. "We playing for money?"

Tig shrugged a shoulder. "Sure. If you win, it'll be your preggo present."

"You mean _when_ I win?"

"We'll see about that, doll," Tig said, nodding to the table. "Rack 'em up."

* * *

><p>Juice strode into the clubhouse, feeling like the weight of the world was off of his shoulders. He'd found the papers. His pardon was in full effect. He was going to live to see his baby girl, to marry his Old Lady, and have more babies. Everything was going to be fine just like Angela said it would be. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face when he saw her sitting there at the bar with his brothers surrounding her, joking with her and laughing as if she was part of the family. Because she was. She was his Old Lady. His brothers cared about her. Some more than others but still, should something happen to him, it was comforting to know they'd be there for her.<p>

"Hey baby," he greeted, catching her lips in a quick kiss. "Talk to you a minute?"

Angela nodded, rolling her eyes as the rest of his brothers cat called after them, no doubt thinking they were going to be doing something other than talk. She flipped them off over her shoulder; glad Happy was showering off in his room and had missed it. Juice grabbed her hand in his, leading the way to the dorm room. Once the door was shut behind them, he took her face in his hands, slanting his lips across hers and pressing her to the wall. His hands traveled all over her body as he kissed her passionately.

"Juice!" she exclaimed, laughing as his kisses trailed down her neck. "Baby, what is going on?"

"I found them," he whispered, his eyes lit up with excitement. "I found the documents. It's going to be okay, Angel. We're going to be okay."

She smiled back at him, smacking a kiss to his lips. "I told you we would be!"

He kissed her again; he couldn't get enough of the taste of her lips. "I gotta go tell the guys to meet at Clay's. I'll be home late," he said a relieved look on his face, his fingers brushing over her soft cheek. "But I'll be home."

Angela sighed in relief, leaning her forehead against his chest and breathing him in as he enveloped her in his strong arms. "We'll be waiting for you."

He pulled back a little to meet her eyes. "Love you," he murmured, touching his forehead to hers. "So much."

"Love you too, daddy," she teased, that familiar fire in her eyes as her hands slipped under his shirt, fingers tracing the outline of his abs.

Juice quickly grabbed her wrists, bringing her hands to his lips and kissing her fingers. "I'm gonna pause this for a sec. Give me an hour or two tops and we can play. All right, Mama?"

Angela laughed, nodding in understanding. She caught his lips in one more kiss before pushing him towards the door. "Go before I push you into bed and have my way with you!" she threatened playfully. He hesitated for a brief moment, torn between how good that sounded and the orders he had from Jax. As if sensing his dilemma, she rolled her eyes and pushed him again. "Go, goof! You're gonna get in trouble!"

* * *

><p>"Go home, Juicy."<p>

Nothing had hurt Juice as badly as the utter disappointment in Chibs' eyes as he grabbed him by the front of his cut and hauled him out of Clay's house, slamming the door in his face. He stared at the door for a moment, sheer panic setting in. His one chance at a pardon had been ruined. Jax had given him one task, and he'd let him down all because he'd been stupid enough to leave Clay in the house alone. He'd been so close to being free...to being pardoned and now it'd never happen.

He felt numb as he got on his bike, riding to his house as quickly as he could. His heart felt heavy as he made his way up the walk. This could be the last time he ever made this trip. The last time he got to sleep next to his Old Lady. Tears filled his eyes as he set his hand on the doorknob, his thoughts on Angela and the little girl she was carrying in her stomach. What if he never got to meet her? Taking in a deep breath, he strengthened himself. No, he couldn't think like that. He had to be strong for them.

He walked into the dark house, brushing his hand over Rigor's head as he trotted over to greet him. "Hey Rigs," he murmured, scratching the dog halfheartedly behind the ear. He headed into the kitchen to make sure Rigs' water bowl was full, smiling slightly when he saw the plate of black and white cookies on the counter. God, he loved his Old Lady. He grabbed one, finishing it off in two bites. The taste was comforting, something he needed at that moment. He wondered how she'd known.

Taking another one, he headed down the hall and into the bedroom. Angela was lying on her side wearing one of his tanktops and a pair of short-shorts, her dark hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. A book was open in front of her, probably one of the girly novels she was into as of late. She tried to hide it, but he knew she loved that Nicholas Sparks shit. He leaned against the doorjamb, drinking her in, wondering if it'd be the last time. Slowly, he shrugged off his cut and the rest of his clothes, wanting nothing more than to get in bed and hold his Old Lady.

Turning, he wasn't surprised to see her sitting at the edge of the bed, a worried look in her dark eyes as she looked him over. Her dark eyes zeroed in on the red welt on his face. Jax had hit him pretty damn hard; he wasn't surprised he'd left a mark. He was just glad he hadn't caught one of his rings. "Jesus Christ, Juice!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet and closing the distance between them. She lifted her hand to touch his bruised cheek. "What happened?"

He winced at the soft amount of pressure on his bruised cheek. Her thumb smoothed over his cheek gentler this time. He leaned into her touch, drawing strength from it as he usually did. "They weren't there," he whispered, hating how rough his voice sounded.

That worry wrinkle appeared between her brows, her eyes widening slightly. "What?"

"The papers. We got back to Clay's and they were just…gone," he explained, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand over his face, shaking his head in disbelief. How could he have been so stupid? "Clay must've moved them."

Angela felt sick to her stomach as the meaning of his words sunk in. He'd failed. Whatever temporary pardon Jax had offered him was off. "What happens now?" she asked softly as she took a seat next to him.

"I don't know," he replied, staring straight ahead.

The room was silent, the heaviness of the situation weighing on both of their shoulders. She slipped her hand into his, weaving her fingers into the spaces between his. He met her gaze, his eyes wide and shining with tears. She wished like hell she could tell them that they were going to be all right. That they'd find a way through it, but she wasn't sure that was true. She wasn't sure of anything anymore. The one thing she was sure of was that she'd stay by his side through it all.

He rubbed his free hand over his face briefly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard. "What am I gonna do, Angel?"

Angela breathed in deeply through her nose before exhaling. "How does the whole…process work?"

"Jax'll bring it to the table, tell 'em all what I've done, then they'll vote. First on whether I keep my patch, next on whether I meet Mr. Mayhem," he rasped, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. "It's gotta be unanimous on both accounts for them to...go through with it."

A flicker of hope blossomed in Angela's stomach. "Unanimous," she repeated under her breath. "Hap…"

He shook his head slowly. "He won't do it, Angel."

"He would. I know he would. He knows how much you mean to me, Juice. How hard it would be for me to lose you. He'd never do that to me, never hurt me like that."

Juice wished he could believe what she was saying, but he knew better. Happy might love his cousin to death, but he was also fiercely loyal to the club. "Wouldn't have anythin' to do with you. It's a club issue, and Hap is…he's the most loyal of any of us. If anything, he won't vote and that's…"

"As good as a 'yes'," Angela finished softly, tears in her eyes. "Then let's run. Let's get out of here now while we still can."

"No," he breathed. "I can't do that to you, Angel. Livin' from city to city, always watchin' our backs. That's not the life I want for you, for Monk."

"There's nothing you can do?"

"Its outta my hands," he said, hanging his head.

Angela stood up then, the movement so quick that it surprised Juice. "You're just gonna give up like that?" she exclaimed angrily. "You're just gonna lay down and let them kill you?"

Juice watched her pace the floor, feeling like shit, but there was nothing he could do. He was stuck in this hopeless situation. "What am I supposed to do, Angel? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to try!" she shouted, frustrated tears in her eyes. "I want you to…to _want_ to live! To fight for your life instead of just…giving up! This is the tree all over again, Juice! And I just don't understand why you want to leave me so badly!"

He stood then, taking her upper arms in her hands to stop her pacing. "I don't _want_ to leave you, Angel. I don't have a choice."

"We always have a choice!" she shouted, trying to push him away. He didn't let her go, instead pulling her in closer and enveloping her in his arm just as she began to break down. Her shoulders shook as she buried her face in his chest. "I don't want to lose you. I can't…you're all I have."

Juice held her tighter then, kissing her temple as his own tears fell down his face. "I love you, Angel."

She tilted her head back, meeting his eyes with a fierce look in her own. "Then don't let them take you away from me."

He lifted his hands wipe the tears from her face, taking in the little details of her features that he didn't normally notice. The scar on her forehead from the gash she'd gotten when Salazar had slammed her head against his car, the small beauty marks by her nose and under her mouth, the worry wrinkle between her brows. He wondered which of Angela's features his daughter would have and hoped she'd have the majority of them. Hoped he'd be able to sit there and pick them apart. Tease each other about whose nose she had like some couples did. His lips found hers, molding against them slowly, savoring the taste of her as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She pulled herself closer to him, her round baby bump preventing the perfect way her body usually fit against his. He didn't mind though, he just wanted both of his girls close for what could be the last time.

* * *

><p><strong>:( Sorry for another sad chapter! <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! :) I'll try and make the next chapter a little...lighter. **

**Disclaimer 2: I do not own Nicholas Sparks, but his books (not the movies, the books) are one of my guilty pleasures... ;)**

**~Love Ink**


	76. Decisions

**Posting this update a little earlier than usual because I finished it crazy fast! :) Not the most exciting of chapters, but it sets up a few things I've got planned... ;) **

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Guest 1 _and _Guest 2! :)_**

**This chapter takes place during Season 5, episode 12: "Darthy"**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, & Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 76: Decisions_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice heaved a sigh of relief as he walked out of the clubhouse. Jax hadn't said a word about what he'd done. Hadn't once mentioned his name while sitting at the table. The current president had been solely focused on Clay. Frankie had been right when he said Clay was behind the break ins. He'd explained about Rita, how it was an accident. No mention was made about the break in at the funeral home, but Juice knew it was the reason why Hap had voted for him to lose his patch and his life. No one messed with the Tacoma Killer's baby cousin and got away with it.

He wasn't surprised when Jax attacked Clay after. The animosity between them had been brewing for years. The break-ins had been the straw that broke the camel's back. It wasn't until both men had calmed down that Juice headed outside to make a phone call. He knew the pattern of numbers by heart, without even looking at the keypad. One ring went by before her voice came over the shitty speaker. "Hey. Is everything all right? Should I start packing?" Angela questioned, nervously.

"No, baby. I'm okay," he said, smiling slightly. Her sigh of relief was audible, and he found himself relaxing with her. "It's Clay. He was behind the home invasions. They're strippin' his patch."

"Holy shit," she muttered. He was sure she was running a hand through her hair. "But you're okay?"

"I'm whole for now," he replied, leaning against the ring, watching as Jax and Chibs headed to their bikes. Neither of them paid him any mind. "How are you?"

" 'bout to take Rigs for a run. He's getting antsy."

Juice frowned at that, unsure of how much she was supposed to be running with a baby in her belly. "Angel…"

"I cleared it with Chlo," she interrupted. "I'm fine to exercise as long as I don't overdo it. My stomach is the size of a soccer ball, and I don't want to get any bigger than I have to. If I wanna run, I'm gonna run."

"All right, baby," he said on a chuckle. "I gotta go help Clay pack up all his Reaper shit."

Angela's heavy sigh told him she did not approve of him helping Clay. "Really? He's out of the club. Why do you have to help him?"

"Because he's still my brother, Angel," he replied, trying not to get annoyed with her. "Patch or not, Clay's always been there for me. Plus, I might get some cool stuff out of it."

Her disappointed sigh had him feeling like what he was doing was a big mistake. "Just...be careful, Juice," she said after a moment. "Hey, see if you can find something for the baby room."

Juice chuckled, shaking his head as he pictured his daughter's room decked out in reapers. Only Angela would be okay with that. "You don't think the reaper will scare the shit outta Monk?"

"Her father is a Son and her mother is an undertaker. The only thing our kid is going to be scared of is normal, white-collared people," she answered on a laugh.

He laughed along with her. "I love you, you know that?" he asked, a fond smile on his face.

"I do," she answered. He could hear the smile in her voice. "Love you too, goof. See you later?"

"You know it," he said before hanging up the phone. He let out a sigh of relief; things were starting to look up.

* * *

><p>Angela peeled off the sheet of the body that was lying on her table. There was blood crusted in her hair, the Y-incision from the autopsy had been re-stitched tightly by her apprentice, something that made her proud to see. Bones was getting better at his job every day. The woman was young, pretty. Her red hair tangled and knotted from autopsy. With a heavy sigh, Angela grabbed the hose and wet it down, gently massaging soap into it to get out the blood.<p>

There was a knock at the door; Angela lifted her head, calling for whoever was there to come in. Bones was working the front desk, keeping an eye out for new clients, so it had to be someone she knew that he sent down. The door opened and there stood Tara, looking paler than usual. "Hey T," Angela greeted, trying to keep the confusion out of her voice. It was very rare the doctor stopped by her work, rarer still that she came down to her work room. Usually she asked Bones to come get her. "What's up?"

Tara's eyes lingered on the woman laid out on the table before being drawn to Angela's concerned face. "She looks good."

"Came from Stockton. Some crazy guy stabbed her in the neck with somethin'," she explained on a sigh as she tilted the woman's head to reveal the stitched up puncture wounds. "Gonna put her hair over 'em. Nobody'll notice."

"I was there," the doctor admitted softly. At Angela's questioning look, she elaborated. "At Stockton. You remember how I was looking for stuff for Otto? He did this."

Angela nodded, swallowing hard as she put two and two together. Whatever she'd given to Otto had ended in this young nurse's demise. "Shit, Tara. What happened?"

"I was…I was trying to help the club and I…God, I just wanted to keep them all from going inside again," Tara explained, running a hand through her hair. "I didn't think he'd go crazy like that. I didn't think…"

Stripping off her gloves and tossing them into the bio-hazard bin with a practiced ease, Angela walked over and took Tara by the arm, carefully leading her out of the room. It probably was unwise to have her there with the body of a woman whose death she was responsible for. "It's okay, T," she assured her, rubbing a hand over her back. "It'll all work out. It always does."

"Ang, I could go to jail as an accomplice," Tara said on a breath. She was trying her best to keep her cool, to appear strong like she had with Jax, but she quickly felt herself falling apart in front of her friend. Seeing Pamela lying dead on the table had made the consequences of her actions all too real.

"Yeah, but you won't," she said, though she wasn't sure of that herself. "I mean, Jax wouldn't let that happen would he?"

Tara shrugged, shaking her head. "He doesn't really have a choice, does he?" she asked rhetorically. "I just…I want to know that if something happens to me that…that you'll be there to take care of my boys."

"Of course I will. I'll check in. Make sure they're doing all right," Angela replied, smiling warmly at her friend.

"Not just that. I'm trying to get all the legal stuff in line for what would happen to them if something should happen to one of us," she explained, wringing her hands nervously. "I want you to have custody of them."

She had to admit, that one threw her for a loop. Why on Earth would Tara want her and Juice to have custody over their children when Grandma was perfectly able to take care of them? "What about Gemma?"

"No. I don't want her near my boys, Ang. She's hurt them enough. You're the only one I can trust to take care of them."

Angela sat back in her seat, letting out a long breath. "Jesus Christ, T. I got a baby on the way, and Juice is…" she let that statement dangle. Juice was not in good standing with Jax. Even if she agreed to put her name on that paper, Jax would never allow it. "I'll be there for them, of _course_ I will be, but I can't be their guardian, Tara. I can't…I don't think Jax would want that."

"Jax isn't thinking straight right now," Tara murmured, shaking her head. "You're the only one I have, Ang. The only one I can trust with my boys."

She shook her head in response. Not only would agreeing to take over the boys put Gemma against her, but she wasn't entirely sure she could handle three kids at once should anything happen. She didn't need the drama that was sure to ensue if her name ended up on that paper. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

Tara glared at her, shaking her head. "You're scared of Gemma," she accused, a shocked look on her face. "You act like you're some tough Old Lady, but you're scared of what she'll do to you!"

"I'm not scared of anything, T," Angela seethed, angry at the accusation. "I got a lot a shit on my plate right now, and as much as I love your boys, I'm not gonna kid myself into thinking I can take care of three kids _and_ my Old Man. So no, I do _not_ want be their legal guardian. Not when they have a perfectly viable grandmother that would kill for them"

"Perfectly viable?" Tara shouted in indignation. "Jesus Christ, Ang! She almost killed _them _and she'll do it to your kid too! She'll try and take her over just like she's trying with my boys! That's why you need to get them and your baby out of here, Angela. This place is _poison_! Do you really want your daughter growing up in this...this cesspool? Look at what has happened to the women of this club! Donna and Luann were _murdered_, we were _kidnapped_, Gemma was beaten and _raped_, and Tig's daughter was _burned_ _alive_! Is that the kind of life you want for your daughter?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then take her and leave! And if I'm not around, take my boys with you."

Angela shook her head stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere, Tara. Not without Juice," she said, her tone even and serious. "I'm sorry I can't help you, but I'm sure you'll find someone else who can."

"You're making a mistake, Angela," Tara seethed, her usually bright green eyes dark with anger. "And I really hope it doesn't come back to bite you in the ass later."

She watched stunned as the doctor shouldered her bag and stalked out of the funeral home, slamming the door behind her as she left. Standing from the couch, she whistled for Rigor waiting for the pup to trot over before heading to the front where Bones was sitting at one of the desks, typing away on the computer. "I'm heading out to the cemetery for a bit," she stated, raking a hand through her hair. When Bones started to push away from the desk, she held up a hand. "I'll finish her when I get back. Go back to your World of Warcraft and chill. Just keep an ear out, all right?"

"Yes ma'am," Bones said, saluting her before pulling himself back towards the desk.

Rigor ran ahead of her as she headed down the familiar path she knew by heart. She needed to clear her head, needed to talk it out with someone even if they couldn't talk back. "Hey Kozi," she greeted, carefully lowering herself onto the soft grass in front of the familiar headstone. It was the whitest in the line of military headstone. The only one that was consistently clean; she made sure of it. Tilting her head back against the stone, she stared at the blue sky. "You think Tara's right? You think I should get outta here? I don't think I can. It's…it's the only place that's really felt like home since Dad died."

* * *

><p>Bones was deep into his own fantasy world when the buzzer for the front door rang. He cursed, rubbing at his eyes underneath his classes as he pushed away from Skeeter's computer and headed for the door. He walked into the front room, stopping in his tracks when a Reaper patch glared back at him. The man was standing by one of the show caskets, his hand on top of it as if he were about to open it. "Uh…that's empty," Bones said, scratching nervously at the nape of his neck.<p>

The Son spun around, his electric blue eyes looking him over. "Knew that. Angela around? ," he asked, smirking as Bones hesitated. "I ain't gonna hurt her, kid. Need to take her to the clubhouse to protect her. Scout's honor."

Bones studied him for a brief moment, wondering if he should tell him. He remembered this Son, though. It was the one Angela had called Tig. The one who's daughter they'd gone to get that one night. He had to be trustworthy or else she wouldn't have worked so hard to find his daughter a good plot for almost nothing. "Out in the cemetery. By the veterans."

"Ah. Koz?"

"Yeah. Want me to get her?"

Tig shook his head. "Nah. 'bout time I visit that asshole," he replied before heading to the door. He left without another word, taking a deep breath of the fresh air as he started his trek towards the cemetery.

The dog spotted him first, lopping over to him with his tongue hanging out. Tig smiled, crouching to pet him and letting the pup lick his face. "Hey Rigs," he greeted, scratching him behind the ear as he stood. The pup's coloring reminded him of his beloved dog, Missy, the reason why he and Koz had ever had beef in the first place. That lemonheaded idiot had let her out while he was on one of his drug binges and some asshole had run her over before Kozik even noticed she was gone. He'd never forgiven him for that. A part of him regretted it now that his brother was six feet under while another part still held that resentment.

He spotted Angela sitting against a stone, her head tilted back, eyes closed, one hand on her round belly. She looked peaceful, happy even. " 'ey, preggo," he said, kicking her booted foot with the toe of his own boot.

Angela opened one eye, saw him, and closed them again. "What?"

Tig liked the kid; she had spunk. He liked that she never asked the club for anything. Never caused trouble or stirred up shit with the Croweaters. She rarely visited the clubhouse save for if they needed her or if Hap or Juice needed something. And she'd helped him with Dawn. All it had taken was one phone call, and she was there, ready to help, no questions asked. "Club's on lockdown," he stated simply. "We gotta go."

She sighed, hanging her head down for a moment before she looked back up at him. "You ever regret staying here? Raisin' your girls here?"

"They weren't here long. Their Ma got them outta here," he explained, opening up to her only because she'd helped him so much. If there was something she needed, he was going to help her. At her frown, he ran a hand over his face. "Look, kid, my psycho ex taking my girls had nothin' to do with the club or safety. It was to spite me. That gash wanted a title I didn't want to give her. Ain't no safer place for your kid then right here where she's got a clubhouse of uncles watchin' out. You think Juice or Hap'll let somethin' happen to her? Hap ever let anythin' happen to _you_?"

Angela sighed, processing what he said for a moment before shaking her head. "No."

"Then what're you worryin' for? C'mon. I got other places to go."

She sighed again, holding up her hands to him. "I'm big and fat. Help me up?"

Tig grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet, revealing the stone that was behind her. He draped an arm over her shoulders, staring at the white headstone. "Nice rock. Y'know I never thanked you for…for Dawnie."

"Not needed," she said, looking up at him with a small smile. "Thanks for comin' to get me."

He ruffled her hair lovingly. "Your cousin woulda killed me if ya didn't show up. Your Old Man, I can handle, but Hap? Now _that'd_ be a fair fight."

"He'd kick your ass," Angela said confidently.

She let out a shriek of surprise as Tig pulled her into a headlock. "You think so, Preggo?" he asked, rubbing his knuckles into her head. "Here I was bein' nice and comin' to get you 'n' you tell me your cuz would kick my ass. Very nice. Last time I ever help you."

Laughing, she slapped his hands away, elbowing his side as he let her go. He stood by the side of her car, waiting for her to get in. "Thanks again for comin', Tig," she said, sitting in the driver's seat.

"You're family, kid. Gotta stick together," he replied before closing the door behind her. He knocked on the roof, dipping his head so it was even with hers. "Drive safe."

* * *

><p>Angela walked into the bustling clubhouse, surprised to find Chloe sitting at the end of the bar, a stein of beer in front of her. Raising an eyebrow, she headed her way. The nurse nodded to her greeting, though her whole demeanor told Angela she was not happy about being there. "Your cousin is a fucking lunatic," she stated without a formal greeting.<p>

Angela grinned at that; so Happy had been the one to bring her over. "What else is new?"

"I have one day off every couple of week or so. Just one, and I like to spend it with my two best friends: Netflix and Merlot," she said, her hazel eyes blazing, "and this _fool_ barges in, scares the shit outta me, makes me spill my _wine_, and tells me we're leaving. No disclosure as to where we're going or why just that I should get my ass dressed and on his bike. That's it. Then he brings me here where I don't know anyone, doesn't introduce me to any of these…women who, I'll tell you, are not very friendly, and leaves. And you? You're fuckin' _amused _by all of this."

She chuckled, nodding her head in agreement. "Pretty much," she replied. She looked at V-Lin who was behind the bar. The prospect nodded to her before setting a red Coke can in front of her, the sides dripping with condensation. "Thanks, V."

"No problem," he said as he started pouring more shots for the other brothers at the bar.

Chloe watched the whole exchange in fascination. This whole world was completely new and different to her. She didn't understand it. Some of the women were walking around in little to no clothing, serving drinks and taking away empty glasses, while others were dressed more conservatively, their kids at their side. There was definitely a hierarchy going on that she wasn't privy to and from what she could tell, Angela ranked closer to the top. Where she landed in that order, Chloe had no idea, but she wasn't about to start serving these men like some waitress. "This place is bizarre."

"You'll get used to it," Angela replied on a shrug as she took a sip of the soda. "So what's the deal with you and Hap anyway? Must be somethin', he doesn't usually bring the girls he fucks to lockdown. Most are already here."

Her eyes looked over the different women, wondering aimlessly which Happy had slept with before her. "I dunno. He wouldn't tell me. He just said I had to come down here. I don't know what that means, and I don't want to start labeling shit that doesn't need labels. We have mindblowing sex pretty regularly and that is just fine with me."

"Gross," she replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust. The last thing she wanted to hear about was her cousin's sex life. "That really fine with you?"

"The last relationship I had was back in medical school. I was almost out of Columbia, he'd just made detective in New York. We were in love, engaged. I had my whole fucking wedding planned, my dress, the names of our kids, the whole she-bang."

Angela cocked her head to side, her eyebrows raised in surprise; she'd never heard this story before. "What happened?"

Chloe's eyes grew misty for a brief moment before she swallowed hard. "He had the nerve to catch a bullet on his last night of patrol," she said softly. "After he died, I couldn't…I left. I went travelling, everywhere we said we'd go, did a year of nursing school, and decided a place like Charming couldn't be half bad. A hell of a change from New York."

"Any guy since?"

She snorted and shook her head. "One night stands, nothing significant. Love 'em and leave 'em."

"So this thing you have with Hap is…"

"Perfect," Chloe finished with a sigh. She straightened up as Gemma headed towards them, a curious look on her face. "Shit."

"Who're you?" Gemma asked, her dark eyes fierce as they landed on Chloe.

Angela reveled in the awkwardness for a minute before she cleared her throat. "She's with me, Gem. My nurse. Been feeling a little…off lately. Thought it'd be a good idea to have her handy since Tara's a little…pissed with me."

Gemma appraised Chloe one finally time before her eyes were on Angela, a concerned, almost motherly look softening her face. "You all right, preggo?"

"She's paranoid," Chloe teased with a smile. "First baby jitters."

"Been there. Take care of yourself, sweetheart," she said, running a hand lovingly over Angela's hair. She nodded to Chloe. "You busy later, nurse? Might need you take a look at someone in a minute if our John Doc doesn't pull through."

"Yeah, 'course. Whatever you need," Chloe replied, bobbing her head up and down. She waited for Gemma to leave before letting out a sigh of relief.

Angela laughed at the way Chloe's shoulders relaxed now that Gemma was gone. "You're welcome," she sang, chuckling at Chloe's grimace. "You'll get used to her. Just listen, keep a straight face, and once she's gone, do whatever you were going to do anyway."

"This place is wild, Ang. The women, they're…crazy. A feminist would blow a gasket if they saw this shit."

She nodded in agreement. "You want to back out, now's your chance," she said, taking a sip of her Coke to hide her disappointment.

"That mean we'd still be friends?"

Angela nodded, her eyes drifting over to Happy who was messing with his tattoo gun as he talked to one of the brothers from out of town. "Yeah, of course," she said on a shrug. It was true too. Whatever happened between Chloe and Happy, it wouldn't change her friendship with the nurse. She wasn't the first friend Hap had slept with. "I don't think you should though. It might be my own selfishness, but I think you'd fit in here. I mean, you're smart and we could always use another medical person around."

Chloe dragged her finger over the rim of her glass pensively. "I'm not going to be an Old Lady."

"Probably not," she agreed on a laugh. "But you're the first girl he's brought to a lockdown. 'sides me, of course. And if it does get to that point, you'd be damn lucky to have him. Those words around his neck? _I live. I kill. I die for my family_. Those are no lies. Once he considers you family, that's it. You need him, he's there."

"You realize Juice is just a watered down version of him, right?" the nurse asked, watching Juice walk towards them.

"I guess." Angela's eyes met Juice's from across the room, a slow smile spreading across her face. She knew what Chloe was coming from. Both men were incredibly loyal to their families, both willing to kill for them. But Juice was lighter than Hap, at least, he'd been when she'd first met him. She'd fallen for the goofy guy with a heart of gold and a blinding smile. He was darker now, everyday getting closer to being more like Hap and less like the goof she loved. She was worried about him, worried about what would happen if that light was ever completely extinguished. She prayed that whatever Jax had asked him to do wouldn't take him to that place, and if it did, that she'd be able to pull him out of it.

* * *

><p><strong>A bit of foreshadowing? Maybe?<strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	77. For the Girls

**Thank you, thank you to everyone who took the time to review favorite and follow! I got back to most of you, but thanks also to: _SimplyShannon, Guest (_**_South Africa?! Awesome! Thank you, all the way from the USA!__), _and **_bri _**_(I have heard that song and love it! Never thought of it in relation to these two but you're right; it definitely fits!). _

**A HUGE thank you goes out to _lil Miss Peppers _for the amazing new cover she made for this story! I love it! :)**

**This chapter takes place during Season 5, episode 12: "Darthy" and at the beginning of episode 13: "J'ai Obtenu Cette".**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 77: For the Girls_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela sat on one of the many couches in the clubhouse, Ellie Winston's hair in her hands as she listened to the teenager talk. The SAMCRO men had walked out the door just a few minutes earlier, Happy with his tattoo kit in hand. She had no idea what was going on, but she had a sneaking suspicion whatever tattooing was going to happen would not be pleasant. She was pulled from her thoughts as Ellie's cell phone pinged. The younger girl's mouth was moving a mile a minute, her fingers moving just as fast as she texted away on her cell phone. Angela peeked at the screen, raising her eyebrow at the name at the top of it. "Who's Brian, El?"

Ellie quickly closed the screen and sighed. "He's my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" she questioned, tugging her hair and getting the young girl to look back at her. "How old are you? Fifteen?"

"Yeah," she said, looking surprised that Angela knew her age.

Angela remembered what she was doing with her boyfriend at fifteen and grimaced. "You're not…doing it, are you?"

"Not yet," Ellie replied, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "I watched some of Lyla's movies so I know how to do it. Kinda don't want my first time to be with some kid though."

"Oh no? Someone else in mind?" she asked, worried about who exactly Ellie was referring to. The girl shrugged, though her gazed drifted over in Rat's direction. Angela grimaced at the look, tugging again on the girl's hair. "Rat? Really, El?"

Ellie blushed and nodded. "He's nice to me," she explained. "Doesn't treat me like I'm some fragile little girl 'cause my parents are dead. I think its 'cause he didn't know 'em well."

She finished Ellie's hair, tying off the braid and waiting for Ellie to face her before asking, "You lookin' to be an Old Lady, Ms. Winston?"

Ellie's eyes scanned the clubhouse for a brief moment before landing on the wall of mugshots. Angela had no doubt which one she was looking at. Clearing her throat, she shook her head. "No. I don't want to end up like my Ma. Soon as I turn eighteen, I'm out of here. I'm gonna go to college, get a good job somewhere far away."

Angela was happy to hear her plans; it gave her hope that one day her own daughter would choose the same path. "You gonna keep in touch?"

"Of course. Ken wants to stay here," she said, a disappointed look in her eyes. "Just a heads up, he plans to work at Dubrowski's with you and Bones."

"Oh really?" Angela asked on a laugh. She looked over at the younger Winston who was on Juice's computer in the corner, playing some online game she was unfamiliar with. Since he started living in Charming with Lyla, Kenny was a regular over at the funeral home. It wasn't entirely legal to have him there, but Skeeter didn't seem to mind. Kenny was free labor; as long as he didn't have to pay the kid, the funeral home owner didn't give a shit. She had to admit, the kid had a knack for the work they did. She'd been impressed the first time she'd seen the tight stitching he'd done to close up one of their cases. It never crossed her mind that it was something he wanted to do for a living; she thought he just had fun messing around with Bones. "He doesn't want to Prospect?"

Ellie shook her head, a proud look in her eyes. "No. He doesn't," she answered. She nodded towards where Piper was playing cards with a Prospect from another charter. "Piper does, though. He hasn't…he doesn't know what it's like. To him the Sons are these…heroes that helped him and Ly when they weren't doin' so well. He doesn't get it."

She sighed in response, feeling her own child flip around in her tummy. Rubbing a hand over it, she wondered what her daughter would think of this crazy life she was about to be born into. "To each his own, I guess."

"Sometimes…sometimes I think my Dad and Grandpa would be disappointed in us for not…for not wanting this life," she admitted sadly. "They loved this club, loved their brothers. Feels like I'm letting them down by not wanting to be a part of it."

Angela put her arms around Ellie and hugged her tightly. "El, they are proud of you no matter what you do," she said confidently because she knew it was true. Opie had wanted out of club that had not only killed his father, but his wife as well. He'd wanted out, and he'd gotten his out in the worse way imaginable.

"You think?"

She nodded, kissing Ellie's temple. "I _know_," she replied, smiling as a genuine smile spread across Ellie's face. "Now let's go get something to munch on. I'm starving!"

* * *

><p>Juice walked into his house with a heavy heart. Watching Clay get his tattoos blacked out was a clear example of what would happen to him should his transgressions ever be brought to the table. He looked down at the reaper on his arm, imagining Happy's tattoo gun digging into it using the same violent strokes he'd used to black out Clay's. Sighing, he headed back to his bedroom feeling exhausted mentally and physically. It'd been weeks since he'd gotten a good night's sleep. The door to his bedroom was slightly open, as it usually was when Angela went to bed without him. It was her silent invitation for him to join her. He'd found the door shut tightly just a handful of times on the nights he really messed up, the nights he spent on the couch. He was thankful that this was not one of those nights. He needed to be near her at the moment, needed her calming presence to get his head straight.<p>

Pushing open the door, he found her Angela already asleep, curled around a body sized pillow, her swollen belly resting on it. He frowned, sizing up his side of the bed that was being impinged upon by the massive pillow. Carefully, he snaked it away from her, smiling slightly when she groaned in her sleep. Her dark eyes opened as he threw himself onto the bed next to her. "Where's my pillow?" she moaned, rubbing a hand over her belly.

He scooted closer to her, pulling her into him. "Here," he said, moving underneath her so her belly was resting on his side and her head on his shoulder. She moved her leg over his, snuggling in closer. His fingers tangled into her hair, stroking through the soft strands as he relaxed. "Who needs a pillow when you got me?"

She let out a soft, content sigh as she nuzzled his chest. "I do," she answered, a sleepy smile on her face. "You're too…hard."

Juice chuckled, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "That's what she said."

Angela laughed lightly, the sound of it vibrating through his chest and making him smile wider. God, he loved this girl. Her fingers traced lazily over his tattoo of her name, reminding him of what he'd seen earlier that night. Catching her hand in his own, he laced their fingers together. Her brows furrowed together in confusion for a moment. "What?"

"Hap blacked out Clay's tattoos tonight," he replied, his fingers tracing over the tattoo on her hip. The koi fish was perfectly angled so that it didn't stretch with her burgeoning belly. He wondered if Hap had thought about that when he'd done it.

"Huh," she said, distractedly. "Was wonderin' what Hap was doing with the tat gun. That had to suck. Clay's reaper was _big_."

Juice nodded in agreement. "Hap was packin' in that black too. No mercy."

She grimaced at the thought of it. "Ouch."

"Your koi is the only tat you have right? I didn't miss any?" he asked, jokingly. He'd seen every inch of Angela's skin, had it ingrained in his head. There was no hiding anything from him when it came to her body.

"Just the one," she answered on a laugh. "It's the only one Hap ever approved of."

He was surprised by her explanation. From what he'd heard, his girl had been quite the rebel when she was younger. It was beyond him why she hadn't gotten more. "Why didn't you just go to someone else?"

"I never really wanted anyone else to tattoo me," she admitted on a shrug. "I grew up with him drawing on me, watching him sketch, watching him tattoo…having someone else's work on me for the rest of my life just felt…wrong. Y'know?"

Juice smiled; his girl was loyal to a fault especially when it came to Happy. "Yeah," he said, tangling his hand back into her hair. As if he just remembered something, he reached out a hand and opened up his side drawer. "Speakin' of tats, I got somethin' for you."

Angela's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

He handed over the little red, leather box, studying the emotions on her face. He could see the apprehension in her eyes as they focused on the jewelry box. It was obvious she'd jumped to her own conclusions. "Don't freak out. It's not a ring," he assured her, though she still looked nervous about it. She relaxed when he opened the box. Juice didn't know whether to be hurt that she was so relieved it wasn't a ring or grateful that she wasn't disappointed by what was inside. Inside was a necklace he'd found, ironically enough, while searching for engagement rings. A silver bird skull, just a bit bigger than a quarter. He'd taken it to the jewelers to get his initials engraved on the front of it.

"A crow," she stated softly, taking the box from his hand. "Right?"

He nodded, watching as she gingerly took it out of the box, the silver chain spilling over her tan fingers. It complimented her skin tone nicely, as he knew it would. "I didn't get the chance to give you my crow before, and I know…I know there's no studies that say pregnant ladies can't get tats but a lot of people say it could be bad for the baby so I figured this was a good alternative."

Angela tilted her head back so their eyes could meet. "It's beautiful, Juice. I love it," she said sincerely. She sat up with a groan before lifting her hair up with one hand and handing him the necklace. "Help me put it on?"

Juice sat up and gently put it around her neck, clipping the latch in the back. It probably would be uncomfortable for her while she slept, but he was grateful she liked it enough to put it on anyway. She turned so he could see how it looked. With a wide smile, he nodded his approval. The pointed beak of the crow ended just before the valley of her breasts. Leaning forward, he nuzzled the necklace aside with his nose before burying his face in her chest and making obnoxious motorboating noises.

Her laughter filled the room as her hands ghosted over the sides of his head. "Goof! Get out of there! Those are for Monk!" she exclaimed, though she made no move to push him away.

"Sorry, Mama. Couldn't resist," he said, lifting his head and grinning up at her, totally unashamed.

She grinned back at him, her hands moving to frame his face. "I love you, Juan Carlos," she murmured, putting her forehead to his. "You know that?"

He nodded. He did know that. She'd proved it to him on more than one occasion. "Love you too," he replied kissing her softly. He sighed heavily as he ended the kiss, his mind drifting towards what was going to happen in the morning. Glancing down, he caught her curious expression before she could mask it. It was rare she flat out asked what was going on with the club, choosing instead to wait for him to explain. "We're takin' down Clay tomorrow," he told her, feeling a slight weight ease off his shoulders. The plan was a secret kept between him, Jax, and Gemma. The other two didn't feel the need to talk about it, but he needed some reassurance and Angela was always good for that.

Angela's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Jax has this…this elaborate plan, and I'm…"

"A key player," she finished, on a frown. "Are you…are you going to be okay doing this, Juice?"

Juice was surprised by the worry in her voice, the hint of doubt. She'd never doubted him like that before. He'd confided in her with expectation that she'd be all for it; that she'd be cheering him on or proud of him. He didn't think she'd ever ask if he was going to be okay. "Yeah. Why?" he asked, his brows furrowed together. "You don't think I can do it?"

Angela's response came without a moment of hesitation. "I have no doubt you can do it," she assured him. "I just worry about how it's going to affect you in the long run. I know you and Clay are close and I don't…I don't want you blaming yourself for whatever happens to him. This isn't on you, Juice. Its on Jax."

"I know," he said, trying to sound like he did. "I'm doin' it for you and Monk. I want to be there for my girls."

"You will be." She smiled softly at him, catching his lips in another quick kiss before relaxing against him.

After a moment, Juice felt her breathing even out as she fell asleep. Sleep eluded him, though. He kept going over the plan in his mind, wondering if what he was doing was the right thing. Turning in Clay to save his own ass didn't sit well with him. This was the man who'd always been there for him. Who'd offered him a home and a family when he was down on his luck and he was repaying him with a one way ticket to jail. His fingers trailed over Angela's soft skin pensively. He tried to relax, to fall asleep, but he kept circling back to the moment when Clay had thanked him for being there for him. All the times he'd called him brother or son. He rubbed a hand over his face, his eyes on the fan blades on the ceiling, watching as they lazily turned. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Angela woke up with a groan as her daughter landed a very hard kick to her back. That was a feeling she'd never get used to. Monk was active as hell in the early morning making it damn hard to sleep in. It was another reason she couldn't wait to get that little sucker out of her. She wasn't one of those women who loved being pregnant like Tara had. Her large belly prevented her from doing the things she loved like running, working, riding on the back of Juice's motorcycle, sleeping…the list went on. She wanted her daughter out of her as soon as possible. Secretly, she couldn't wait to be a mother, couldn't wait to be able to hold her kid and teach her things, see her playing with her father. She had no doubt Juice was going to be an amazing dad.<p>

She looked over at his sleeping form, studying his face. He looked so innocent in this state, his face rid of its worry lines and fearful expressions. It reminded her of the way he looked when they'd first met, and he'd been all smiles and laughter. Without the darkness that had slowly started to extinguish that light of his that once shone so brightly. It'd started when he'd gotten out of county and had only gotten worse as things with the club started getting more dangerous.

These days she felt like she was waiting on bated breath to get that call from him that told her he wouldn't be coming home. That Jax had decided to bring his transgressions to the table, and he'd never be home again. He swore to her that Jax had a new plan, that things would be okay, but she didn't believe him. Things kept falling through, turning to shit. Everything Jax was doing seemed to put him in more danger. And even if Jax did have a plan to turn in Clay, she knew it would turn out well for him. He'd be alive, sure, but the guilt of turning in Clay would eat at him for the rest of his life. The last time he had the kind of guilt on his shoulders, he'd tried to kill himself. She could still see that deep bruise on his neck from the chain. He'd done that after killing Miles, a brother he didn't care much about. She could only imagine what the repercussions of turning in Clay, a man he looked to as a father, would be.

* * *

><p>Juice opened the door to his little locker in the TM garage to grab Clay's gun that he'd locked inside for safe keeping. He hesitated as he went to grab it, nerves making him feel uneasy. Doubt pooled in his stomach; maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He looked around briefly, wondering if anyone was paying attention to him. No one seemed to be, though. Clay was too busy cleaning out his tools while the other TM workers were working on a car. He turned back to the locker, the two pictures he had taped on the door catching his eye and reminding him of why he was doing this. One was a picture of Angela taken the night of Lyla and Opie's wedding, the other was the first sonogram they'd gotten after Mel had taken her. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the bundled gun, careful not to put his fingerprints on any part of it. Clay had to be the last person to touch it or Jax's plan wouldn't work. He tucked it into Jax's saddle bag, his eyes on Clay who was thankfully more focused on his tool box than on what he was doing. Closing the saddlebag, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, telling himself he had to do it. This was for his girls.<p>

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><p><strong>A bit short, but if I added on the next part it would take forever for me to post! :( <strong>

**Many, many thanks again to _lil Miss Peppers_ for the amazing new cover and the body pillow idea! It was just too sweet not to add in here! ;) **

**As always, your thoughts, critiques, suggestions are always appreciated! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	78. Blame

**Updating both stories in one day?! I know, it's crazy. Updating quicker than usual because I've had a lot of time off lately, so I've been able to actually sit and work on this story and "It Won't Be Soon Before Long". :) This chapter is also fairly short, but it didn't fit well with the next one, so I'm letting it stand alone.**

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow. I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Samantha, DarkChild20, and Rebel (_**_Sorry about the tattoo machine flub! I'll make sure to keep that in mind if it comes up again! Glad you like the story though! :)). _

**This chapter takes place during Season 5, Episode 13: "J'ai Obtenu Cette".**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Chloe**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 78: Blame_

_ By Love Ink_

"Nice mark," Angela said, flicking the dark red spot on her best friend's neck.

Chloe frowned in response, swatting her hand away. "Could say the same thing to you, Old Lady," she shot back, nodding to the equally impressive mark on Angela's chest.

She grimaced in response, rubbing her hand over the mark self-consciously. "You're not far from being one yourself," she commented just to get under Chloe's skin. She knew Chloe was nowhere near that type of title. Hell, she was barely near the title of girlfriend. Growing up with Happy, she'd never once seen him with a girlfriend. Sure, there'd be girls that would hang around the house, dying for his attention, but he hardly gave it to them; not unless he wanted something.

"Do you have something better to do than sit here and harass me?" Chloe asked, exasperated.

"Nope," Angela replied with a wide grin. "Skeet and Boner won't let me work."

She raked a hand through her hair and raised her eyebrows. "Well, _I_ still gotta work."

"What's got your panties in a twist? Besides my cousin, of course."

Chloe scowled at her, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I'm just…tired. My shift is long as hell and then I get home and he's…there, and he keeps me up half the night, not that I mind, but shit, I need to sleep sometimes too, y'know?" she said, her words rushed and all jamming together. At Angela's disgusted look, she pointed a finger in her face. "Stop looking at me like that. You _asked_."

"I didn't think you would _tell_ me. Gross," she muttered, shaking her head. Her eyes widened as she heard the quick clack of heels on tile coming closer. She knew who it was by the look on Chloe's face. "Gemma?"

"Uh-huh, and she's comin' real fast. I gotta go," Chloe said, grabbing up her charts and darting away.

Angela flipped off her friend's back before turning around to face the SAMCRO Queen. She wished she had an excuse to run after Chloe because Gemma looked pissed beyond belief. "Hey Gem," she greeted calmly.

"You know about Tara being transferred to Oregon?" she asked without any other greeting.

"Yeah," she answered honestly. She knew it was better to tell the truth than to lie to Gemma; she always ended up finding out. "Why?"

"Let's go. We're going to have a little chat about you not tellin' me shit," she ordered, turning on her heel and heading towards the door.

Angela sighed and followed after her. "I didn't know that you didn't know," she tried, walking quicker to catch up with her.

"Get in the car."

With a grunt, she pulled herself up into the passenger's seat of Gemma's giant SUV. "I didn't…"

"Bullshit, preggo," Gemma said, starting up the car. "You really think I'd be okay with Tara takin' the boys?"

Angela sighed again, playing nervously with her rings. "It wasn't my place to tell you. I'm no instigator, Gem. You ask? I'll tell you, but I'm not going to come running to you every time I hear something you're not gonna like. I'm no tattletale."

Gemma looked over at the undertaker, wishing she could be mad at the younger woman for not telling her. After hearing her explanation, though, she just found she liked the girl more. She was loyal to her friends, to her family. That seemed to be a rarity these days. "That your moral code? No tattling?"

She smirked a bit and nodded. "Somethin' like that," she answered, looking around the car for a moment. Her eyes landed on the bag in the back. "Where we goin' anyway?"

"Clay's. Got shit to put into motion. Your Old Man will be there. Figured he could use the support," Gemma answered. At Angela's apprehensive look, she rolled her eyes. "Relax, Preggo. Wouldn't put you in danger. Got my granddaughter to think of."

Angela grimaced at the notion of adding Gemma onto the list as her grandmother. With her mom, her aunt, and Gemma, that kid was going to be spoiled rotten. "Right," she said on a breath as they pulled into the drive. "What am I doin' here, Gem?"

"Just keep your mouth shut and stand by your man. That's all you gotta do in there. Got it?"

She nodded, sucking in a deep breath as she got out of the car, following Gemma around to the trunk. "Want me to get your bag?" she asked, eyeing the rolling duffel. Gemma raised an eyebrow at her, shaking her head as she headed up the door, leaving Angela behind by the car.

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><p>Juice wasn't surprised when he saw Gemma on the other side of Clay's door. She was supposed to be there to go on the trip Clay was taking to Ireland. Only Clay would never make it to Ireland. If Jax's plan worked out the way it was supposed to, Clay would be on a one way trip to Stockton penitentiary. Gemma's hazel eyes looked him over, a hint of worry in them before she jerked her head back towards her car. "Preggo's in the car with the bags," she told him. At his confused look, she set a hand on his arm. "She helped me pack. Figured I'd take her along with me. Least one of my girls should see me off. Now, go, 'fore she starts lifting shit."<p>

He nodded slowly, wondering how Gemma knew to bring her along. He drew strength from her calm presence. Having her there was a sign that he was doing the right thing, that he wasn't the bad guy in this situation. "Got it," he said, walking out the door. He found her sitting on the bumper of the SUV, the bag in the trunk behind her as she ran a hand over her belly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "This how you help?" he teased.

"Looks heavy," Angela explained on a shrug. "Don't want to hurt Monk because Gemma over packs."

Juice shook his head at her, catching her lips in a quick kiss. "Good call," he replied, lifting the suitcase with a grunt. "You know what's about to go down?"

She shook her head slowly. "Is it something I _should_ know?"

He considered it for a moment, looking back over his shoulder at the house behind him. "Remember that thing we talked about last night?" he asked, waiting for her to nod before continuing, "That's about to happen. Now."

She reached up her hands, framing his face. "You can do this, Juice. I know you can," she said softly before kissing him. "I love you."

Juice nodded, one hand on her belly as he kissed her forehead. "Love you too."

Angela watched him as he headed back inside looking as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. The baby did a little flip in her belly, and she sighed. "I'm worried about him, Monk," she admitted softly as she made her way inside the small house. It was relatively sparse compared to the mess it had been the last time she'd been there. She shifted anxiously from where she stood by the door, her eyes sweeping the room for Juice.

"He took the last of the boxes to the garage," Gemma explained as she walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"Mm," she hummed, rubbing her belly distractedly. "Why'd you bring me here, Gem?" she asked again. She still couldn't figure it out. It didn't make any sense for her to be there.

Gemma took a few steps closer to her, her eyes zeroed in on her face. "To remind him what he's doing this for. He loves Clay like a father, but he loves you more. You need to give him strength, make him see what he's doin' is right. That's what being an Old Lady is about, baby. We need to be there for them at their weakest. Can you do that?"

Angela swallowed hard as she nodded. "Yeah, 'course," she murmured, still unclear as to why she had to be present to be there for him. Usually, she waited until he got home and talked it out with her.

"Then go, 'fore he pussies out," Gemma said pushing her down the hall towards the garage just as there was a knock on the door.

She flattened herself against the hallway wall as Clay strode by without even sparing her a glance. Juice came after him, his eyes wide and shiny with tears. "Juice?" she questioned softly.

Juice heard the tender way she said his name, could see the worry in her eyes. Shaking his head at her, he gently pushed her behind him, angling himself so he could both block her and better see Roosevelt and the cops that flanked his side. The Lieutenant held up an evidence bag with the silver gun in it that Clay had given to him just the day before.

Clay's eyes locked on his and panicked filled him as the words the his ex-President said to him ran through his head. _I love you, brother. I'm going to miss you most._ Juice felt like he couldn't breathe. What had he done? Clay had been there for him time and time again, and he repaid him by sending him to an early grave all to save his own skin. What kind of brother was he?

His head was reeling as he stood there, watching them read Clay his rights and cuff him. Slowly, he slid down the wall, his eyes on Gemma who stared back at him, a satisfied look on her face. She was _happy_. He stared back in disbelief. She'd just sent her Old Man to his death and she was _smiling_. Not a big smile, but one of those small, proud smiles. He chanced a glance up at Angela and was shocked to see Gemma's expression mirrored on her face. What the hell was wrong with her? Didn't she understand the gravity of what had just happened? Clay was going to die! Because of him! His blood was on his hands and she was _smiling_.

Slowly, he got to his feet, turning his back to her. It was hard to look at her now, knowing that she was happy he'd essentially killed a man. He knew she hated Clay, but he couldn't wrap his hand around why she would be pleased with him meeting his end. How could she be so heartless? He felt her hand on his shoulder and tensed at her touch that had always soothed him in the past. Now, it made him feel dirty.

"Juice, you okay?" Angela asked, moving to stand next to him.

The worry in Angela's voice made him cringe. What did she care? She was happy about what happened. "Yeah," he said on a breath, staring at the door to keep from staring at the traitorous women that flanked him. "I gotta…I gotta go."

She grabbed his arm, stopping him; a move he'd done to her so many times in the past. He knew she wanted more of an assurance that he was okay than the one he'd just given her, but he couldn't give her anything else. He met her eyes briefly as he pulled his arm out of her grasp and walked away.

Angela stared at his back as he walked out feeling like she'd just been punched in the stomach. Juice had never pulled away from her like that before. He'd never tensed at her touch or refused to look at her. He always sought her out when he was feeling at his lowest. She was used to being there to comfort him in any way she could. This time when his eyes met hers, she saw anger in them and a bit of disgust that cut her to the core. She'd done nothing but stand there to back him up. Why was he angry at her? She looked over at Gemma, meeting the older woman's eyes for a brief moment wondering if she had some explanation as to what had just occurred.

Gemma sighed as she stood. "Space, baby. That's all he needs. Needs to sort out the shit that's in his head."

She shook her head slowly. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her bringing tears to her eyes. He'd never needed space before. That had always been her thing when she was upset. Juice craved the attention, needed someone to tell him what he did was right; someone to assure him that he wasn't a bad guy. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Wait for him to come to you," she answered easily.

Angela didn't like that answer. Not one bit. Waiting for him to come to her had resulted in him almost hanging himself the last time. "No," she said confidently. "I need to find him, Gem."

Gemma shook his head. "Won't do you no good. Just gonna hurt you more, preggo," she replied, wisely. "C'mon, I'll take ya home."

The car ride to the house was silent, both women immersed in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they were pulling into the driveway that Gemma cleared her throat. "It's going to be okay, Angela," she assured her, patting her hand gently.

"No. I shouldn't have been there, Gemma. I shouldn't have gotten involved," Angela spat out before she could stop herself. "This had nothing to do with me."

"He needed you there, sweetheart."

She didn't believe that. Not for a second. Gemma always had an ulterior motive. "No, he didn't. He would've been fine. Why did you take me there, Gemma?" she demanded, frustration making her words come out choked.

"Because I wasn't so sure Roosevelt would believe me," she finally admitted. "I needed someone there to back up my story, just in case someone doubted it. Eli likes you, he'd believe you, and I knew you would agree with whatever I said because you're smart enough to know it was for the good of the club."

Angela blinked back tears. Gemma had manipulated her into being there, all for her own selfish needs. The Queen of SAMCRO had used her and it had led to Juice being mad at her for reasons she couldn't comprehend. His anger could've been avoided if she'd just stayed away. Happy had warned her time and time again to stay out of club shit, but she just kept getting pulled back in. "Shit, Gem," she cursed, raking a hand through her hair. "Roosevelt didn't even notice I was there and Juice…he…"

"Doesn't blame you. You had nothing to do with it," Gemma cut her off confidently. "Listen here, undertaker, you did what you had to do and so did he. Now you gotta stand by him, sort through the bullshit in his head."

"Okay," she said softly, wiping at her eyes as climbed out of the car. Gemma gave her one last nod of approval before driving off. Angela watched as her taillights disappeared, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She may have had nothing to do with it, but that didn't mean he didn't blame her. She'd seen that look in her eyes. Something had changed between them, and she was helpless to stop it. She only hoped he'd give her a chance to talk it through, to make him see that she wasn't the one to blame for this.

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><p>After Jax had told him he was proud of him, Juice took off on his Dyna, needing a good long ride to clear his head. He rode through the back roads of Charming and farther out into the hills stopping at the spot he and Angela had deemed as theirs so long ago. He leaned against his bike and watched as the sun started to sink into the horizon. The spot held so many memories, so many moments when Angela had stood next to him and helped him sort out his thoughts, helped him see the good in what he was doing. As mad as he was at her, he needed that right now, needed her. Sighing, he got back on his bike and rode home.<p>

The house was dark when he walked in, not even Rigor coming to greet him. Slowly, he trudged down the hall pausing in front of the open door of the bedroom. He peeked in feeling his heart squeeze painfully in his chest at the sight before him. Angela was curled around that damn pillow, the covers pulled up underneath her arm. Rigor was stretched out next to her on top of the duvet, his eyes closed as her hand stroked over his fur. That was probably the reason the damn dog didn't move when he came in; he was too comfortable being spoiled by his mother.

Juice walked over to the bed, catching Rigor's attention. The dog raised his head, looked at him, and then relaxed again, closing his eyes as Angela scratched behind his ear. "Thought we were gonna keep him off the bed," he said, shrugging out of his cut and hanging it up.

"Mmm," she hummed pensively, her dark, worried filled eyes watching him as he got undressed. "Didn't think you were comin' home."

"Why not?" he asked, standing by the edge of the bed in just his boxers.

Angela didn't shy away from his gaze, meeting it head on. "You blew me off back there at Clay's. Pushed me away."

He sighed tiredly, running a hand over his mohawk. "Had a lot goin' through my head. Needed some…space."

"Okay," she murmured, playing with Rigor's fur. He had the feeling she didn't believe him, but she didn't push it. She never did.

Juice tugged on the cover, patting Rigor's back. "Rigs," he said, jerking a thumb towards the door when he had the dog's attention. "Out." He waited for his dog to trot out before tugging at the end of the large pregnancy pillow Angela was wrapped around. "Thought I got rid a this."

"Putting it in the storage room isn't exactly getting rid of it," she replied, surprised when he didn't pull it away from her like he had the night before. Instead he just lay down next to her, moving to his side to mirror her position. She could only see half of his face since the other half was blocked by the pillow. "Started clearing stuff out of there the other day. Just my old shit that we never unpacked."

"Making room for Monk?" he asked, glad for the barrier of her pillow for once. He was still smarting over what had happened at Clay's house and wasn't in a cuddling mood.

Angela nodded. "Chlo and I were lookin' at furniture and paint samples today."

"Pink?"

She scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "Lilac."

"Good," he said on a sigh. He knew pink was the traditional color for girls, but he didn't want to be surrounded by it.

She smiled at that, reaching out a hand and tentatively tracing over one of his lightning bolt tattoos with a finger. He didn't flinch or pull away from her touch, just closed his eyes and tried to relax. "You okay?" she asked after a moment, a worried note to her voice as she rested her hand on his cheek, her thumb trailing over the skin under his eye.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, baby," he lied. He was not okay. There were too many emotions swirling around in his head for him to be okay, but he was too tired to battle them at the moment. He just wanted to get away from them, to sleep, though he knew it'd be hard to get any rest with his head so full of crap. As if sensing his distress, Angela sat up with a groan, reaching over into her bedside drawer and grabbing something out of it. He was surprised when she handed him a blunt. "Where'd this come from? You know you can't…"

"Hazer gave it to me while you were in county. Said it was your favorite strain or something. Thought the smell would be comforting to me while you were gone," she explained, amusement in her eyes. "I haven't touched 'em since he gave them to me. I don't smoke without you, and I definitely don't smoke with Monk."

Juice smirked, playing with the perfectly wrapped blunt. "Thanks, Angel," he said, leaning over to kiss her forehead before getting out of bed.

"Yeah," she replied, trying for a smile. "Just…"

"Outside. I know," he said, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and heading out.

"Juice," she called after him. He turned to see her still sitting up, her hand rubbing over her belly in a nervous manner. "I'm sorry for what happened."

Juice nodded slowly, knowing it was lie. She wasn't sorry Clay was gone. He'd seen the look on her face; she'd been happy to see him go. "Okay," he muttered for lack of a better thing to say. "Don't wait up."

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><p><strong>Not the happiest of chapters, but it had to happen...<strong>

**As always, your thoughts are very much appreciated! Leave me a review and let me know how much you liked/loved/hated/despised this chapter! ;) **

**~Love Ink**


	79. Cold as Ice

**Sorry it took me awhile! But I do have the next chapter mostly written so it'll be up ASAP! :) **

**Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of the reviewers but thanks also to: _Samantha, Eleonora, Leticia West, _and_ Guest!_**

**This chapter takes place between Season 5 and Season 6. I went slightly away from canon and am putting an extra week between the two seasons so in this chapter, Tara has _NOT _gone to jail yet. That's why there's no mention of it. ;)**

**The title of the chapter is taken from the AWESOME Foreigner song, "_Cold as Ice_" just because... **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Chloe**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 79: Cold as Ice_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela sat on the porch swing in front of her mom's house, lazily rocking it back and forth with her foot, a hot cup of tea in her hand. She didn't know what her aunt did to make the tea actually taste good, but she was grateful for it. She'd made the trip up to Bakersfield out of pure boredom and the promise of a home cooked meal. Juice had been acting distant ever since Clay had been sent inside. There was a serious chill in their house coming from his cold shoulder. She didn't know what was wrong with him. Every time she asked, he'd dodge the question, tell her he was fine. But he wasn't fine, and she knew it.

The sound of a motorcycle interrupted her thoughts. Looking out onto the street, she watched Happy pull into the drive and get off his Dyna, hanging his helmet on the handlebars before heading up the walk. He stopped at the porch, his dark eyes looking her over, a brief look of concern crossing his face. "You all right?" he asked, foregoing walking inside and sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, just tired and pregnant," she said on a nod, leaning over to put the mug on the floor by her feet. Her eyes landed on a new patch on his cut. "Sergeant, huh?"

Happy smirked proudly. "Bobby gave up his seat. Chibs got VP, so Jax offered me the patch."

"Congrats." Angela smiled, running her fingers over the familiar lettering. Kozik had worn a similar patch and had been damn proud of it. She hated herself for getting choked up about a stupid patch, but she remembered when Kozik had gotten his; how proud he'd been. He'd given her a big ole smile, his chest puffed out, and told her he wouldn't have been able to do it without her. That if she hadn't gotten him clean, he'd never have been considered for the patch. She sniffled a bit and wiped at her eyes, taking in a deep breath as she nodded. "Looks good on ya."

If he saw the tears in her eyes, he didn't comment on them. "Thanks," he stated before changing the subject. "Surprised you're here."

She rubbed a hand over her belly, pressing on a tender spot where the baby had just kicked her. "Needed a break from all of the Charming bullshit. Nice to be here and be doted on for a bit."

"Idiot not takin' care of you?"

"He's so wrapped up in his own shit right now, he doesn't know what to do with himself half the time," she replied honestly. "Him being a part of the whole Clay thing really fucked with his head. I don't know what to do about it."

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "Nothin' you can do."

She smirked, rolling her eyes at him. "Helpful, Hap. Thanks."

He just shrugged again. The only advice he could give her was to give the idiot some space, but he knew that would upset her. She was pregnant, looked about ready to pop. He was not about to tell her to give the person she lived with space. If something happened to her because Juice wasn't around to help her, Hap would never forgive himself. "Where's your car?"

"Don't get mad," Angela started, watching as his brows furrowed in response. "I was hangin' out with Chlo when your Ma called to say she was making flan. I told Chlo, and she said I shouldn't be driving so far away by myself with Monk since apparently being seven—almost eight-months pregnant means you can't do shit so…she drove."

Happy's eyes scanned the street, landing on the familiar Audi. "You serious?"

She nodded slowly. "Monk wanted flan. Badly," she replied nonchalantly.

He didn't believe that for a second. "Don't mess with my shit, kid."

"What shit?" she asked playing the innocent card. "I didn't tell them you're fucking her, if that's what you're worried about. I'm not a rat. I honestly just needed someone to come out here with me and Juice was busy."

He tried not to look relieved, but he could tell by the smirk that graced his little cousin's face that she knew he was. "Good," he said, ruffling her hair. He heard the three women laughing inside and grimaced wondering what stories they were telling Chloe. "You gonna head inside soon?"

Angela shook her head, her eyes falling back onto the street. She'd texted Juice to invite him to dinner and was still holding onto the hope that he'd show. If not for her, than for her aunt's cooking. Juice was a sucker for a good meal. "Your Ma pulled out some albums. I'm not in the mood to listen to embarrassing stories right now."

Happy saw right through that. Angela loved those albums. They were the only ones that had pictures of her father. She never missed an opportunity to look through them. "Idiot comin'?"

She smiled sadly and shrugged. "We'll find out."

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><p>Juice checked his watch and sighed. Angela had mentioned she'd be at her Mom's place for dinner and flan. His stomach grumbled hungrily, the promise of a homemade meal was making his mouth water. It'd been months since Gemma had had one of her dinners, and he'd been so angry at his own Old Lady, that he'd been missing the dinners she cooked preferring instead to grab something unhealthy and greasy at the diner. He was trying to get over his anger at Angela, mostly because he knew deep down it was unjustified. She hadn't known what she was getting into when Gemma brought her to the house, hadn't been the one to plan it or even go through with it, but still…she'd been there. She hadn't stopped him nor would she have if she'd known. She was happy about Clay's indictment and had made no secret of it. That's where his resentment came from. How could she be so happy about an event that had placed an insurmountable weight on his shoulders?<p>

He looked over at the office where Gemma was sitting typing away at the computer. Wiping his hands on a rag, he leaned against the doorway. Her hazel eyes lifted from the screen and fell on him. "How you doin', baby?" she asked, that maternal tone in her voice.

He shrugged a shoulder in response. "You hear anything new?" he asked, knowing the older woman would know exactly what he was talking about.

"Not a word. What are you still doin' here? Don't you got a pregnant Old Lady to attend to?"

He shrugged again, looking over his shoulder at the few workers that were still milling about. "Yeah. Guess so. Was tryin' to finish up…"

"You gotta stop pushin' her away, Juice," she advised, a knowing look in her eyes. "That girl loves you. She had nothin' to do with what happened. You need to let it go."

Juice nodded, looking down at his dirtied hands. "Her aunt's making a family dinner tonight," he stated, choosing not to comment on her suggestion.

"Go."

"I'm not done cleanin' up."

She looked at him as if he was the biggest idiot on earth. "That's what prospects are for. Grab Rat, tell him to clean your shit, and get outta here," she ordered, before going back to her screen. When he didn't move, she looked at him over the rim of her glasses. "I ain't tellin' you twice."

Juice gave her a small smile before turning away to find Rat boy. He stopped when he heard Gemma's voice call his name. He turned to face her again raising an eyebrow in question. She smirked at him. "Might want to shower and change first," Gemma suggested, looking over his mechanic shirt and dirty jeans in distaste. "Make yourself somewhat presentable."

"Right," he agreed, telling Rat to finish up before heading off to the clubhouse to change.

Freshly showered and dressed in a nicer outfit than his usual t-shirt and pants, he headed out to Bakersfield ready for what he knew would be an amazing meal. He pulled up to the house, parking his bike next to Happy's and setting his helmet on the handlebars, looking up towards the front of the house. Angela was sitting on the porch swing, her dark hair pulled away from her face in a braided style that was more intricate than usual. He was willing to bet her aunt did it for her. She looked beautiful, calm and content, her eyes closed in sleep as she rocked the swing back and forth. He knew this was her getaway spot. Three hours away from their house with her family who loved and cared for her. No matter how crazy her mother made her, Angela loved being around her and her aunt. It gave her peace of mind to be out here far away from the craziness of Charming.

He walked up the steps, leaning awkwardly against the porch railing as studied her face. He knew she'd heard him pull up, heard his boots clunk against the steps; he wasn't the stealthiest guy in the world. "Hey," he greeted.

Angela's dark eyes opened slowly, her gaze raking over him before landing on his face. "Hi," she replied, trying her best to stand. He quickly closed the distance between them, offering her his hands and helping her get to her feet. "Sorry. Monk's got me a little unbalanced."

" 's all right. I got you," he said, letting go of her hands as soon as she was balanced.

Her hands gently straightened out the collar of the black button up shirt he was wearing underneath his cut. "You look nice. Haven't seen this shirt in awhile."

"Thanks." The corners of Juice's mouth lifted in a small smile; the last time he'd worn the shirt was for Opie and Lyla's wedding. Her hands smoothed over the front of his cut as she looked up at him. Had this been just a week before, he would've kissed her, his hands roaming over her body like an overeager teenager, but he didn't have it in him. He was too tired for that. Sleep had eluded him ever since Roosevelt carted off Clay. He spent most of the nights tossing and turning, comforted by the fact that Angela was blocked off from him by her pregnancy pillow so he couldn't accidentally hurt her. He couldn't touch her either, something he blamed on the pillow but knew it was more of his own blockage. The disconnect that used to drive him crazy was welcomed now. He felt so far away from her, literally and figuratively. "Been here long?"

She shrugged. "I guess. Ma and Lena are showing Chlo old pictures. Hap's in there too. Not sure if he got them to stop or not."

A small smile crossed Juice's face at the idea of seeing Angela's baby pictures. He was reminded again of the little girl that would be entering his life soon. God, he needed to sort this shit out before Monk came. The family that he was building was currently in pieces and it was all his fault. "Nice. You guys eat yet?"

"Nope," she replied on a sigh. Her eyes studied his features, a sad look in them as she toyed with the flap on the front pocket of his cut. "You okay?"

He grimaced. There was that question again. Over and over, the same damn question. No, he wasn't okay, but he didn't know how to tell her that. Didn't know how to explain the inner turmoil he was going through. He shrugged a shoulder. " 'm fine."

"Are we okay?" she asked, softer this time.

That question was even worse. "Ang…"

"_Juancito_!" Graciela's voice exclaimed from behind her, cutting him off.

"Hi Graciela," he greeted, giving her as big of a smile as he could muster.

Graciela made her way outside, wrapping her arms around Juice's neck and kissing his cheeks before slapping her hands against them lovingly and holding his face. "Look at you! You get handsomer every time I see you, _mijo! _My grandbaby is going to be beautiful!" she gushed with a bright smile, ignoring the way her daughter rolled her eyes at her. "What? It's true! Come, come inside. Dinner's ready."

Juice turned to follow her but was stopped by Angela's hand on his wrist. Her eyebrows were raised in question, obviously wanting him to continue what he was going to say. "Dinner's ready. We can talk later," he dodged.

She hesitated, knowing that was total bullshit. He wasn't going to talk to her about it later. "Juice…"

"Now's not a good time," he insisted, a tired look on his face. "Your cousin's right there."

"I don't give a shit," she said, keeping her voice low. "You need to talk to me. I can't fix things if you won't talk to me about them."

Juice shook his head slowly. "Just let it go. It's fine," he assured her, kissing her cheek quickly. "Come on, let's get some grub."

Angela let him go, watching the Reaper on his back disappear into the house. Taking a deep breath, she followed after him, plastering a smile on her face to mask the inner turmoil she was currently feeling. She took a seat next to her aunt, watching the older woman hug and kiss Juice.

"_Juancito_!" Elena exclaimed with a wide smile. "So good to see you, _mijo_."

"Good to see you too, Elena," he replied before nodding to Hap. "Hey Hap." He looked over at Chloe, a confused look on his face as he took a seat next to Angela. "What're you doin' here, Chlo?"

Chloe shrugged a shoulder. "I was the chauffeur."

"She thinks I shouldn't drive," Angela explained, glaring at Chloe half heartedly as they started to pass the dinner plates around. "Apparently, pregnant ladies are not supposed to drive which is a lie because I read in the baby books that it's totally okay."

"It is," Chloe agreed with a nod, "but you drive like a crazy person, so you're not included in that category."

Happy hid a laugh behind a cough, trying to avoid his mother's dark knowing gaze while the table erupted into laughter and stories of his cousin's infamous driving record. It wasn't until dinner was over, and he was helping his mother to bed that she spoke up. "I like her, _mijo_," Elena stated softly, a warm look in her eyes as she got into bed.

He nodded in agreement, sitting down by her hip. "Best friend the kid's had in awhile."

"Not for her, for you," Elena clarified, patting his hand lovingly. "You know, I'm not getting any younger."

"Ain't havin' kids, Ma. Ang's got that covered."

Her smile grew at that. "Can you believe our little one is having a baby?"

Happy smirked and shrugged a shoulder; he still was unsure of how to feel about Angela's kid. He always thought of her as being so young. To think the kid he practically raised was having a kid of her own was a little weird. When had he gotten so old? "She'll be a good mom."

"_Por supuesto!_" she exclaimed before her face grew serious again. "I just want you to be happy, _mijo_. You spend all of your time thinking of others and doing things for your family. I just want you to be happy." (_Of course!) _

"I _am_ happy, Ma," he replied, smirking at the comment. She'd named him 'Happy'; there was never a time when he wasn't 'happy.'

Elena scowled at him, lightly slapping his cheek before kissing it. "Let that girl in, _mijo_. _Angelita _is a grown woman now. You don't need to be her protector anymore. That's Juan's role now. Let her go."

Happy nodded slowly, more to end the conversation than because he agreed with her. He didn't trust Juice with Angela. Not for a second. There was a reason he hadn't given the idiot his blessing to propose to her. He knew it was only a matter of time before the idiot screwed up and left Angela in pieces. His kid was strong, but he knew if anything happened between her and Juice, she'd be a wreck, and he'd be right there to clean up the mess as best he could. "Whatever you say, Ma."

"Love you, _mijo_."

"Love you too, Ma," he replied, standing and kissing her forehead. He walked back out to the living room, surprised to find it empty. Glancing out the front windows, he could just make out the couple sitting on the swing on the front deck. There was a small space between them that surprised him. He'd smacked his brother on more than one occasion for having his hands all over Angela. The idiot couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her nor could Angela stay away from him. He took a step closer, wondering if he could make out what they were saying and earn some insight as to what was going on with them.

"Stalker," a soft voice came from behind him. He turned to find Chloe sitting at the kitchen table, a huge book open in front of her. He raised an eyebrow at her in silent question, and she gestured to the window. "Let them be. Last I heard, they were talking about cleaning out the baby room. Nothing interesting."

"And _I'm_ the stalker?" he asked, pointing to himself as he moved towards her. He grabbed a chair, turning it backward and moving it closer to her before sitting down on it backwards. "Where's my aunt?"

"Went to bed. Told me to tell you goodnight so…goodnight," she replied, looking over at him.

He nodded in response, reaching out a hand to flick her glasses forward. He'd never seen her wearing glasses before, but they suited her well. "Whatcha reading?"

"Some old school nursing book your aunt swears by," she answered pushing her glasses back up her nose. "It's really, really antiquated. I worry about how she practices medicine."

Happy chuckled. He appreciated how candid she was despite the fact she'd only just met Graciela. "They got her in records or some shit. Spends the whole day gossiping."

"Good," she mumbled, engrossed in what she was reading. He shut the book on her, smirking when her hazel eyes finally met his stare.

"You really come for Ang?" he asked, not one to beat around the bush. If she came to pry into his private life, whatever little fling they had would be over. He hated nosy bitches.

Chloe smirked and nodded. "I tried to convince her to come another time when you or Juice was home to drive her, but she insisted that she needed to be here tonight with or without my escort services. She promised she'd make sure your mom and aunt understood that I was _her_ friend, and I had nothing to do with you."

"Didn't work so well," he muttered, thinking of his mother's comment. "Ang likes you, Graci likes you, my _Ma_ likes you."

"I'm a likeable person," she commented on a shrug as if it was no big deal.

Happy nodded in agreement. She was likeable. Too likeable. The more time he spent with her, the more time he realize he enjoyed her company for more than just the physical side of it. He checked the clock on the wall and sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "We should head back."

"Okay." Chloe pushed away from the table, grabbing her mug and heading to the kitchen. He angled his seat, so he could watch her clean it and the remaining dishes that he was almost positive his mom and aunt told her to leave behind. He strode over to her, moving to stand at her side. He didn't know how to be affectionate with people outside of his family, but he had the strong urge to touch her in some way. Slowly, he set his hand on her lower back, moving it slowly before curling his fingers around her hip. She leaned into him, her hand rubbing up and down his back as her head tilted against his shoulder. The movement relaxed him in a way he wasn't used to, but he had to admit, he kind of liked it.

" 'm worried about her," he admitted, something he'd never feel comfortable telling anyone else. He used to be able to talk to his mother about that kind of stuff but lately, he was too worried about stressing her out. "Kid won't talk to me about him."

"After the beating you gave him a few weeks ago, can you blame her?" she asked rhetorically.

Happy's stare darkened slightly. "Idiot had it comin'."

"I'm not saying it wasn't well deserved," she clarified quickly, "because after hearing what he did, I wanted to smack him myself. But that's why she won't talk to you about him."

He smirked at the idea of Chloe hitting Juice. He would love to see that. "She talk to you?"

"Yeah," Chloe admitted, looking up at him. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, but she shook her head. "I can't break that trust. If there is something you need to know, I will tell you. If that idiot ever lays a hand on her, you'll be the first to know so you can help me hide the body."

Happy chuckled. "Lil' killer, huh?" he teased, tugging on her ponytail.

"I'm serious," she said, her hazel eyes fierce. "You don't fuck with my friends and live."

On instinct, he dipped his head down, placing a rough kiss on her lips. She grabbed onto the front of his cut, her responding kiss just as rough. Girl gave as good as she got; he could get used to having this one around. He pulled away when he heard a door close, smirking at the dazed look on Chloe's face.

She caught his smirk and narrowed her eyes at him, bumping her hip against his, a look of disappointment on her face. He turned around, leaning his back against the counter next to her and crossing his arms over his chest. She dipped her head, washing the glass again, keeping the rouse that they hadn't just been kissing. He appreciated that she wanted to keep things on the down low too. It made his life a hell of a lot easier.

He watched Angela and Juice walk in. Something was definitely off between them. Juice had his hands in his pockets as Angela's eyes roamed over the house, looking for something to look at. Anything but her Old Man. This was not the happy couple he was used to seeing.

He glanced over at Chloe who seemed to have noticed the same thing. She planted a smile on her face. "Ready to go, Ang?"

Angela nodded, pecking Juice's cheek before heading out to Chloe's car leaving the other three behind. Chloe patted Happy's arm reassuringly and headed after her. Happy narrowed his eyes at Juice who was focused on the floor. "She okay?" he asked the idiot.

Juice lifted his head up. "Huh?" he questioned as if surprised by the question. "Ang? Yeah, yeah. We're…we're fine. _She's_ fine. I'm…I'm takin' care of her."

"You hurt her, and you're dead," he threatened, pointing a finger in his face. "Now get out."

* * *

><p>Angela stared straight ahead at the dark road in front of her as Chloe drove. She wished her friend would put the radio on, that she could roll the windows down…that she was driving. Anything to drown out her thoughts. She played with the charm around her neck, rubbing her thumb over the head of the crow as her mind replayed her whole interaction with Juice back in her head. He'd never been so distant from her, and she was trying. God knows, she'd been trying for days now to get him back to normal, but he barely touched her anymore. She was surprised he even came home lately.<p>

"So…what's going on with you and Juice?" Chloe asked, breaking the silence.

"Nothing," she answered out of habit. Hide it away, act like nothing was wrong, that they were fine. That was her strategy. Maybe if she believed it enough, it would come true.

Chloe snorted. "Bull shit. Something's off. I saw it tonight. Hap's worried."

Angela raised her eyebrow at her friend. "_Hap's_ worried? He _told_ you that?" she asked incredulously. Happy never, ever talked about his feelings with people outside of their family. Whatever was happening with him and Chloe went deeper than some fuck buddy.

"He knows you talk to me, Ang. Wanted me to reassure him that y'all are okay. That he doesn't have to start bashing in skulls."

"We're fine."

Chloe shook her head slowly. "Stop telling yourself that because you're not. Whatever is happening between you and him is serious, Ang. You guys are about to bring a baby into this world, you really want to be in this weirdo state when Monk makes her appearance?"

"I don't know what's going on with him because he won't _talk_ to me, okay?" Angela finally snapped, completely frustrated. "I didn't do anything, Chloe! I don't know why he hates me so much!"

"He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you."

"Then why does it feel like it?" she exclaimed, raking a hand through her hair. Tears had sprung to her eyes and she was trying desperately to hold them back. "He doesn't touch me anymore, Chlo. Not like he used to. He doesn't smile or joke. He does everything he can to be away. He says it's the club, but sometimes I wonder if he's making shit up. I called TM the other day to ask Gemma somethin', and she asked why Juice came in on his day off. He went to work on his day off to…to get away from me. Why would he do that?"

Chloe shrugged a shoulder. "Ask him."

"He won't…"

"Then leave, Angela," she cut her off harshly. "If you're unhappy then leave. If you don't think he loves you then leave. That idiot needs a goddamn wake up call. You even start packing your bags, and you'll have him begging you to stay, to talk."

Angela was surprised by Chloe's suggestion. It was a manipulation that Gemma would've suggested, not her kind-natured friend. "I'm not going to play with him, Chlo. That's not what a healthy relationship is."

"It's not a play. I think you need to get out of that house. It is stressing you the hell out, and that shit is not good for you or your baby."

She sighed, her eyes going to the side mirror where she could see Juice's headlight. He was following behind them while Happy drove in the front, their own personal escort home. "It'd be harder without him."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't think that's true," she said honestly. "Just...think about it, okay."

"Whatever." Angela shrugged before rolling down her window, letting the roar of the wind signify that she was done talking. She didn't want to hear anymore of Chloe's advice. It was starting to sound too logical. She didn't want to leave Juice, no matter how right it was. If she left him, even for just a short period of time, she wasn't sure she'd ever get him back.

* * *

><p><strong>Heavy, heavy stuff, but I'm working up to Season 6 which is super crazy. All of this is happening for a reason, I promise! <strong>

**Let me know what you think! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions! **

**~Love Ink**


	80. Wipe Your Eyes

**Thanks so much to everyone who's taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _GirlBiggsee,_ _Guest, _and _DarkChild20!_**

**This chapter takes place between Season 5 and Season 6. The title of it comes from the amazing Maroon 5 song, "_Wipe Your Eyes"_ which fits pretty darn well with this chapter. ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Bones, and Chloe :) **

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 80: Wipe Your Eyes_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice walked into his house late in the afternoon, a brown paper bag in his hand. Gemma had insisted he leave work early to take Angela the meatloaf she'd prepared for them. It seemed the Queen of SAMCRO was feeling a little guilty for the rough spot they were currently going through. He'd tried his best to argue with her, but when he saw Happy looking their way, he figured he'd cut his losses and bail. Happy had been shooting him death glares all day, waiting for any reason to beat the shit out of him. It seemed everyone was worried about their relationship.

Soft music filled the house coming from somewhere down the hallway. Frank Sinatra. She'd jokingly told him Monk got a kick out of Ole Blue Eyes. Rigor ran around his legs as he walked in, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he pranced happily around. He leaned down and scratched behind the dog's ears lovingly. "What's goin' on, Rigs?" he asked, following the sound of Angela's singing to the spare room. The room had once been filled with boxes of stuff, both his and hers, as well as old computer hardware he used to tinker with when he was bored. It was essentially a junk room that neither of them used. Walking into it now, he was surprised by how big it was. Angela had been working on it for days with Chloe and Ellie, painting the walls a lilac color with white baseboards and trim, setting up the different pieces of baby furniture they'd either bought or had gotten out of SAMCRO storage.

He leaned against the doorjamb, watching her put the finishing touches on a design she had painted in pink on the wall. He couldn't help but smile when he recognized what she was painting. It was a perfect replica of the tribal lightning bolts he had on his head, positioned head to head, the front ends changed just a bit so they formed a heart, a halo painted in yellow above it. The design was a perfect mixture of him and her, just like their daughter would be.

"Kinda cheesy, huh?" Angela asked without turning around.

He smirked, somehow, she always knew when he was watching her. It was hard as hell to take her by surprise, something he attributed to her having grown up with Happy. "It's great," he replied on a nod. "Better than princesses and fairies and shit."

"Thanks," she stated, climbing down from the step stool and taking a step back to admire her own work. She looked over at him. "What're you doin' home?"

He held up the brown paper bag. "Gemma sent over food for you."

"Oh. Cool," she said feeling a little crestfallen. She thought he might've come home early to talk, but she was slowly starting to realize that was never going to happen. The only reason he was home was because Gemma sent him. Otherwise, he'd still be at TM, working. They were never going to work this out. They'd be stuck in this weird, limbo state forever. She winced as a sharp pain went up her spine making her gasp. "Shit," she groaned, squeezing her eyes tightly and holding her breath until the pain subsided.

The bag in his hand fell to the floor as he crossed the room to her. "What? What happened?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Is it the baby?"

"I don't know," she replied as another one hit. "Ow! Fuck!"

Juice's hands shook as he walked her over to the small futon in the corner, helping her sit down. "What? Ang, tell me what's goin' on? Its too early for the baby to be comin', right?"

She nodded, grimacing again as another one hit. "Yeah," she breathed, tears coming to her eyes. This wasn't right. Something was going on and it hurt like hell. "What if something's wrong?"

Juice stood, grabbing her hands and helping her to her feet. "Hospital time," he said, lacing his fingers through hers and pulling her towards her car. He kept a tight hold of her hand during the short trip to St. Thomas. It was the most he'd touched her in days.

* * *

><p>Chloe walked into the examination room, hoping that she'd find a loving couple behind those doors. Juice was always attentive when he came to these types of examinations. Always holding Angela's hand and asking a million questions, excited to start their little family. When she opened the door, however, she found him pacing the floor while Angela rubbed nervously at her belly through her hospital gown, wincing as another cramp hit. Chloe knew what was troubling her friend the moment they came into the maternity wing. It was nothing to be worried about, though she understood why they'd been scary to her at first; clearly, the couple was not reading their baby books. "Braxton Hicks contractions," she stated as she walked into the room. At their blank stares, she sighed. "You're fine. She's just practicing for her big entrance."<p>

Angela let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed against the chair. "Seriously?"

"Uh-huh," she assured her on a nod. "Everything is totally normal. Blood tests from last time look good. You're fine."

"You're sure?" Juice asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You'll know when Monk's coming," she said, glaring back at the mohawked idiot. "Ang, why don't you get changed? I'll sign you guys out."

With a grunt of effort, she stood and headed towards the bathroom. Chloe waited until she was out of the room before grabbing Juice by the arm and hauling him outside of the room. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" she hissed in an effort to keep her voice down.

"Nothing. Why does everyone keep askin' me that?" Juice countered, his eyebrows raised.

"Your pregnant girlfriend is scared as hell and all you can do is stand there with your arms crossed like some kind of idiot!" she exclaimed, her words sharp. "She _needs_ you, Juice! You can't just freeze her out!"

Juice shrugged his shoulders, playing dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then you really are an idiot," Chloe said, disgust tainting her words. "You keep acting like this and you are going to _lose_ her. Grow some balls and get over whatever bullshit you're holding against her before you really mess it up."

She could see the anger on his face as he took a step towards her, a dangerous look in his dark eyes that she had never seen before. She'd always been curious as to how the goofy, light hearted man fit in with the outlaw motorcycle club, but she saw it now.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he seethed, keeping his voice low despite the anger in his words. "Mind your own damn business."

Chloe didn't back down; she wasn't afraid of him. "I am _trying_ to help you."

His glare intensified. "I don't need your help. Tell Angela I'm out in the car," he spat before walking away, the Reaper on his back grinning at her as he went.

She stared at him, her mouth slack in a state of utter shock. That was not the same men she'd seen laughing and smiling at the sight of his baby girl just a few days ago. Not the same man who was constantly showering his Old Lady with love. What the hell had happened? The door opened, and she turned to see Angela standing there, an annoyed look on her face. "You shouldn't have done that," Angela stated, her dark eyes disappointed.

"Ang, the way he's acting is out of line. Can't you see that? He barely even touched you in there! You are about to have his _kid_. He should be showering you with love or at the very least holding your hand! This isn't right!"

Angela shook her head slowly. "You don't know what we're going through," she said on a frown. "Stay out of it. Please. I don't get in the middle of your shit, so stay out of mine."

* * *

><p>That night Angela heard the door bang open and was up in seconds, grabbing her gun out of her bedside drawer. After they got home from the hospital, Juice had gone back to the clubhouse saying he had club business to attend to. He hadn't come home, she hadn't really expected him to. She'd heard Chloe's little rant to him and knew her friend had hit a nerve. He was probably at the clubhouse now, drowning himself in a bottle of Jack, trying to block it out. Rigor jumped off the bed and ran to the living room, barking loudly for a moment before he calmed. Whoever had walked in had to be someone Rigs knew otherwise he would still be going crazy. Slowly, she walked to the living room, her heart pounding in her chest. She was shocked to find Juice stumbling around drunkenly, Rigor at his heels. She lowered her gun, setting it on the nearest table. "Juice?" she questioned, a little more at ease now that she knew some stranger wasn't in her living room.<p>

"You," he growled, his eyes glassy and wide as he pointed a finger at her. "This is all on you."

She furrowed her brows in confusion as he took a few steps closer. The smell of alcohol on his breath made her stomach churn. "What are you talking about?"

"You hated Clay," he slurred, his large hands wrapping around her upper arms. "You wanted him gone and now he's gone. I…I betrayed him. He's gonna die 'cause of me, 'n' it's all your fault."

His words stung, but she remained strong. He wasn't thinking clearly. There was no way he could mean what he was saying. "You're drunk. Go to bed," she ordered calmly.

"No," he said his grip tightening painfully on her arms as he pushed her against the wall. "He was my brother 'n' he cared 'bout me 'n' you made me betray him!"

Tears blurred her vision as she shook her head. Her own guilt swirling around in her stomach; she wished she hadn't been there that day. That she had told Gemma to turn the car around as soon as she realized where they were going. If she hadn't been there, he wouldn't be able to associate her with it, wouldn't be able to dump the blame on her. "You're drunk, Juice. Go to bed. Please."

"Admit it, Angela. You wanted this. You wanted Clay gone. You wanted him dead for no fucking reason. You put this shit on me!" he spat, getting closer to her face. "You made me turn on my own brother! He didn't do anything to you, but you had to get rid of him!"

"_I _had to get rid of him?" she shouted back at him, her anger getting the best of her. "I had nothing to do with it!"

"You were there! Smilin' and shit! Happy about it!"

"I was happy that it meant they weren't going to take you to the damn table!" she exclaimed, only half lying. Of course she'd been happy to see them take Clay away. Clay had not only threatened her, but he'd sent his goons over to her funeral home to beat the crap out of her apprentice. Bones was like a brother to her. No one fucked with her family and lived. "I was happy it meant you were going to _live_! You can't fault me for that!"

"That's bullshit, Angela! You were jealous of all the time I spent with him! Fucking mad at me for helping a brother! He was the only one who gave a shit about me!"

"Jesus Christ, Juice. Listen to yourself! Do you even realize what you're saying?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise. "If it wasn't him, it would've been you! Don't you get that?"

But Juice was on a tear, he didn't even hear her. "I was fine without you, Angela! Fucking happy doing whatever the hell I wanted! My brothers came first always! And then you came in like a fucking virus and destroyed everything!" he shouted, his drunken ramblings barely making any sense. His grip on her arms tightened. "I almost killed myself! And Chibs knows! He knows everything! He's gonna fucking kill me! They vote and I'm gone! No one will say 'no' but Clay would've! He understood! He knew! And now he's gone because you're a jealous, selfish bitch!"

"Fuck you!" she shouted, struggling against the grip on his arms. He let go, and she forcefully pushed him away, making him stumble back a few steps. It wasn't the first time his hacker brain had called her a virus, and she did not appreciate it at all. "If I'm such a fucking virus, why don't you get rid of me? Huh, Mr. Intelligence officer? Or better yet, I'll leave!"

She walked quickly to their room, slamming the door in his face. "Open the fucking door, Angela!" Juice shouted, pounding his fists against it.

"Fuck you, Juice!" she called back, wiping at her tears as she gathered her things. She ripped open the door and pushed him back again, trying her best to walk past him.

He caught her arm, pulling her back. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm leaving, you stupid shithead!" she shouted, pulling her arm away from him. "You wanna put your guilt on me? That's fine, but don't expect me to sit here and fucking take it! I didn't do anything! All that shit you just said? It's all on you! You think I'm a virus? Well consider me gone. You can operate at a hundred percent, you stupid asshole! Happy?"

He was silent for a moment, his glassy doe eyes wide for a second as if he couldn't believe it. She pushed him back, speeding by him to the door. "Fine! Go!" he shouted, chasing after her. "Never thought you'd stay anyway!"

"Good! I'm gone!" she yelled back, speed walking to her car. It wasn't until she got in the car that he started walking towards her, calling after her, begging her to stay. She ignored him, slamming her door shut and turning up her music. Taking a deep breath, she started the car and sped out of the driveway, forcing herself not to look back at him in her rear view mirror.

Angela gripped the steering wheel tightly, tears making everything blurry as she drove down the street. She didn't know where to go. Chloe was her first option, but when she drove by, Happy's bike was parked in the drive. As mad as she was at Juice, there was no way she was going to sic Hap on him; she'd already seen the outcome of that and it wasn't pretty. Gemma's house was dark with just Unser's truck in the driveway. As much as she liked the old Sheriff, she didn't feel comfortable talking to him about her problems. A few blocks down, she could make out Jax's bike parked in the driveway of his house next to Gemma's car. There was no way she was going to walk into that mess. Only one safe place remained, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it sooner.

She walked up the stairs to the front door, hating how hard it was for her to make the climb with her pregnant belly. It was another reminder that this shouldn't be happening. That she should be happy with her Old Man, not fighting him. She knocked and took in a deep breath, trying to keep her tears at bay. The door opened and she sniffled as Bones' dark eyes looked over her from behind his glasses. "Got room for a big, blubbering whale?" she asked, wiping at her eyes.

Bones smiled at her, taking a step back to let her in. "No. But I got room for a pretty pregnant lady," he stated, closing the door behind him. He watched her stand in the middle of the room awkwardly, her hand reaching up to wipe at her eyes. Quickly, he pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing a hand over her back. "You want to talk about it or take it out on some Golden Eye?"

Angela laughed into his chest, feeling more and more like she'd chosen the right place to go to. "Golden Eye," she decided, sniffling as she pulled away and went to sit on his couch.

Bones took a seat next to her, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Whatever it is. I'm here for you."

She smiled at him, tilting her head so it was on his shoulder. "Thanks, Boner. Love you."

"Love you too, sis," he replied, starting up the game. "Now let's kill some bitches."

* * *

><p>Juice woke up the next morning with his head pounding. Rubbing a hand over his face, he reached out for Angela only to hit the cold side of her bed. The events of the night before hit him as did the urge to vomit. He ran to the bathroom, emptying his stomach into the toilet. Sitting back, he felt his heartbeat quicken as the panic set in. She was gone. She'd left him. He'd <em>told <em>his pregnant Old Lady to leave him. What had he done?

He scrambled for his burner, calling Angela from it instead of his personal line. She wouldn't pick up if she knew it was him. Hell, he doubted she'd pick up anyway. Each ring of the phone sounded longer than the one before it until finally, he heard the other line click. "Angela Ruiz?" her voice was confident, professional. It took him a moment to answer, and it took her a moment to figure out who it was. "Juice?"

"Yeah," he replied on a soft sigh. "Hey baby."

"What do you want?" Angela asked, acid in her tone.

Juice scratched at the back of his neck. "Can we…can we talk?"

"What do you want to talk about? How I'm a selfish bitch or maybe you want to call me a virus again?"

He winced, remembering the colorful names he'd called her the night before. He honestly didn't know where those had come from. "I want to explain…"

"I think you explained quite enough last night, Juice," she shot back, cutting him off.

"Angel, please," he asked, swallowing hard. "Just come home. Let's talk about this. _Please_."

She sighed heavily, and he could picture her running a hand through her hair. "Fine."

* * *

><p>Angela took a deep breath as she slipped her key into the lock. She wasn't sure what to expect on the other side of the door. Rigor bounded over to her as soon as she got the door open, running around her heels as if he had never been so happy to see her. She grinned at him, wishing her huge stomach didn't make it so damn difficult to get to his level. "Hi baby boy," she cooed, scratching at his head. "Aren't you happy? Did you go out on a run?"<p>

"Ran three miles today," Juice's voice answered from the kitchen.

She straightened up, looking him over briefly. He was shirtless, holding a green shake in his hand. "Surprised you could get out of bed," she quipped, arms crossed over her chest.

His shoulders fell as he sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "Angel, about last night. What I said…I don't know where that all came from," he started, taking a step towards her and reaching a hand out to grab hers.

She took a step back, out of his reach. "I do!" she shot back quickly. "You wouldn't _talk_ to me, Juice. You bottled up all of those shitty feelings inside instead of talking to me about it and then finally worked up the courage to say them when you were drunk!"

"No. No! That's not true," he tried, his voice rough as he shook his head. "I didn't mean any of that shit, Angel. Honest."

Angela wasn't fooled. She knew he'd been drunk and exaggerating things, but she knew, deep down, he meant what he said. "Don't lie to me. You blame me for Clay. I know you do. I knew it the second it happened. The way you looked at me, the way you talked to me…" she trailed off, swallowing hard. "And I tried so hard to talk to you, Juice. To fix it."

"Angel..."

"But you didn't want to," she continued undeterred by his interruption. "You wouldn't let me in. You kept pushing me further and further away. Do you realize how long it's been since you said you loved me? Since you kissed me? I mean really, really kissed me? We're having a kid together and you...you've totally checked out."

His eyes were big and shiny as he listened to her speak. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, baby," he stated, reaching out for her once again. She moved away from him as she had before. "I never meant to hurt you."

She swallowed hard, holding back the sobs that were threatening to escape her throat. "You did, though. First with Carla and now this...I don't know who you are anymore, Juice," she murmured as her conversation with Chloe played through her head. She met his gaze briefly, her heart breaking as she took in a deep breath. "Maybe we need some...space."

Juice blinked at her in disbelief for a few moments before shaking his head. The events of the past months went through his head. From what he did to Carla to everything that happened with Clay. They'd been on this rocky windy road for all of her pregnancy, and she'd stuck with him. She'd been patient and had forgiven him for all of his mistakes. He'd known they were skating on thin ice for awhile, but he kept pushing her. The night before, the ice had finally broken, and he was drowning in a mess of his own making because he didn't want to let her in before. He didn't want to be near her because what he'd done had been all her fault. Looking at her, seeing the pain in her eyes, he knew she was right. They needed a break, they'd needed one for awhile now, and he knew just how to do it. He nodded slowly. "Okay."

More pain flashed across her face at his response. He wondered briefly if she'd been expecting him to disagree with her. "Okay?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

He nodded slowly. "What I said was wrong, but I can't help thinking all that poisonous shit lately," he admitted, hanging his head. "I think I need to…be away from you for a bit. Get my head straight 'fore I end up hurting you more than I already have. You and Monk are…everything and I can't sit here and watch myself fuck it up. I need to clear all this crap outta my head, and I can't do that while I'm here with you. I tried last night, and it only made things worse."

He took in a deep breath as she nodded in agreement. Letting out the breath, he tried to swallow back the lump that was rising in his throat. "Bobby's goin' on a run. I'm gonna go with him," he stated.

Angela sniffed, wiping at her eyes as she nodded. "Okay. When does he leave?"

"Later today," he answered, shifting nervously. "I should probably start packing, huh?"

She smiled a little and nodded, following him to their room. "How long will you be gone?" she asked, sitting on the bed and watching him pack. It was strange how easy this was. It was a monumental moment in their relationship, yet neither of them seemed to realize it. He was going on a run. He did it all the time. They were going through the motions now, trying to avoid the deeper meaning.

Juice shrugged a shoulder, taking a stack of his shirts and pants from his drawers and neatly placing them in his usual "run" bag. "Dunno."

"Okay," she said, leaning over and petting Rigor who had come in seeking attention. She listened as Juice talked to Bobby on the phone, a simple conversation that left out any and all mention of her. It seemed as though Bobby didn't ask any questions, and for that, she was glad. If Happy caught wind of it, it would not turn out well for Juice.

He hung up the phone, pulling on a shirt and his cut before shouldering his bag. "Uh...Bobby and the guys are actually leaving in ten minutes."

Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead. She'd wanted space, had asked for it, but it was happening too fast now. All of a sudden, she regretted ever bringing it up. She didn't want him to leave. "Shit," she muttered, getting to her feet as he moved to stand in front of her.

He reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, letting his hand rest on her cheek. She tilted her head into his touch, closing her eyes for a brief moment. He brushed a kiss to her forehead, his hands moving to her belly. She put her hands on top of his, holding onto his wrists. "Love you, Angel," he murmured as he put his forehead to hers. "You and Monk. So much."

"Love you, too," she replied, her words slightly choked. She tilted her head, catching her lips with his own in a sweet, goodbye kiss. "Be safe, okay?"

Juice nodded, hating how final this goodbye felt. What they had wasn't over. They were just taking a break. That was it. He'd come back and they'd be okay. They had to be. This had to work. Together, they headed to the front door. He turned back towards her, one hand on the door. "Love you," he repeated once more for good measure before dipping his head to kiss her quickly. "I'll see you…later."

She nodded, standing in the doorway and watching as he got on his motorcycle. Her eyes followed him until she couldn't see him anymore, a sense of dread coming over her as the image was blurred by her tears. What had she done?

* * *

><p>Juice felt a sense of relief fill him when he passed the "Welcome to Charming" sign on his way out. He was flanked by his brothers, heading North for some bullshit run. He wasn't an idiot; he knew that Bobby had set this up as a way to escape the tension that was brewing between him and Jax. Reason didn't matter to him, though. He needed to get as far away from what happened in Charming as possible. Needed some room to breathe. He let the sound of the wind roaring in his ears drown out his thoughts and just focused on the road ahead. At the moment, nothing mattered but the bike beneath him and the open road ahead of him.<p>

It wasn't until they pulled off for a piss break that it all hit him. He and Angela were on a break. She wanted him away from her and their daughter. Briefly, he wondered if she'd leave him. Take their kid and bounce, but he knew her better than that. She would never do that to him. Whatever happened between them, that little girl would always be theirs, and she would't take that away from him. He stared out over the pretty landscape, soaking in the trees and hills around him. It was a pretty rest stop, one he and Angela had been to before on the way up to Yosemite…he shook his head, trying not to think about what he'd done, what he'd left behind. The smell of weed filled his nose, and he turned to find Bobby standing beside him.

"What's goin' on, Juice?" he asked, his dark eyes looking at him curiously.

"Nothin', man. I'm fine," Juice lied easily, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his cut.

Bobby shook his head. "Don't bullshit me. 's not like you to leave Ang so easy. Can't imagine she was happy 'bout it."

He breathed in deeply before letting out his breath slowly. "She wanted space," he admitted softly. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "I fucked up, Bobby."

"What happened?"

"We had this fight about the shit that went down with Clay," he explained, staring straight ahead so as not to be affected by the older man's expressions. "Gemma brought her over to Clay's that day. She was there, Bobby. She…she didn't stop it. They took him away and she looked…shit, she looked _happy_. Like she wanted it to happen. 'n' I…I can't wrap my head around why."

Bobby sighed heavily, exhaling the smoke from his joint while he did so. He handed Juice the joint before clearing his throat. "Maybe she was happy 'cause she knows you got off easy."

Juice grimaced at the meaning behind those words. Bobby knew all about what he'd done with Roosevelt. The older man was right though. That was exactly what she'd said. She'd been happy to see Clay go because it meant they weren't going to kill him. He _had_ gotten off easy. _Too_ easy. Something told him his penance was not over yet. "Yeah, maybe," he agreed, bobbing his head up and down. "I just…I can't get it outta my head. I keep thinkin' about it, 'n' it…pisses me off."

"She had nothin' to do with it, though."

"She was there."

"That don't make her guilty. My guess is she had no idea what she was doin' there. If anythin', you should be pissed at Gemma for takin' her over," Bobby said logically.

He sighed, lengthily. Bobby was right, of course, but he didn't want to admit it. "But I'm not," he said on a laugh. "I'm mad at Angela. I see her, and I remember that day. How bad it felt stabbing my brother in the back like that. How she smiled like it was the best thing ever while I was feeling like the worst person on the planet. And I can't separate her from that moment. I want to, but I can't. I look at her and I'm back at Clay's."

"Gotta let that shit go, brother," he said wisely.

"How?"

Bobby took a long drag from his joint. "I think this run is a start. Gettin' some space was a good idea. You two have been stuck in the same fishbowl for too long. Space is good for ya. Maybe try something new. Get your dick wet in some new pussy."

Juice shook his head at that. There was no way he was even going to try doing something like that. He knew what that would lead to. "No," he disagreed softly. "That's not what I want. I want what we had before all this shit. I want her. I've always wanted her. The fact that she just wanted space and didn't leave me blows my mind. I treat her like shit, and she stays with me. Why? Why would she do that when she could have so much more?"

" 'cause she loves you," he replied easily. "I can see it on her face when she looks at ya."

"Why though? What could I possibly have to give to her?"

"Nothin'. But she don't need anythin'. That's what makes it work. Old Ladies, the good ones, they don't need shit. They're independent, usually headstrong, and loyal as hell. What they want from an Old Man is love. That's it. They want to be loved," he explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Do you love her?"

He swallowed hard as he nodded. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he loved her. More than anything else in the world. "Yeah, man."

"Then stop worryin' about the other shit. Use this time to sort out through your own bullshit that's clouding your judgment. Wasn't Angie who turned in Clay, it was you. Once you come to terms with that, then you can get back to the way things were. Open road's a good place to find yourself. Just gotta be smart enough to look," Bobby stated, handing the joint to Juice before slapping him on the shoulder. "I'm gonna take a piss."

Juice chuckled, watching him walk away before shaking his head as he took a long toke. He let out the smoke slowly and let the drug relax him. He was determined to figure all of this shit out and get back to the man he'd been before it, the man Angela had first fallen in love with. He wasn't going to lose her over something like this. They were going to be fine. They had to be.

* * *

><p>Angela stared at the TV in front of her. Some movie was playing on it about some subject she didn't care about. It was all white noise to her, a way of going through the motions. She rubbed a hand up and down her big belly while the conversation she had with Juice played through her head. She was torturing herself by examining every inflection in his voice, the pauses, the sighs, every little breath and look. He'd left her to go on a run, something he'd done dozens of times before. But this time it was different. This time, she'd asked him to leave, and what did he do? He'd agreed with her! That was something she hadn't seen coming. Chloe had been telling her for weeks that they needed space, and she hadn't wanted to hear it because she knew it would make her feel like this, make her doubt everything that they were. She'd always thought they had a strong relationship but it'd been worn down and weakened as the years went on. Neither of them had taken the time to strengthen it either. Maybe the time spent apart would do it…maybe it would do the opposite. Maybe he'd find a new girl on his run, and he'd end things with her in favor of being free.<p>

The sound of a key turning in the front door startled her; she wasn't expecting anyone. When it finally opened, Gemma strode in as if she owned the place. "You have a key?" Angela asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Got one to all the guys' places. Who the hell do you think cleans 'em? Someone's gotta let the sweetbutts in," she explained, gesturing to the pristine condition of the house. Juice had never needed the SAMCRO cleaning service; his house was always clean because of his OCD. He'd still given her a copy of his key when he first got the place to keep with the tradition. "I knocked first. Had me worried when ya didn't answer."

Angela sighed, raking her hands through her hair. "Sorry. Guess I was wrapped up in the movie," she said, nodding to the screen which was showing a commercial, clearly disproving her theory. "What do you need, Gemma?"

"You hear what happened to Tara last night?"

She blinked at the older woman for a moment, her mind going back to when she'd driven by Tara's house and had seen Gemma's car in the drive. "No. What happened?"

"Roosevelt took her in. She's up in Stockton at the lady prison."

Her jaw almost dropped in disbelief. Tara was in _jail_? It seemed her life wasn't the only one in shambles. "Jesus Christ," she muttered, shaking her head. "For that whole Otto thing?"

"So you know about it?"

"Well…yeah," Angela said on a nod. "Tara mentioned it."

Gemma's eyes narrowed into a glare. "She mention giving custody of the boys to Wendy too?"

Her eyes widened in response to that. She never would've thought Tara would go so far as to grant custody of Abel and Thomas to Wendy of all people. "What?"

"Bitch signed custody papers for the kids to go to that junkie whore should anything happen to her or Jax," she explained, her hands on her hips. "My only question is why Wendy and not you?"

"Wendy's Abel's birth mom. She's a logical choice," Angela hedged, not wanting to get into the fact that she'd told Tara 'no'.

Gemma scoffed at that, shaking her head. "That's bullshit. She asked you, didn't she?"

Angela sighed, rubbing a hand over her belly as Monk did a flip inside of it. "Yeah."

"And you said no?"

Angela nodded, rubbing her hand over her belly. "I have a baby on the way and problems that I can't seem to work out with Juice. Do I want to add on two little boys with a crazy grandmother? Not really. I told her I would check in on them, make sure they were happy, like I do with Kenny and Ellie, but I wasn't about to take on guardianship. I know my limits."

A brief look of approval passed over Gemma's face before she scowled. "I'm _not_ crazy," she said, taking a seat next to Angela on the couch. "That why you and Tara have been on the outs?"

"Yeah. She didn't take too kindly to my answer. Especially when I said that even if I did take the boys, I wasn't going to leave Charming," she answered on a sigh. "She wants to get those boys out of here, _badly_, and was throwing every reason she could think of to convince me to do the same. What happened to Donna, to Dawn, to you…all the shit that the women of this club have gone through just because of their association to it. For a moment, I saw her side."

The Queen's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You gonna split too, undertaker?"

She shook her head slowly. "I can't do that to Juice. Maybe that'll change when this baby is out and…_real_ but right now, I can't make that promise to her. Charming is home. Juice is here, Hap's here...my family's here. I can't just leave it behind. It's not that easy."

"I appreciate you takin' my side in this. Know it's hard for you."

Angela sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. This had nothing to do with sides. She was looking out for Thomas and Abel. "If I'm on any side, its Thomas and Abel's. I just want them to be well taken care of and happy. I know what it's like to grow up without a father and, to an extent, without a mother. My aunt and Hap…they were all I had growing up, and I am so grateful to have had them. That blood bond is something that can't be matched. I love those boys, but I can't give them that feeling of belonging. They'll always wonder why they weren't entrusted to you and resent both me and Tara for it. Tara doesn't see that big picture, but I do."

Gemma nodded in understanding. She respected Angela's decision; the girl was smarter than she looked. In a way, she was grateful she had said no. Angela was too smart to be manipulated. If she committed to taking care of those boys and taking them out of Charming, she would do it no matter what. Wendy was weaker, easier to sway. Should the junkie whore ever get her hands on the boys, Gemma was confident she could work something out with her. "Fair enough," she said, patting Angela's hand lovingly. "Now what's going on with you and Juice?"

She sighed again, shaking her head slowly. "We had a really bad fight last night. He was drunk, said some stupid shit so I left. He called wanting to talk," she answered on a frown. "And I told him I wanted space."

"Thought it was weird he was goin' on the run with you pregnant 'n' all," she mused, reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind Angela's ear. "This about Clay?"

The move was so motherly, it surprised the younger girl, but she didn't flinch. "There's…there's more to it than just Clay. We've been at each other's throats since that shit with Carla happened," Angela replied, more honest with Gemma than she'd been with herself. "I think taking a break, gettin' some space...it'll be good for us."

Gemma pressed her lips together, her hazel eyes studying Angela's face for a brief moment. "Maybe," she agreed after a moment. "You know, John needed space too. 's why he went to Ireland."

Angela grimaced at the implication behind Gemma's words. She knew what John had done in Ireland; he'd found another woman and had a child with her. "You think he'll find someone else?"

She considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "That guy loves you, baby," she acknowledged, a small smile on her face. "He's just lost right now. Needs someone to put the blame on other than himself so he picked the closest person to him, you. Bobby'll sort him out. Fat Elvis is good at that shit."

She smiled a bit at that, knowing it was true. If anyone could straighten out Juice's head it was Bobby. "I hope so," she said softly.

"You're a good Old Lady, sweetheart," Gemma said, leaning over to kiss her temple before getting to her feet.

Angela tensed at the show of affection; she wasn't used to getting that kind of attention from anyone but Juice. Her mother and aunt were not affectionate, and Happy was the least cuddly person she knew. "My life's ambition," she muttered sarcastically.

She chuckled in response. "You take care of that baby. Don't worry about Juice, he'll come around."

"Hope so," Angela commented softly, her hand rubbing over her big belly. She watched Gemma leave feeling a lot better about the whole situation. A soft laugh left her lips, she never would've thought she'd find comfort in Gemma of all people. Rigs jumped onto the sofa next to her, settling down at her side, his head in her lap. She stroked her fingers over his soft fur. "You miss him already, huh Rigs? Me too. But it had to be done. It had to be done," she explained. She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince the dog or herself that it was true.

* * *

><p><strong>Gah. Another sad chapter, but its all setting up for season 6, I promise. <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! I love hearing any comments, suggestions, likes, dislikes, etc...**

**~Love Ink**


	81. Space

**Shorter chapter that I wanted to post before my two week vacation! :) **

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow. I got back to most of you but thanks also to: love for kozik **)

**This takes place between Season 5 and Season 6. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 81: Space_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela sat in the middle of what she considered her own personal hell. Pink balloons and streamers covered Gemma's living room. Stacks of presents wrapped in the same color were gathered in the corner. Her mother was talking with Gemma and Lyla on one of the couches while her aunt, Ellie, and Chloe talked on another. Dozens of Croweaters and girls from Diosa milled about the room around her trying their to earn favor with the other Old Ladies. She was seated alone on the chair of honor wishing Juice was there so she could have someone to roll her eyes at. She thought Chloe would be a good substitute, but her friend was a total traitor. Had helped Gemma plan the whole damn thing. A SAMCRO baby shower.

She stood up slowly, grabbing her phone and heading outside. Leaning against the porch, she looked out at the colorful flower beds that littered the backyard, breathing in deeply and smiling as the smell of jasmine tickled her nose.

"You miss him?"

Angela turned at the sound of the voice, smiling at Gemma. It was strange how quickly Gemma had taken her under her wing after what happened with Juice. She had a sneaking suspicion it was because she knew she was at fault for it. If she hadn't taken her to Clay's, none of this would've happened. "Yeah," she admitted softly. "House feels empty without him."

"Thought you had your little sidekick staying with ya," she commented, unhitching herself from the wall and moving to stand beside her.

She did. Boner hadn't left her side once since Juice was gone. She had a sneaking suspicion that Juice was the reason for that. Bones was the only guy outside of the club he trusted. "It's not the same."

Gemma nodded in understanding. "He'll be home soon, baby."

She sighed, raking a hand through her long hair. "And what if he's not? What if he doesn't come home, Gemma? What if I asked for space and he likes it so much he never comes back? What do I do then?"

"That's never going to happen," she assured her, tucking a hair behind Angela's ear. Angela was starting to get used to the little affectionate touches Gemma bestowed upon her. At her doubtful look, the Queen sighed. "And if he does, you got the club behind you, sweetheart. We'll keep you safe."

"Safe has nothing to do with it," Angela muttered. There was no way she was staying in Charming without Juice. If he didn't come back, she was getting the hell out of there. Maybe she'd move to Bakersfield to be close to her family, maybe she'd ditch everyone and head across the country, far from the reach of SAMCRO. She knew she'd never be able to stay in a place that reminded her so much of Juice if they weren't together. It would be way too hard. Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder and decided to change the subject. "My Ma and aunt seem to be having fun with those Croweaters doting on them."

Gemma smirked, her gaze following the other girl's. "Croweater's caught wind of who they are. Tryin' to earn favor with Hap."

"Stupid," she snorted, shaking her head. "He's not even here."

"Doesn't hurt to try," she commented on a shoulder shrug. "Now that little nurse in there. _She_ has a shot."

Angela smiled and nodded. "Chlo is good for him. She doesn't take his shit and distracts him from me and Juice."

"How's Hap taking this...space?"

"Chlo said when he first found out, Hap was going to go chase after him. She didn't understand that it was to literally murder him, but she knew it was to hurt him, so she calmed him down. Explained. It was her idea in the first place. Now, hee's just going to wait 'til Juice gets home and then the shit will hit the fan."

Gemma nodded approvingly. "Smart girl," she commented before straightening up. "I'm gonna head back in. Make sure those girls aren't snooping through my shit. _You_ should get inside too. It _is_ your baby shower."

Angela scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'd rather not, actually. Anymore pink shit, and I'm gonna throw up."

"Sweetheart, you're having a girl. That pink shit is gonna be your _life_," Gemma stated on a chuckle. "Come on, let's go."

With a groan, Angela reluctantly followed her back into the house. She spent the rest of the day going through the motions. Smiling when she was supposed to, opening the gifts and ooh-ing and aww-ing over pink frilly shit that was going straight back to the store. It felt weird to go through it all without Juice at her side. The sweetbutts asked for him more than once, all of them giving her suspicious looks when she told them he went on a run. There was no way she'd admit to them they were on a break. She knew they all talked amongst each other across the charters. It was better if the sweetbutts from other charters didn't know what the situation she had with Juice was; it might make him seem more available.

Not that he wasn't already bedding the sweetbutts. They hadn't laid down any rules for what they could and couldn't do on their break. She quickly flashed to the image of Ross Gellar from _FRIENDS_ exclaiming, 'We were on a break!'. The moment made her smile before the dread set in. What if Juice thought that way too? What if being on a break gave him a hall pass to do anything he wanted?

Regret pooled in her stomach. God, she was such an idiot letting him go like that. What did she think was going to happen? That he'd go on his run and come back without ever having touched another woman? Fat chance of that happening. Hell, he'd made out with Carla in Stockton. That hadn't been on a run. Not really.

Angela looked around the room at all the smiling faces surrounding her. They all expected her to be happy and smiling too…glowing. She didn't feel like smiling, though. She just wanted to get back in bed and just cry. The idea of calling him passed through her mind, but she decided against it. He wanted space. That was why he left. Calling him would defeat that purpose. She hoped the space was helping him because it was killing her.

* * *

><p>Juice looked at the room filled with sweetbutts and Sons. The Friday night party was going strong, but he didn't have any interest in it. He kept looking at his phone, waiting for an update of any kind. He'd called Bones and given the kid strict instructions to not only stay at the house but also take pictures and send them to him when he could. Angela wouldn't suspect the kid of sending shit to him the way she would one of his brothers.<p>

The phone lit up with a text. He opened it eagerly, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest at the picture he found. It was of Angela lying on the couch watching TV with Rigor snuggled next to her, his head on her belly. The text underneath it read, "Awesome guard dog."

He chuckled at the picture, all of a sudden wishing he could be there with them. To laugh with her about Rigor's protective streak and tease her about letting him sleep in the bed, which he was sure she was doing. He was willing to bet his side of their bed was covered in dog fur. He'd gotten Rigs because he'd missed her when she was on her trip with Chloe. Now, it seemed fitting that she used the dog as a replacement for him while he was gone.

"That your girl?" a voice asked from his side.

Juice looked up from the picture to find Quinn snooping over his shoulder. He closed the message, not wanting to show his brother his private conversation. "Yeah," he said quickly.

Quinn grinned as if he enjoyed making his brother uncomfortable. "How old's your kid now?"

"Oh she's not…she's not born yet," he answered awkwardly. "Picture's recent."

"Shit, man," he commented on a laugh. "You left her like that? That ain't right."

Juice clenched his fists in an effort not to deck the guy; that was a fight he knew he wouldn't win. His nerves were frayed from the stress of the last couple of weeks. Jax finding out, turning Clay in, fighting with Angela; it all had put him completely on edge. Being away from Angela wasn't helping him either. She always calmed him down, sorted through the mess in his head and massaged away the knots in his back. He didn't think it would be this hard to be away from her, but not talking her—even for just a few days—was driving him insane. He needed her. "We needed space."

"You or her?"

He shrugged, thinking back to the drunken night before he'd left. It'd been the final breaking point, something that needed to happen for both of them to move on. He hoped to God that when he got back to Charming things would be better. That he hadn't completely destroyed the family he so wanted. "Both."

Quinn nodded pensively before knocking on the bar, getting the prospect working behind the counter's attention. The young guy set down two beers in front of them before heading back down to the other end of the bar where a sweetbutt was trying to get his attention. "Smart of you to know that."

"Yeah," Juice agreed miserably, looking down the mouth of his bottle to the amber liquid.

"She one of Gem's girls?" he asked, just to make conversation. "Heard she's got quite a brood of 'em over there. A doctor, a porn star…"

He nodded, thinking of Angela being included in that inner circle. She'd been a part of the club for awhile now, though she'd hate to admit it. "She never wanted to be," he replied on a shrug. "Met her through her job. Club needed her boss to do some shit for us. She works at the funeral home 'n' we needed her oven. At first she did it for her boss, wanted to stay away from the club as much as possible, but now…"

"She does it for you," Quinn finished with a smirk. "This little Angie Ruiz we're talkin' about?"

Juice raised an eyebrow. For someone who insisted she was raised outside of the club, Angela sure knew a lot of his brothers. First Kozik, then Greg, now Quinn. He wondered if she'd been lying to him all along. "You know her?"

The bigger man shrugged in response. "She's scared shitless of me. First time we met, I caught her tryin' to scale the clubhouse fence in an attempt to get outta lockdown. I couldn't tell whether it was someone tryin' to get in or out so I grabbed her 'round the waist and threw her to the ground, my gun in her face. Didn't help much that I was covered in blood from earlier. She's kept her distance from me ever since. Nice girl though, little spitfire."

He chuckled at that, shaking his head as he imagined it. "She spend a lot of time with SAMTAC?"

"Nah. That was the problem. Don't know whether Hap and Koz kept her away or she stayed away 'cause she wanted to, but the brothers at SAMTAC didn't know her. During lockdown, they ignored her mostly. Thought she was one of the kids and stayed away. She's a good kid. Was a brat back then, but I always liked her. She's got spunk."

"That's my girl," he said on a smirk. "I miss her."

"Then call her up. Do your little computer shit and video chat her or whatever."

Juice took a long pull of his beer as he shook his head. "Nah. I'm giving her space."

"I'm willing to bet all you're giving her is anxiety," Quinn shot back, finishing off his beer and setting the bottle down heavily. "Call her and then get your ass home for your kid."

He nodded, standing from the bar and heading back to the dorm room he was staying in. He stared at his phone for a bit, his finger hovering over her speed dial number before he sighed. No. He couldn't call her. Not if this space was going to work. Instead, he opened up the live feed of the security cameras he'd had installed in his house. Everywhere save for the bed room, of course. She'd turned them off, but he hacked his way in anyway. He spent the rest of the night watching her as she and Bones watched a movie together. Her apprentice had obviously said something funny because she was laughing, one of her hands reaching out to hit his shoulder. It faded quickly though, and that sad look took over her face.

A sense of relief filled him when he realized that it was the same look she'd always had when she visited him in Stockton. The look that said she missed him. That she wanted him to come home. And he would come home. He'd give her the space she wanted, but as soon as he could, he was going to go home.

* * *

><p>Chibs frowned when he saw Angela waddling towards the garage. The girl was huge and obviously struggling with her change in size. He hated seeing her like that, knowing she was home alone most of the time. Gemma had thrown her a bone and had given her some hours at the desk at TM since neither Skeeter or Bones wouldn't let her anywhere near the funeral home in the state she was in. Seeing her like that only added to the anger he was feeling towards questioned how loyal the idiot really was to his family if he not only betrayed his club but also left his Old Lady and his child when they needed him. Stubbing out his cigarette, he headed towards her. "Angie-girl!" he exclaimed pulling her into a tight hug and kissing her temple. "What're you doin' here?"<p>

Angela smiled at him, though it didn't seem a hundred percent genuine. "Hey Chibbies," she greeted tiredly. "Picking up the little monster for some lunch since my apprentice won't let me work. At all."

"Gotta agree with him on that one, love," Chibs said on a chuckle. "Ye look like yer about to pop."

She laughed lightly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I know. Crazy, huh?"

He nodded, his concerned dark eyes looking her over. "How're ye doin', dearie? Hangin' in there okay?"

"I'm fine. Can't wait to get this little monster out of me," she assured him on another tight smile. Together they walked towards the picnic bench outside of the clubhouse. She took a seat on it, rubbing a hand over her belly as she waited for Chibs to sit next to her. She'd always liked the Scotsman, always felt comfortable talking to him. "Have you heard anything from Bobby?"

"Not a word, love," he said on a shake of his head. "Best if they stay away for now."

She frowned at that, knowing Chibs meant he wanted Juice to stay away too. "He's going to come back, Chibs. His family is here. SAMCRO's all he has."

"He shoulda thought of tha' 'fore he ratted," Chibs said softly.

"Jax gave him a pardon."

"Aye, _Jax_ did, but the rest of the club had no say in it. He'll be taken to the table eventually. Ain't nothin' ye can do about it."

All of a sudden, Angela felt like she couldn't breathe. Chibs was right. Of course he was. "I wanted to leave, Chibs. I told him we could go. He wouldn't. He said Jax would…Chibs, I can't lose him. Not now."

" 's a club matter, swee'heart. Nothin' you or I can do abou' it. 'm sorry, Angie-girl. Tha's just the way it is," he explained grimly. He stood then, holding out a hand to her to help her to her feet. Once she was standing, he set a hand on her shoulder, dipping his head to meet her gaze. "But I can promise ye tha' we'll always be here to help ye. Ye jus' let us know, all righ'?"

Angela nodded meekly, the weight of her own helplessness settling down on her shoulders as she walked him walk away. The idea that Juice could come back only for his brothers to take him away again made her feel sick to her stomach. It seemed he needed space from SAMCRO just as much as he needed space from her, and by the sound of it, SAMCRO didn't want him back. But she did. She wanted him home. Maybe this time, she could convince him to leave. Pack up and head for somewhere new, somewhere where people didn't want him dead. She had a feeling it would never happen though. Juice wouldn't leave his brothers, his home. He wouldn't run from his fate again like the coward he'd been when he'd tried to take his own life. No, he'd learned from his mistake and was going to face it head on this time. She just prayed that it would work. That turning Clay in had been enough to earn favor with Jax at the very least. The President had promised him he'd be spared if he turned in his brother, and she hoped he stuck with that promise. If anyone could save Juice, it'd be Jax. Though the debt Juice owed the SAMCRO president made her nervous. It was a bargaining chip Jax could use to make him do anything he wanted. Juice would have to do everything that Jax told him to which set her on edge. Turning in Clay had sent Juice into a downward spiral that he couldn't get out of, she was worried that whatever Jax had in store for him next would send him deeper down until she couldn't find the man that she fell in love with anymore. That scared her the most.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Disclaimer 2:<strong>** I don't own FRIENDS the TV show...but I love it. :) **

**Just one last blurb to set things up for Season 6. The next chapter should be up in two weeks-ish. I won't have access to my computer on my trip so it might take me a little longer! **

**As always let me know what you think! You're honest opinions are like gold to me! **

**~Love Ink**


	82. Making it Right

**Finally back from my European vacation! Woot! **

**Thank you so much for being so patient with me and for all of you who took the time to read, review, favorite, and/or follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Guest 1_** **and _Guest 2!_**

**This chapter is the beginning of Season 6! Gah! It takes place during Episode 1: "Straw".**

**I'm a little iffy on this chapter so your thoughts would be greatly appreciated! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 82: Making it Right_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela sat at the breakfast table at Jax's place next to Abel while Gemma cooked them breakfast. The head Old Lady had invited her to come over earlier that morning, as she'd been doing a lot lately. Chloe had told everyone that she wasn't supposed to be working or driving in her present pregnant state, so she was essentially on house arrest. It was driving her insane. So much so that whenever Gemma invited her over, she accepted the invitation, no questions asked. It had occurred to her that the woman had an ulterior motive, but she didn't care much about it. She was just happy to be out of the house. It felt way too empty without Juice there.

"How you doin', preggo?" Gemma asked.

Angela sighed and shrugged. "I'm tired," she answered, her rough voice emphasizing the statement.

She frowned in response. "He'll be home soon, sweetheart."

Angela wasn't so sure. Juice had been gone a whole week now and had yet to contact her once. She wondered if it was because he wanted to give her space or if he was too busy with sweetbutts to even think about her. She was going to say something more when the front door opened and Happy strode in. He went over to greet Gemma before leaning over Angela to steal a piece of her bacon. "Hey kid," he muttered, pulling on the end of her braid. "What're you doing here?"

"Gemma invited me over for breakfast," she replied, tilting her head back to look up at him. "You?"

"Club shit," he replied, ruffling Abel's hair in greeting before going to sit at the table across from him.

She rolled her eyes in response, standing with a grunt and taking her plate over to the sink. Rinsing it off, she tucked it into the dishwasher just as Jax walked in with Thomas. He went to Gemma first, handing off Thomas before he nodded to the undertaker. "Hey Ang," he greeted, kissing her cheek. "You feelin' all right?"

"Pregnant," she replied, pointing to her huge belly. "But good."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her and moving to Abel. She felt her heart clench painfully in her chest as Abel asked his dad when Tara was coming home. The poor kid had been asking anyone who would listen to him since his mother had left.

Gemma handed her a bowl of baby breakfast cookies for Thomas just to give her something to do. With a small smile, she took a seat in front of Thomas, making faces at the baby boy as she poured some out onto his little tray for him. Whatever conversation that was going on between Jax, Gemma, and Happy fell on deaf ears for her. It wasn't any of her business what they were talking about, so she ignored it choosing instead to focus on Thomas as he babbled away at her. It wasn't until Jax announced that he was going to go visit Tara, that she started paying attention. She grimaced at that, knowing Tara wouldn't let him through. The doctor had called her a few days before, begging her to change her mind about taking the boys. Angela had refused and told her she needed to talk to Jax. Tara had refused that, saying she didn't want Jax to see her in jail. Angela had a feeling there was more to it than that, that Tara had something more up her sleeve.

"He's doing a good job, Mama," Happy stated, nodding in approval to Gemma and pulling Angela from her thoughts. "His Old Man would be proud."

Angela discreetly wrinkled her nose in distaste at Happy addressing Gemma as 'Mama'. He had his own Mama, and it sure as hell wasn't Gemma. If either of them saw her expression, they didn't say anything. She held out her hand as Thomas offered her a cookie, taking it from him and popping it into her mouth. "Thanks Tommy," she cooed, handing him one back. The little boy giggled in response, showing off his tiny baby teeth. "Eat up, kiddo. Got to be big and strong like your brother."

Gemma laughed, moving to stand behind Angela. She petted a hand over the undertaker's hair fondly. "Gonna drop the boys off with Unser at TM, then I'm gonna head to Diosa. You want to come with or head home?"

"I'm gonna go home and be a fat, lazy slob," she answered on a heavy sigh. "Just started this crazy show on Netflix. Some dude pushed a chick in front of a bus. Gotta see what happens next."

"Huh. Sounds like my kind of show," Gemma commented on a smirk.

Happy chuckled, pushing away from the table and standing up. "I'll follow you over."

"That's not necessary," Angela replied on a scowl. "It really isn't that far of a drive."

"Not s'posed to be driving at all," he reminded her. She stuck her tongue out at him for lack of a better thing to say or do, and he held up two fingers, mimicking a scissor. "Best stick that back in 'fore I cut it off."

Angela smirked, remembering how often he'd said that to her growing up. She looked back at Thomas and grinned. "Somebody's grumpy today. Huh, Tommy?" she asked the baby before turning back to Happy. She stood slowly, holding onto her big belly. "If you must follow me, then let's go."

Gemma pulled her into a one-armed hug. "I'll see you later, sweetheart. Maybe get you something to do around TM when I get back from Diosa?"

"Please," she said on an enthusiastic nod. Not only had Gemma been inviting her over for different meals, but the Queen had also been giving her work to do at TM. Work that mostly involved sitting and answering calls which was only slightly less boring then sitting at home all day. At least it kept Rigor entertained since the dog was allowed to run freely around the TM bays and soak up all the attention from the TM boys. She followed Happy to her car, stopping at the open door and glaring at him. "Don't tell Chlo I've been breaking her rules."

Happy shrugged. "She knows. Didn't expect you to sit at home all day anyway."

Angela laughed at that, not bothering to answer as she got into her car. She waited patiently for Happy to start up his bike before pulling out of the driveway with a squeal of her tires and speeding down the road. She could see Happy's angry look in her rearview and smiled wider. Sometimes, she really liked pissing her cousin off.

* * *

><p>Juice pulled into TM, his eyes searching the parking lot with no luck. The Mazda wasn't there and neither was she. After giving Angela "space" for a week, he didn't know what he expected. Of course, she didn't know he was coming. He hadn't told her, hadn't talked to her once in the week they were apart, but he'd missed her like crazy. He spent his nights avoiding the sweetbutts and watching her on their little in house cameras. He noticed a lot of the time, she wasn't home. Bones explained that she spent the night at her mom and aunt's place a lot. That she didn't like sleeping in that bed alone. Juice took comfort in that. At least someone was taking care of her; at least she was with family.<p>

As he parked his bike, the exhaustion he'd been fighting settled in on his shoulders, and he felt more tired than ever. He hung up his helmet and looked towards the front office spotting Gemma in the doorway. The older woman quickly made her way over to him and he heaved a sigh of exhaustion. He knew a lecture was coming eventually, and he didn't want to hear it. Sighing, he nodded to Rat and both of them headed back towards the Queen.

To his surprise, she didn't say a word. Their conversation had been short and depressing as hell, but she hadn't reamed him for leaving like he'd thought she might. So he was left with the choice of getting on his bike and heading home or getting back into work. He wanted to go home. Needed to go home and see her, but he wasn't sure if he was even allowed to do that anymore. What if she didn't want him? Didn't want to be anywhere near him? Maybe the space he'd given her had given her a clue as to how shitty of an Old Man he was, and how much better off she was without him. Maybe she didn't want him anymore. The idea of not being wanted in his own home made him even wearier. Slowly, he trudged towards the clubhouse. If she didn't want him back, he didn't want to know just yet.

Gemma watched Juice slump his way to the clubhouse and frowned. She was worried about him. That space hadn't done him any good. In fact, he looked worse off than when he'd left. Her thoughts drifted back to earlier that morning when she'd asked Angela how she was feeling and was met with the same response in the same tired tone that Juice had just given her when asked the same question. It seemed they were both equally miserable without each other. It was a good sign, proved how much they cared about each other. Gemma knew when John was off in Ireland, she didn't suffer quite so much as Angela had and Juice wasn't even that far away.

Smirking, she knew just what to do to make Juice's day. She pulled out her phone and found Angela's number, hitting the call button. The undertaker picked up on the very first ring. "Hey Gemma. How's it going?" Angela asked, sounded bored out of her mind.

"Hey Preggo. Still up for coming over to help?"

"_Yes!_" she replied enthusiastically. "Please!"

She chuckled. She knew being sentenced to bed was driving the girl insane. Angela had too much energy to just sit around. Lately, she'd been calling the undertaker over to sit and answer phones just to keep her busy. Close and busy. Gemma wanted Angela on her side when the shit hit the fan with Tara. The undertaker and the doctor had once been close, and Tara still seemed to trust her despite their little dispute over the boys. Having Angela as a go between worked well for her. "Come on over then."

"_Thank you_! Can I bring over Rigs? He's just as bored as I am."

Gemma smiled at the idea. It would do Juice some good to see his dog. "'course. The guys love that mutt."

"Awesome," Angela said, a smile in her voice. "Be right over."

* * *

><p>Angela pulled into the lot, lowering her music as she did so. She knew Gemma hated it when she drove in with it blaring. Grunting, she got out of the car and popped open the hatchback to let Rigor out. The large dog waited for her signal before jumping off the back and taking a second to sniff the air. Then he was off in a way that was uncharacteristic for him. Even if Tig or Hap was around, he usually walked with her to greet them. She had only seen him go crazy like that for one reason. Her eyes went down the line of bikes, stopping on the familiar one at the end. Her heart did a little flip; he was home. That was why Gemma had called her.<p>

"Rigs! Hey boy!" Juice's voice floated across the lot making Angela's heart skip a beat. It had been way too long since she'd heard that voice. Monk danced in her belly at the sound of it.

She followed the dog's path slowly, enjoying the sight of Juice getting reacquainted with their dog. He was kneeling on the floor, letting Rigor lick his face as his ringed fingers dragged through his fur. As if sensing her presence, Juice's eyes lifted from Rigor and met her gaze. "Angel," he breathed, a sad smile on his face as he looked at her. "Hey."

"Hey you," she replied, hating how awkward things felt between them. She didn't know how to greet him, whether to keep her hands to herself or hug him. God, she wanted to touch him, to hug him and never let go. She pushed away those feeling; he'd asked for space too. Maybe he wasn't ready to jump into that…maybe he didn't want to go back to it at all. "You just get back?"

He nodded, straightening up and shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "Few minutes ago."

"Oh. How was your trip?" she asked, playing with the charm around her neck nervously. He looked exhausted, mentally and physically. His usually bright eyes were dull and flat, lifeless almost.

"Good," he replied, bobbing his head. "How's Monk doin'? Anythin' new?"

"She's good, healthy," she replied, wincing as the baby kicked. "A future soccer player if her kicks indicate anything."

His eyes lit up at that, an excited smile spreading across his face as he took his hands out of his pockets, itching to get his hands on her belly and feel his daughter. "Monk kicks?"

Angela nodded, reaching out to grab his wrist and putting his hand on her stomach. "She went crazy when she heard your voice," she said with a warm smile as she put Juice's hand over just the right spot.

"Holy shit," he said, a huge grin on his face when he felt his daughter kick his hand. "Hey there, Monk. How's it going, baby girl?"

For the first time in a long time, Angela could see the old Juice as he talked to the baby in her belly. "She missed her daddy too."

Juice's eyes lifted from her stomach to her face, widening slightly. "You missed me?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.

She nodded slowly, biting at her lip as she nervously tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I…"

Her nod was enough of a confirmation for him. He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. "Missed you too, Angel."

Angela grinned, toying with the front of his cut as she looked up at him. "Yeah?"

He nodded, angling himself around her belly and pulling her in close. "I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He buried his face in her neck, pressing a kiss to the spot just below her ear. "For everything."

She sighed in relief. "Me too," she replied, her eyes getting a little bit misty as she slid her arms around him.

"No more space, Angel," he murmured, into her skin, his nose nuzzling her throat. "I want you two close."

She smoothed a hand over his mohawk and laughed. "Sounds perfect," she answered, enjoying the feel of his hands on her. Her grinned widened as one hand landed on her ass, his lips moving down her neck, across her chest and closer to her breasts. "Watch it there, buddy."

"These are bigger, right? It's not just me?"

Angela pushed his head away, laughing at the question. "Yes! They grow, Monk grows, my feet are huge, I'm huge. It's gross."

His eyes were glued to her cleavage as he shook his head. "I beg to differ," he said before his gaze met hers. "You're beautiful, Angel. Always have been."

"Well, that's a lot better than being called a selfish bitch," she teased, smiling to show she didn't mean it.

Juice grimaced at hearing his own words thrown back at him. "I'm gonna be hearin' about that for the rest of my life, aren't I?"

" 'slong as you're with me," she said, shrugging his shoulders.

He slid an arm around his waist and smiled at her. "Rest of my life it is then," he stated, kissing her temple. "Love you, Angel."

Angela sighed happily, looking up at him with a renewed sense of the feeling. "Love you too, goof. Glad you're home."

He kissed her again, just because he could. "You here to visit Lyla?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she shook her head. "No. I've been helping Gemma with the phones at TM since Bones and Skeet won't let me work and I need _some_thing to do or I'll go crazy," she replied on a laugh. "Why? What's wrong with Lyla?"

"She's in the clubhouse. Got banged up pretty bad. Torture porn," he answered, immediately regretting telling her when her face paled.

"Jesus Christ!" she cursed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I gotta go…"

He nodded in understanding, pushing her towards the clubhouse. "Yeah, go. I'll be out here. Gotta finish up a few things. Meet me out here 'fore you leave. I'll follow you home."

Angela nodded, kissing him quickly before moving as fast as she could across the lot to the clubhouse. She had to admit that despite the fact Lyla had been hurt, she was a little relieved that it'd had nothing to do with the club. It gave her the false illusion that they were just a little safer than she thought they were.

* * *

><p>After comforting Lyla and catching up with her for a few hours, Angela was ready to go home. She waddled her way over to the TM office to tell Juice she was ready to go. The rest of the boys had gotten back, but Juice and Chibs had never come into the clubhouse. She figured the Scot was helping him with something in the garage. She was surprised to find the bay doors were closed. Had he left without telling her? Slowly, she walked into the dark office. Sounds of grunts and gasps of pain were coming from the garage side of the office. Curious, she peered through the blinds. The sight that she was met with scared her to the core. "No," she gasped, watching as Chibs' fist sunk into Juice's already bloodied face. "No!"<p>

She ripped open the office door that led to the garage. "Chibs!" she shouted, catching his attention. She wasn't dumb enough to step between them and put her child in danger, but she sure as hell wanted to.

The Scot looked up at her, one hand fisted in Juice's white t-shirt, holding him up, the other at the ready to hit him again. "Stay out of it, Angie-girl. I'm making things right."

Angela glanced at Juice, who nodded his head at her, an agreement with Chibs' statement. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest as she saw the broken look on his face. As much as it pained her to admit it, he needed this. He'd been mentally beating himself up for so long that he needed this physical beating to make things right not only for him but also to reconcile his relationship with Chibs. Nodding her head, she stepped back into the office, closing the door behind her. She down heavily in the office chair, leaning her elbows on the desk and letting her head fall into her hands. Tears came to her eyes as she sat, listening to the sound of flesh against flesh, and fighting against every instinct that told her to intervene. Just a few hours ago, Juice had been okay. Happy to be home, happy to be with her. Now, he'd had that broken look in his eyes again. No doubt Chibs' disapproval of his homecoming had cut him deep.

It felt like hours had passed before the door opened up again. Chibs stepped into the office and nodded to her. "'m sorry ye had to see that, love. But ye understand why that had to happen, yeah?"

She looked up at him, trying her best not to hate him. This was his way of making things right. She was lucky it was just a beating and not a killing. "Yeah," she admitted, sniffling slightly. She wiped at her eyes as she let out a sigh. "He okay?"

Chibs shrugged, a grim look on his face. "He will be. C'mon, dearie," he said holding out his bloodied hands to help her up. "Let's go get 'im cleaned up."

Angela paused at the sight of the blood, choosing to get up on her own. He stepped back to let her go in first. The sight before her made her stomach churn. Juice was sitting on the floor against the cabinets in the garage, his knees pulled up, arms draped over them, head hanging down. She could see blood dripping from his nose and gathering in a puddle between his legs. Carefully, she lowered herself onto her knees in front of him. "Juice," she breathed, reaching out a hand to touch his face gently.

Juice lifted his head to look at her, a blurred image surrounded by a halo of light. "Angel," he coughed out.

"I'm here, baby," she murmured to him, her soft lips brushing across his forehead as his bloody palm settled over her belly. "I got you."

* * *

><p>Chibs helped carry Juice into the clubhouse, moving him towards the couch and helping the younger man sit on it non-too-gently before turning to Angela. "Start cleanin' him up. I'll get my med bag."<p>

Angela nodded, glancing at the bar where Happy was sitting with Lyla out of the corner of her eye. She headed by them to one of the dorm rooms to get a clean towel. "He got off easy," Hap's voice spoke from the doorway.

"I know," she replied softly. She wasn't surprised he'd followed her; she'd expected it. Without turning to face him, she wet a towel before grabbing a bag of cotton balls and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. "You gonna add to it?"

Happy shook his head slowly. "Don't want to kill 'im. Yet."

Her head snapped around at the last word. "Hap..."

" 's a joke, kid. Not gonna kill 'im," he stated, smirking at her. "This you two makin' up?"

"This is me taking care of my Old Man," she replied, a fierce note to her voice. "Because as much of a dick as he can be, I love him. Just like I love you."

Happy nodded in understanding, a proud look on his face. He'd never tell her, but he loved when she stood up to him, loved seeing how strong of a woman she was. "Jus' watchin' out for you, kid."

Her glare softened a bit as she nodded. Standing on her toes, she kissed his cheek. "Love you."

"You too," he said, mussing her hair before pushing her back towards the main room. "Do what you gotta do, cuz."

With a nod, she walked back into the barroom, making her way over to Juice. Rigor was sitting at his feet, his big head on Juice's booted foot, a soft whine coming from him every so often as if he knew how much pain his owner was in. And it had to be a lot of pain because Juice's face was a mess. Blood oozed down his face from his nose and a cut in his cheek, covering his neck and soaking the front of his white t-shirt. He was doing nothing to stop it. Just staring blankly ahead of him as if he didn't feel it, as if he didn't feel anything.

It wasn't until she stepped in front of him that he blinked, his eyes refocusing on her. She sat down on the table in front of him, holding up the wet towel as if to ask for permission. He gave her a nod in response. Carefully, she began to wipe away the blood from his face. He winced a few times but didn't make a sound as she gently cleaned off his nose and then down his neck, her heart aching at the sight of him. He was broken, inside and out. It was up to her to fix him.

She was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't realize Chibs had come back until his hand was on her shoulder. She stopped what she was doing, but didn't move as Chibs started to patch up the deep cut on Juice's cheek. Instead, she looked down at Juice's hands, noticing how bloody they were despite the fact that he hadn't fought back. She took one in her hand and started to wipe the blood off of his knuckles. As she wiped the towel over the ring she'd given him, his fingers curled around her own, stopping her. She raised her eyes from their hands, meeting his broken stare. Slowly, she leaned over and put her lips to his in a quick kiss. His fingers squeezed hers as she pulled away, a silent thank you he didn't need to give her.

Chibs made quick work of his stitching, rubbing a hand over the back of Juice's head when he was finished as if he approved of the way he'd taken the beating, as if they were now okay with each other. Juice seemed to relax at that. Chibs nodded to Angela, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he stood. "He's all yours now, love," he said, ruffling her hair lovingly. "Take care of 'im."

She nodded, waiting for him to leave before she squeezed Juice's hand again. "Want to go home?"

He nodded, his fingers sliding through hers so that their hands were interlocked. _Home. _That sounded fantastic to him. He felt like he hadn't been home with her in years. It took some effort, but he finally stood. She moved closer to him, letting him sling an arm over her shoulders and lean on her for support. Together they headed towards front door.

She helped him into the passenger's seat of her car and let Rigor into the back before walking around to the driver's side and sliding in. Starting the car, she drove quickly out of the lot, slowing once she hit the main road.

He watched her as she drove, wondering how she did it. How she stayed so strong when everything was falling apart. He knew she was scared for him, could see the worry in her eyes, but she stood strong. God, he loved her. There was no one he'd ever loved more. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed hers once more and held tightly to it. Her hand in his was the only thing holding him to the ground, the only thing keeping him sane.

Angela pulled up to the front of the house, getting out of the car with a grunt and opening the back of her car to get Rigs out. Juice groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, and she was at his side in seconds. "Need someone to lean on?" she asked. He gave her a grim smile and draped an arm around her shoulders, trying not to lean too heavily on her.

Once they got inside, she helped him to their bedroom, turning to leave as he started to undress. He stripped to his boxers and lay down with another pained grunt, propping his torso up on the headboard. It felt good to finally be home in his own bed. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, comforted by the smell of her that lingered in the room. It wasn't long before he felt the bed dip and something cold pressed against his cheek. Slowly, he opened his eyes, smiling as best he could when he saw the frozen vegetable packet she was using as an ice pack. "For the swelling," she explained, frowning a bit. "It'll still bruise, but it'll hurt less."

He raised his hand to cover hers. Comforted more by her touch than the bag of frozen food. Setting the bag on his bedside table, he tugged on her arm hoping she'd get the hint. With a small smile, she went over to the dresser drawers. He watched her pull out one of his old t-shirts and boxers. A small smile crossed his lips as she tugged the long dress she was wearing over her head, revealing her round tummy. He stretched out a hand to her, his finger just barely brushing over the taut skin of her belly.

She took a step closer, wincing with him as he moved to a sitting position, his legs draped over the side of the bed. Taking her hips into his hands, he pulled her to him until his cheek was pressed to her belly. "Hey Monk," he murmured, his hand rubbing up and down the smooth skin. Monk kicked his bruised cheek in response, making him wince again, but he didn't mind. His little girl could kick him as much as she wanted. He probably deserved it. " 'm sorry. Haven't been the best dad."

He closed his eyes as Angela's nails raked over his mohawk. Tears blurred her vision at the broken sound of his voice. She knew he was hurting in more ways than one, and she had no idea how to fix it. "She loves you, Juice," she whispered, knowing it for a fact. "You talk and Monk dances in my stomach. You're the only person she does that for. Can't you feel that?"

He could and loved the feeling. He could stay there all night feeling his little girl move. "Strong kid."

" 'course. She's yours."

Juice looked up at her, a lump forming in his throat. "I love you, Angel. You gotta know that. Whatever happens to me, I want you and Monk to always know that. And if…if they…"

"Stop," she interrupted, taking his face in her hands, one hand on each of his cheeks. She didn't want to hear his last wishes. Not now when his life had just been spared. "_Nothing_ is going to happen to you."

"Angel, please just tell her how much I love her. Make sure she always knows," he said, his voice cracking as his eyes grew glassy with tears. "I want her to know."

Her fingers gently traced over his cheek before she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. "You can tell her yourself, okay?" she asked, tears in her eyes. "She's going to need you like I need you right now. You have to stay here, _please_. Don't let them take you away from us."

Juice nodded, swallowing hard as he moved his arms around her again, his cheek on her belly. "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she replied softly, her fingers tracing over the tattoo on the side of his head. "You're okay, baby. Everything's going to be fine. I love you. Okay?"

He nodded again, kissing her belly before moving to lie back down. His eyes followed her every movement as she got dressed in his clothes and stretched out next to him, tossing the large pregnancy pillow to the side. She wasn't going to let anything get in between them tonight. They lay together in silence for a while, his hand rubbing over her belly, making the baby inside of it kick a little more than usual. "What are we gonna name her?" he asked, his voice rough.

Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. He'd just gotten the shit kicked out of him, and he wanted to talk about what they were going to name their child? He surprised her more and more everyday. "I don't know. I haven't even thought about that. S'pose we can't call her Monk forever, huh?"

Juice shook his head, grateful that she was going along with the conversation. That she allowed him something normal despite his current state. He needed some kind of distraction or else he'd drown in his thoughts about the club and his future as a member. "She should have a pretty name. Like yours."

"I'm starting to think you're a bit concussed, goofy," she said on a light laugh as she tilted her head back to look at him.

He gave her a small smile in response. "Maybe," he agreed on a shrug. "What was Kozik's name again?"

"Herman," Angela said on a soft sigh. There wasn't much they could do with that name. Not for a girl at least. "Herman Evan."

"Evan," he repeated pensively. "Remember that one time Chlo came over and you guys were watching kid movies and there was that song with that bug and then that time Bones played Disney music while we were fuckin' in the bathroom and he played the same song...what was it?"

She laughed again, she couldn't help herself. This conversation was so strange and out of place after what they'd just been through. "You want to name our daughter after a song we had a quickie to in the bathroom of the funeral home?"

"It was pretty," he confirmed around a yawn. "What was it?"

Angela thought about it for a second before she remembered. "Evangeline."

"_Evangeline_," he repeated softly, his smile growing when a good strong kick landed against his hand. He liked that name. Liked that it had a piece of Kozik's name and a piece of Angela's name in it. It was fitting. "Monk likes it. Does Mama like it?"

She nodded slowly, a lump rising in her throat. The fact that she was having a baby had never felt more tangible than it did at that moment when they were choosing a name for her. She loved that Juice had picked it. Loved that he'd included Kozik's name as a tribute to her late brother. Sometimes she forgot that Juice loved him too. That as much of a brother as Koz was to her, he was a Son, which meant that he was Juice's brother as well. "I love it."

"Evie," he whispered, his hand leaving her belly and playing with her hair. "Evangeline Victoria."

Angela lifted her head off of his chest at that one, her eyes wide. "Victoria?" she asked, tears coming to her eyes. There was no way he wanted to name his daughter not only after Koz but after her dad too.

"Your dad's name was Victor, wasn't it?"

She nodded, smiling despite the tears that were falling down her face. God, she loved this man. Despite all of his faults and all of the problems they'd had in the past, she couldn't see herself with anyone else. "We don't have to..."

"Evangeline Victoria," he repeated, cutting her off as he wiped away her tears with a hand. "Its perfect."

Angela couldn't stop smiling as she nodded in agreement. "Evangeline Victoria Ortiz."

"You don't want to put your last name in there?"

She sighed, resting her head back on his chest while she began tracing the tattoo of her name on his pec with a finger. "She's yours, Juice. She's an Ortiz."

With a grunt, he reached his hand out to his bedside table. She watched curiously as he open the drawer, fishing in there for something. He found it easily and held it out to her. "You should be too."

Angela looked at the ring lying in his palm briefly before her eyes met his. "Juice..."

"I've made some mistakes...a _lot_ of mistakes," he corrected with a frown, "and I've treated you like shit and I'm an idiot. I _know_ that. And I know that you're unsure of...of me, but I...that space we had...just for that week was...it didn't feel right. _I_ don't feel right without you. You said before that we're fine the way we are without taking it farther but I...I _want_ to, Angel. I want you to be different from everyone else. I want people to know you're _mine_."

"Juice..."

"And I know Hap didn't give me his blessing but...Koz did. 'fore he died, he told me I should do it regardless of whatever Hap said because he knew...he knew how much I love you. I don't want anyone else. You're my angel, and I know you think its cheesy to say, but its true. You save me. Every time I think I've hit bottom, you're there and you pull me up. And I want you with me, for the rest of my life however fuckin' short it might be with all this shit goin' on," he finished before taking a deep breath and grimacing when it pulled on his bruised ribs. "And I know you'd be anyway. Ring or not, I know you'll stick by me, but I want it to be official. I want...I want you to take my name and be my wife and have a family with Evie and Rigs and I just...I want it all, and I want it with you."

Angela picked up the ring in his hand, looking at it. It was a simple yet beautiful design. A square black diamond held by its points with a silver band. She'd never seen anything like it. Her eyes studied his bruised and bloodied face for a moment before she met his hopeful gaze. "You're missin' a question there, goof."

He let out a nervous laugh before clearing his throat. "Wanna be an Ortiz with me and Monk?"

She nodded in response, laughing a bit at the way he phrased the question. "Yeah, I do," she replied with a smile.

Juice smiled back at her, a full fledged smile, ignoring the pain he felt as the movement pulled at the stitches in his cheek. He hadn't expected her to say yes. He was waiting for her say it was a bad idea especially because of his standing in the club which had been emphasized by the beat down Chibs laid on him. But she hadn't. She'd agreed. She wanted to take his name. She wanted to be his officially. Legally. His other half for the rest of his life. He slid the ring onto her finger, thankful he'd ordered a half a size up on accident because it fit her slightly swollen fingers perfectly. "I love you, Angel," he whispered, dipping his head to kiss her lips. "I'm always gonna love you."

"If you say 'forever and ever', I'm going to smack you, you concussed cheesehead," she said laughing as he kissed her again. She grew serious after a moment, moving so her forehead was pressed to his. "We're going to get through this, Juice. We'll make it of this shitstorm and get hitched and be happy."

"Forever and ever," he tacked on at the end, chuckling when she smacked him. He kissed her once more, hoping she was right. That the club would spare him so that he could live long enough to have a family with her. So that he could be the father and husband he'd always wanted to be.

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><p><strong>Super cheesy, super long chapter! :) Hope you liked it! <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! Good, bad, whatever random comment pops into your head, just leave it in the review box! I love hearing from you! **

**~Love Ink**


	83. I Got You

**Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I know I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Samantha, DarkChild20_**_ (You're totally right about Hap, I failed. I'll change it when I get the chance. ;) Glad you like her name! I've had it picked out ever since I wrote about Angela being pregnant and was excited to finally reveal it. :D), **Allyrien **(Wow! Thank you so much! That's so sweet of you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!), and **Eleonora.**_

**This chapter takes place during Season 6, Episode 2: "_One One Six"_.**

**Anyone else super excited that filming for season 7 starts soon!? I can't wait! :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 83: I Got You_

_ By Love Ink_

The smell of bacon accompanied by a swift kick to her spine courtesy of the little monster inside of her woke Angela up. Groaning, she stretched out a hand to hit Juice but was met with an empty bed. "Juice?" she questioned, sitting up slightly. Soft music was coming from the kitchen, the sound of Juice's voice singing along with it. She headed towards the sound, smiling when she found him at the stove. He was quite a sight to behold, shirtless and cooking breakfast while he sang to some top 40 hit, his hips shaking to the beat, showing off his Latin roots. She could stay there watching him forever.

Slowly, she stepped towards him, angling her baby bump so she could slide her arms around his waist. He lifted an arm and draped it over her shoulder, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Morning, gorgeous," he greeted, his palm rubbing over her lower back.

"Hi handsome," she said, tilting her head back to look up at him. His face was badly bruised and battered, his cheek an ugly shade of green that worried her. "How you feelin'?"

Juice didn't bat an eye at the answer to that. He was back in her arms, his ring around her finger, his baby kicking up a storm in her belly. "Never better," he answered assuredly, leaning over to kiss her. "How are you, Mama?"

"Good, Evie's dancin' around like the rock star she is," she replied, testing out the name. She'd known as soon as Juice said her full name that Evangeline would only be called that if she was in serious trouble.

"Evie," Juice repeated, his smile widening. "_Love_ that."

Angela laughed, moving over to lean against the kitchen counter to watch him cook. "Need some help, dude?"

"Nope. I got this," he said, flipping a piece of bacon. "Contrary to popular belief, I _can_ cook. Made a shake for you too, 's on the table. Sit."

She peeked over her shoulder to where the kitchen table was neatly set in typical Juice OCD fashion. "Looks good, baby," she said, going to sit down. He set the plate of food in front of her before sitting down next to her with his own plate. She raised her eyebrows at the food in front of her. A leafy cooked glob she decided was spinach, fresh fruit, some scrambled eggs, and bacon…bacon that was oddly colored. "This looks…amazing."

"It's _fakon_. No cholesterol and that's organic spinach and fresh fruit and egg whites. It's all supposed to be super good for the baby," he said with a proud smile. "Try it."

Angela tried the fakon and did her best to smile despite the strange taste. As soon as he saw her start eating, he dug into his own plate with gusto, used to the strange tasting food, though she had no idea why; she never cooked anything like that. Sometimes she thought he didn't have taste buds. But he looked so proud of what he'd done that she ate it anyway. "Tastes great," she said with an encouraging smile. "What'd ya got planned for the day?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. He never knew what was planned for the day until he showed up at TM or got a call from the club. "Not sure yet. Why? You got plans for me, Mama?"

A sly smile spread over her face as she stood and walked over to him, grabbing his hand and tugging him to his feet. "Got big plans for you, daddy. Let's just hope they don't get interrupted."

He rubbed his thumb over the ring on her hand, the new ring, the one that said she was his forever. A part of him still couldn't believe she'd said yes. "Phone's stayin' out here," he said, tapping the black burner. After being beat up by Chibs, he wasn't feeling very brotherly any way. If they needed him, they could come get him. At the moment, all he cared about was his baby mama. The smile that lit up her face told him he'd made the right move. He had to admit, it was kind of freeing to be away from the damn thing and focus on the one person he loved most. "I'm all yours."

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><p>V-Lin knocked on the door to Juice's house until his knuckles were red. He knew better than to ring the doorbell, knew it would make the German shepherd inside go nuts and probably piss off his brother. But Juice was not only late to work, but he wasn't picking up his burner. The club needed him for something or other, so Chibs had sent him down there to get him. The Scot had mentioned a key in the planter, but he wasn't about to do that. He was still a prospect, and he wanted that top rocker badly. Getting killed by Juice for entering his house unannounced was not something he wanted to have happen. Scratching at the back of his neck, he chose the lesser of the two evils, he rang the bell. Just as he expected, the dog inside went batshit crazy. He heard Angela's laughter and relaxed a bit. Angela always laughed shit like this off which, in turn, made Juice laugh it off. If she didn't care, chances are, Juice wouldn't either.<p>

She opened the door with a bright smile on her face, a dark red splotch on her neck and a few peppering chest left bare by the tank top dress she was wearing. "Hey V. Was wonderin' when one of you'd show up," she greeted, her voice light and happy. Her hand was holding tightly to Rigor's collar, keeping him from jumping at V-Lin. "C'mon in. Juice'll be out in a sec."

V-Lin walked into the house, relaxing slightly as he took a seat on the couch. He was often in charge of looking after Angela and spent a lot of time at that house. Usually Angela had something sweet to offer him, but, if the marks on her neck and chest were any indication, she'd been busy that morning. "Cool. Thanks, Ang," he said, putting his feet up on the coffee table. Angela pushed his boots off as she walked by, setting him with a glare as she walked down the hallway he assumed led to their room. He wasn't sure, he wasn't allowed past the living room.

From where he was sitting, he could hear Angela giggling and Juice murmuring to her before she let out a squeal, followed by more laughter. His deeper laughter joining hers. V-Lin smiled to himself; some day he wanted something like they had.

Juice came out smiling despite his bruised and beat up face. He was leading Angela by the hand, both of them still laughing. He grew serious when he saw the prospect though, his posture changing into one that many of the Sons took on when they walked into the clubhouse. Chest out, shoulders back, chin raised. He looked intimidating as hell and V-Lin scrambled to get to his feet, nervously rubbing at his head.

"Hey Juice," V-Lin greeted nervously. "Uh…the guys sent me to get you because you weren't answering. They got some uh…business to do."

"Fine. I'll be right there," Juice answered. When V-Lin didn't move, he glared pointedly at the front door.

V-Lin jumped to it, heading for the door. "Oh uh, Angie? Tara's gettin' home today," he told her, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Thought you might wanna know."

"Thanks, V," Angela replied, wondering if she should even try to visit with Tara. They weren't on the best of terms at the moment. "I'll stop by later."

"Cool. See ya, Angie," he said, disappearing out the door.

Juice turned to Angela, a tired look on his face as he put a hand on her neck, his thumb brushing over her jaw. "I love you," he said, dipping his head to kiss her. "I'll see you in a bit…wifey."

She rolled her eyes at him as she played with the snaps on his cut for a moment before smoothing her hand over the patches on his chest. "Goof," she said, looking up at him with a small smile. "I love you, too. Be safe."

"Always," he replied, pulling her in for a hug. They'd both found the perfect angle to be close to each other without her big belly in the way. "Play nice with Tara."

Angela laughed, nuzzling her face against his neck. She held him tightly, not wanting to let him go. Whatever the day held for him had the potential to hurt him more, to break him. If she could, she'd keep him there with her, to protect him. "Any chance I could bribe you to stay?" she asked, knowing it was a lost cause.

His hands slid down her back, grabbing her ass quickly as he sighed. "I wish," he muttered, pulling away and kissing her once more. "I'll be back soon though, promise."

"Okay," she said on a heavy sigh. "Love you, Juice."

Juice grabbed her left hand and squeezed it, his thumb rubbing over her new ring. "Love you, baby," he replied, his other hand going to her belly. "You too, Evie."

Angela grinned, kissing his cheek before letting go of his hand and pushing him towards the door. "Go, goofy. V's waiting for you."

He groaned as he headed towards the door, sending her one last smile over his shoulder before the door closed behind him. Her stomach was in knots as she listened to his motorcycle start up and drive away. For some reason, she had a very bad feeling about the day. A very, very bad feeling.

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><p>Between the craziness of the night before and the fun she had with Juice in the morning, Angela hadn't heard about the school shooting until after Juice had gone. Watching the news coverage, she wondered how many of the victims were sent to Dubrowski's. There had to be a few. She knew Charming kids went to the Catholic school; it was the closest one to them. With a sigh, she got into her car and drove over to the funeral home; there was no way she was letting Bones deal with this on his own. He was good at his job, had passed his apprenticeship with flying colors, but there was nothing that could prepare you for the moment when a child ended up on your table. She knew that first hand.<p>

Bones was there to meet her in the entryway. "Go home, Ang," he ordered, his arms crossed over his chest as he tried his best to look intimidating.

"No," she said, walking around him. "How many did we get?"

He hesitated, and she knew he wanted to tell her, wanted to ask her for help. There was something off about him. He wasn't smiling as he usual was and his skin was slightly pale. "Ang, you're not supposed to be working."

"I don't give a shit. I need to help with this," she stated vehemently. "How many of the kids did we get?"

Bones sighed, hanging his head in defeat. This was a fight he wouldn't win. "Two," he answered softly. "Just picked them up."

"What state are they in?"

"Ang…"

"Leonard, please," she begged, voice rougher than usual. The shooting had hit her hard, and she'd spent most of the morning after Juice had left crying like a baby. She was glad Juice wasn't around to see her. "I _need_ to be there for them. I _need_ to help. _Please_."

Bones blinked at her, surprised by the use of his real name. "Fine," he said, walking towards the work room. He stopped at the door, blocking her entrance, and stuck a finger in her face. "I'm embalming though. None of that chemical stuff near Monk. Got it?"

Angela nodded, exhaling a long breath. "Thank you, Bones."

It took them a lot longer than usual to finish up both of the victims. They were taking their time, making sure everything was perfect. Silent tears were falling down both of their cheeks as they finished. Bones grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Video game time?" he asked, sniffling slightly.

She nodded, wiping at her eyes. Together, they headed up the stairs to his apartment, both sitting on the couch feeling emotionally spent. They sat in silence for awhile, the weight of what they'd just done falling heavily on their shoulders. Angela knew it was Bones' first time preparing children for their funerals. It wasn't hers, unfortunately, but it was the first time she'd done it knowing she was going to have one of her own. One that someday could suffer the same fate. The idea of that made her sick to her stomach.

"Why do you think he did it?" Bones asked softly. At her questioning look, he swallowed hard. "The kid. Why do you think he decided to hurt so many people like that? Where'd he even find the gun to do it?"

Angela had a sick feeling the Sons were somehow involved in it, but she kept that feeling to herself. "I don't know, Bones. I just don't know."

"It's fucked up," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly. He crumbled against her, his head on her shoulder as he began to cry. Angela held on tightly to his hand with hers, the other one reaching up to smooth over his prickly head. She didn't cry this time, she'd already gotten all of her tears out. Now, she had to be strong for Bones. "I know, kiddo," she murmured, turning to kiss his forehead. "I know."

He stopped crying after awhile and sat up, pushing up his glasses as he wiped at his eyes. " 'm sorry."

"For what? You're my little brother. I got you," she said on a sympathetic smile.

"Cool. Thanks." Clearing his throat, he picked up her hand and smiled a bit at the new ring there. "He finally did it, huh?" he asked on a laugh. "Looks better than it did on the computer."

Angela was grateful for the distraction. She was worried about her apprentice. If he reacted this way to every difficult case; he was going to have a hard time at the job. She decided to keep up the distraction and asked, "You helped him with this?"

Bones nodded, sniffling slightly. "Yeah, like _months_ ago. He wasn't sure about the black diamond. Thought it might be…unlucky or somethin'. I told him you'd like it more than a white one 'cause it's different and not cheesy. And then we went through the different metals before he decided you'd like platinum best," he rambled, a nervous habit of his. "Thought he'd put it on ya a lot sooner, though."

"I wasn't ready for it," she admitted, focused on the ring. "He's talked about it for a long time, and I always said no. But last night, we…we named our kid and then he said I should have the same last name and I just…saying yes finally felt right."

He grinned at her, his smile lighting up his whole face. "You named Monk? What'd you name her? Is it Margarita? 'cause I totally called that one."

"No, idiot," she said, elbowing his side. "You'll find out when she gets out."

"Fair enough," he said getting off the couch to turn on the TV. "What are we playin'?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. She wasn't really in the mood to play games. "You play, I'll watch."

"Okay. I've gotten epically far in that Marvel Lego game," he said, sitting on the ground, his back against the couch.

She laughed at that, reaching out her hand to rub over his head. "Nerd."

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><p>Angela grew bored with watching him play pretty quickly and decided to head over to Tara's house to extend an olive branch. She missed having a friend that was as deep in the club as she was. Gemma was a poor substitute since the Queen never spoke a bad word about SAMCRO. It was all advice on how to deal with it, she never just listened. Tara was good at listening and good at agreeing with and trash talking the club just a little. Angela loved Juice and Hap and, to an extent, the club, but sometimes it felt good to vent her frustrations.<p>

She knocked at the door, smiling when she heard Abel screaming on the other side. Tara opened the door and gave her a small smile. "Hey Ang," she greeted, looking a little relieved to see her. "God, look at you! You're so big now!"

"Ha. Thanks. Crazy how fast babies grow, huh?" Angela asked, rubbing over her belly. Abel ran to her, screaming her name as he wrapped his arms around her legs. She rubbed a hand over his blonde head. "Speaking of...this little monster grows two inches every time I see him!"

"Auntie Gee! Mommy's home!" he said, looking up at her with a big smile.

Angela laughed and nodded. "I can see that," she replied, smiling back at him. He laughed and then ran back to living room to get back to whatever it was he was doing before. She shook her head at him before looking back at Tara. "How you doin', T?"

"Good. It's...it's nice to be out," she said on a content sigh.

"I bet," she said on a smile. "Hey, can I use your bathroom real quick? The baby's sitting on my bladder."

Tara raised an eyebrow, a light sparking in her eyes as if she had some kind of plan. "Yeah, 'course. The um...toilet's not working great so don't worry about flushing."

Angela wrinkled her nose but nodded anyway. "Whatever you say, lady." She used the bathroom quickly and walked out to find Tara still hovering by the front door. "I uh...didn't flush if that's what you're wondering..."

"Oh no, I actually wanted to warn you that I have Lowen in the kitchen. We were discussing some...things. Kinda glad you stopped by."

She paused in the doorway, unwilling to take another step. "Tara, we've been over this. I can't..."

"It's not about custody. I just...there are a few things we need to discuss. Come on," she said, leading her to the kitchen.

"Hello Angela. Good to see you again," Ally Lowen greeted from her seat at the table.

Angela gave her a small smile in return, still a little ruffled from the fact that she was even there. Warning bells were going off in her head, but she didn't have the sense to listen to them. "You too," she replied on a nod. "What's going on?"

"Sit," Tara said, gesturing to the chair as she took a seat herself.

"I'm good," she said, holding onto the back of the chair. There was something off about the way the doctor and the lawyer were looking at each other. She had a feeling they were about to tell her something she wasn't going to like. "What's going on?"

Tara and Lowen exchanged a look before the doctor cleared her throat. "I'm getting my boys out of Charming."

Angela felt like she was missing something. "Right. You mentioned that. I said I didn't want any part of it. What do you need from me?"

Lowen looked a little disappointed in her but sighed. "We are trying to get Tara sole guardianship of the boys. In order to do that, she has compiled a list of...incidents which implicate that Jax's lifestyle is unsafe for them. You are mentioned, by name, in a few of the stories. I wanted you to review them before I turn them in as evidence as you will be contacted as a reliable witness."

She blinked as that sunk in, her eyes wide as she looked at Tara. "You're _ratting?_" she asked, anger in her tone. "And you want _me_ to be a part of it? This could send them all right back into jail!"

"No! No, none of this will indict any of them. It's just going to give me sole custody of my boys," Tara assured her, a pleading look in her eyes. "Please, Angela. Just help me out."

"I can't. I'm sorry, Tara, but you gotta strike my name from the record because I want absolutely no part in this," she said, trying to be calm about it.

Tara had a feeling her reaction would be something like this. She looked at Lowen for help. The lawyer didn't seem surprised by Angela's reaction either. "We need a reliable eye witness, Angela. You are the only one..." Lowen started.

"No!" Angela interrupted, louder than she wanted to. She was losing her cool. There was no way she'd be swayed on this. If there was one thing that Happy had instilled on her growing up, it was that any type of ratting was wrong, no matter what the outcome. The irony that she was so against ratting yet still with Juice, didn't go unnoticed, but she didn't fault him for it. She understood where he was coming from, but that didn't mean she thought it'd been the right thing to do. Just like she knew this wasn't the right thing to do. "You want to call Jax out on his lifestyle than have at it, but don't drag me into this! I've had enough with being in the middle of all this club shit!"

"Then get out of it with me, Angela!" Tara exclaimed, standing up from her chair. "There is enough stuff in here to use in a case against Juice as well. You could have sole custody of your little girl and get her out of her before this place ruins her life!"

Angela's hand curled into a fist as she saw red. She couldn't believe what the doctor had just suggested! Taking a deep breath, she reigned in her anger. "I told you once, and I will tell you again, I am _not_ leaving Charming. Not without my Old Man," she seethed, her voice deathly calm. "You implicate me in this _shit_, and I will deny every word of it and sue you for libel."

"You're making a mistake, Angela," she countered, a desperate note to her voice. "Think about your daughter!"

"I _am_. I grew up without a father. I know how shitty that is. How much that hurts, but I didn't have a choice in that. Neither did my mother," she replied, fire in her dark eyes. "I will _not_ willingly have my kid grow up without hers. If I don't have your word, _both _of your word, I will go straight to Gemma and tell her what you're doing."

Tara finally looked angry, her light eyes narrowed at the pregnant woman across from her. "And if I take your name out? You gonna tell her anyway?"

Angela shook her head. "I'm no rat," she growled lowly. "But you fuck with my family, and I'll fuck you up. Understand?"

Tara nodded, following her to the door and slamming it behind her. Running a hand through her hair, Angela sighed. That was a bridge she wish she didn't need to burn. But what Tara was doing was wrong, and she had a feeling deep in her gut that it was going to end up badly for the doctor. She just hoped she wasn't dragged down with her.

* * *

><p>Juice's hands shook as he put his keys in the front door of his house. No matter how many times he washed them, they still felt dirty. He could still feel Darvney struggling underneath him as he suffocated her. Could still see her dead eyes staring back up at him when he was finished, so dark…so much like Angela's that it was scary. He'd killed an innocent woman just because Jax had told him to. And he'd do it again if it meant he got to live another day. That's what scared him the most. He'd joined the Sons for the brotherhood of it. He'd expected the violence, but he'd had a clear view that what they were doing was good. But that notion was starting to blur. The Sons didn't kill women as a rule. Jax had broken that rule, hell, <em>he'd<em> broken it. What kind of man kills an innocent woman then comes back to his Old Lady and future daughter? How could he look Angela in the eye and tell her he'd just killed a woman? A mother? The idea of it made his stomach churn nervously. What if she left him because of this?

Rigor greeted him as he walked in, but he ignored the pup, walking in a daze towards his bedroom door while he tried to sort out how to tell her. She surprised him by walking out into the hallway before he could even get to the room. Her smile was big, eyes bright with excitement for a brief moment, and then that glow faded. "Juice?" Angela questioned, worry already in her tone. "What happened, baby? Why do you smell like smoke?"

He opened his mouth to answer those questions but couldn't find the words. Slowly, he shook his head, tears filling his eyes. Without another word, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her. He slid his arms around her, his face buried in the crook of her neck as he held on tightly to her and broke down.

Angela didn't know what to do, so she held him tighter, her hand stroking over his head while the other slipped under his cut and shirt and rubbed over the warm skin of his back. "Talk to me, Juice," she whispered, turning her head to kiss his. "Please. You're scaring me."

Juice pulled away and met her gaze. Looking into the deep brown eyes, he saw a very different face staring back at him. All he could see was Darveny, all he could feel was that moment when she stopped struggling against him and lay there still beneath him. He looked away from her stare and at the floor. "I killed her," he blurted out, wiping at his eyes as he took a step away from Angela. He chanced a glance at her face, seeing her confused expression. "The kid's mom…I just…suffocated her…she was going to…Jax told me to. He…he wanted me to take care of her, and I know…I know what that means. I can't say no to him, Angel. He'll…and I can't…I want to be here for you, for Evie…I can't let him take you away from me…"

"Jesus Christ, baby," she murmured, closing the distance between them again. She laid her hand on the less injured side of his face, her thumb stroking over his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"I couldn't say 'no', Angel. I couldn't," he explained, desperate for her to understand. "He made me do it…and we…we don't kill women but he wanted her gone, Angel, and I had to…I didn't want to. I _never_ wanted to…"

Angela nodded, trying not to let on how worried she was. He'd killed an innocent woman, a mother…a grieving mother, and it was clearly affecting him in a way she didn't know how to handle. "I know, baby. I know," she murmured, standing on her toes and putting her lips to his. "I love you."

"How? How can you still love me?" he asked, stepping away from her and shaking his head. "I _killed_ her."

"But you did it for us, Juice," she said around the lump that was rising in her throat. "And _that's_ why I love you. That's why I don't see you as a murderer or a monster because I understand why you did it. I would've done the same thing for you."

Juice nodded, tears spilling down his cheeks before he could stop them. "I love you," he said, pulling her to him. "So much, Angel. You know I do. This isn't me…that…I'm not that guy."

Angela felt her own tears spring to her eyes as she nodded against his chest. She tilted her head back to look at him. "I know, baby, I know," she said, taking his face in her hands again. "_You_ have to know that. Do _not_ let this change you. You didn't do anything wrong, Juice."

"I killed her," he repeated, his mind on overdrive. "That was wrong."

"That is on Jax," she corrected, her eyes fierce as they locked on his. "He is holding this…shit over your head and making you do things that you would _never_ do if your _life_ wasn't hanging in the balance. I _know_ this isn't you, Juice. I know it. I know who you are, and I _love_ you. I want to _marry_ you. Don't let this change you. _Please_, baby."

Juice nodded, his hands rising to encircle her wrists. "Okay," he said, though he didn't see a way for that to happen. A way to go back to that happy, goofy guy who just happened to be in a motorcycle club. There was something dark growing inside of him, getting bigger every time Jax asked him to do something. It started with turning in Clay, grew with every punch Chibs landed to his face, and even more when he put that pillow over Darveny's face. The only time he felt it subside was when he was with Angela. She was the light that kept him from sinking in deeper, from drowning. "Just…stay with me, Angel. You're the only good thing I got goin' right now. Don't give up on me."

Angela nodded, kissing him soundly on the lips. "That's not gonna happen," she promised, catching his lips once more. "I'm here. I got you. Not going anywhere."

* * *

><p><strong>Phew. What a roller coaster of a chapter this was! It was super difficult to write, so any of your thoughts, suggestions, dislikes, likes, are very well loved and appreciated! :) <strong>

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**~Love Ink**


	84. Angels

**Sorry this came a bit late! It was my birthday this weekend, so I've been a bit busy having a little too much fun... ;) **

**Thanks so everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you reviewers but thanks also to: _Rebel _**_(Maybe you should be a little worried... ;)) **and JDB **(I'll work a Happy/Chloe moment in when I can... ;)). _

**This chapter takes place during season 6, Episode 3: "Poenitentia". **

**I'm really fond of this chapter for no reason in particular. So you're thoughts, comments, etc would be very much appreciated! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, & Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 84: Angels_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice stared worriedly at Angela. She was laying on her side, her legs pushed up to her tummy as her hand stroked over it, a pained look on her face. He gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear, his brows furrowed in concern. "Baby, are you okay?" he asked, pushing aside the noise in his head left over from the day before to focus on her. "What's wrong? Is it Monk?"

"Mm," she groaned, grimacing in pain. " 'm fine. Just that Braxton-Hicks shit again. It hurts."

"I'm sorry, baby. Can I get you anything?" he asked, his thumb brushing over her cheek. His heart broke as a soft whimper left her lips. His phone went off, but he ignored it. "Should I call Chlo? Should we go to the hospital?"

She shook her head and gave him a weak smile. "Go. I'll be fine."

"I'm not goin' anywhere, Angel," he said, stretching out next to her. He settled his hand on her belly, feeling better when he felt his daughter kick it. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, ignoring the phone that was vibrating on the nightstand behind him. He knew who was calling and did not want to answer it. He didn't want to leave her like this.

Her brows pulled together in pain as she set her hand over his. "Baby, just go. Please. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, baby. I mean…you look beautiful, you always do, but…"

"Nice save, slick," she muttered, grimacing a bit. "I'm okay. Get outta here before one of prospects show up. I don't feel like being nice to those knuckleheads."

Juice chuckled, kissing her forehead before reaching for his phone. The conversation was quick, just Chibs yelling at him to get to the clubhouse. He ended the phone call and sighed softly. "You sure you're okay?"

"Mm-hmm. Just tired and pregnant," she sighed, snuggling closer into the pillow. "Go. Club needs you."

"Do _you _need me?" he asked, knowing she would say 'no.' A part of him hoped she'd say 'yes' so he had a reason not to show up at TM and take a mental health day. "I'll stay, Angel. You just say the word."

Angela smiled tiredly at him, touched by his offer. A part of her wanted to say yes, but she knew his loyalty to the club was being called into question, and she didn't want to make it worse by having him skip out on them if they needed him. "You don't have to, Juice. I'll be fine. I'll play some video games or somethin'."

"You sure you don't want me to stay?"

She laughed, starting to realize he was asking for a reason to stay. "Juice, if you want to stay, and you think the club will be okay with it, then stay."

He already knew the club wouldn't be okay with it. They didn't make allowances for members with sick Old Ladies. The club always came first. "I should go," he said on a sigh. "I'ma call someone to stay with you."

"No prospects, Juice. _Please_. I don't have the patience for that shit," Angela muttered miserably. "They need too much attention."

"Okay. Bones or Ken'll be over in a bit then," he said, feeling better about leaving her when she smiled in response. She really did love her two apprentices, and he was happy she had those goons around to help her both at work and at home. "That okay?"

"Much better than one of your whiny prospects," she said on a sigh.

Juice chuckled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear before leaning over to give her a kiss. "I love you, Angel," he said, rubbing a hand over her belly. "You too, Eves."

"Love you," she replied, smiling at he pulled the covers over her shoulder, effectively tucking her in. Sometimes, he really was a mush head, and she loved him all the more for it. "Be safe, Juice. Come home to us."

" 'course. See you later, Mama," he said on a shrug, kissing her once more before heading out the door.

"Bye." Angela closed her eyes as she heard his Dyna start up, silently praying that whatever was in store for Juice today would not hurt him as badly as what he'd done the night before.

* * *

><p>Bones used the key Juice had given him to let himself into their house, Kenny close behind him. He stepped inside, surprised to find the couch empty. Usually Angela set herself up there with her laptop and books so she could relax. "Ang?" he called, a little nervous. She'd been taken once before, what if it happened again?<p>

"Here," a soft voice called from the bedroom.

He walked back, waving for Kenny to follow him. Opening the door, he frowned when he saw Angela curled up on her side in the middle of the bed, her eyes on the TV hooked up to the wall as her hand rubbed over her belly with Rigor at her feet. "Hey Mama," Bones greeted sitting on one side of her.

She sat up with a groan, making room for Kenny. The younger boy sat down next to her without any hesitation. "Hey dudes," she greeted, smiling when Kenny leaned his head against her shoulder. "How goes it?"

"Good. Skeeter kicked us out of the funeral home," Bones explained, leaning over and grabbing Angela's laptop. "Juice called him. Said we were needed here since apparently, he couldn't stay. "

"Club comes first," Kenny said, his voice cracking slightly. "No matter what."

Angela's heart dropped at the broken look on the young man's face. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Luckily, I have you two boneheads to keep me company, huh?"

That got a smile out of the younger man. "Yup. Do you need anythin', Ang?"

"Nope. I'm good," she said, pressing play on the remote. "Just found a Star Wars marathon on TV, actually."

"Yes!" Bones exclaimed, clapping his hands together loudly and startling Rigor.

The dog lifted his head, looked at Bones for a moment, decided he wasn't a threat and laid back down. Angela was too big to lean over and pet him with her hand so she rubbed her foot along his side instead. "Good boy, Rigs. Bones isn't scary at all," she cooed to him before hissing in pain. She waved off the concerned looks of the boys. "I'm fine. Monk's practicing. It happens."

Bones' brow furrowed briefly, and he checked his watch but made no other comment. Midway through _A New Hope_, she groaned again. "Jesus, Monk. Calm the fuck down."

"Oh good. Swear at the kid in utero," Bones quipped.

Angela elbowed him in the side. "Shut up," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"You're not in labor, are ya?"

"No. I have a few more weeks, Bones," she said rolling her eyes at him. "These are those Braxton Hicks contractions. I told you, Monk is practicing and it hurts like a bitch."

Bones studied her face for a moment before nodding and checking his watch again. "Whatever you say, Ang."

It wasn't long before another pain shot up her spine. She sat up, clutching at her stomach. "Ow! Ow! _Shit_!"

Bones paused the movie and looked at her. "Ang, I think its baby time."

She looked scared for a brief moment before she shook her head. "Its too early, Boner. I'm fine. Just cramps. Play the damn movie."," she said through gritted teeth as she tried to hide her pain. He checked his watch, something that was starting to drive Angela crazy. "Are you under some time crunch, Boner? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothin'," he lied, unpausing it. He was checking the time between her contractions, but he wasn't about to tell her that, not after the way she just jumped down his throat for checking his watch. When a soft gasp escaped her lips again, he checked his watch once more. "That's three minutes apart. Last one lasted about 45 seconds," he said pushing his glasses up his nose before he stood. "Let's go, Ang. Time to meet Monk."

"It's too early," she groaned, refusing to take the hands he was reaching out to her. "I'm fine."

But Bones didn't back down. He had a feeling in his gut that his mentor was in labor, and he was not about to let her give birth in her house without someone who knew what they were doing. He may have been her pregnancy guru, but he didn't know how to deliver a baby. "Either you let me take you to the damn hospital or I will do something you really won't like."

Angela raised an eyebrow at him as Kenny hid a chuckle behind his hand. "Boner, sit," she instructed, but he stood strong. Another cramp hit, and she grimaced again.

He didn't sit. Instead, he glared at Kenny who stood and joined in on the argument. "Ang, maybe you should listen to him. I mean," Kenny scratched nervously at the back of his head. "What if he's right?"

She shook her head. "You both are wrong. Sit, watch the movie, I'm gonna pee," she said, standing up with a grunt. Bones and Kenny exchanged glances as she waddled her way to the bathroom. The door had barely closed behind her when she exclaimed, "Oh fuck!"

Bones ran back towards the bathroom knocking on the door. "What? What is it?"

She opened up the door, a large wet stain on the front of her sweatpants. "My water just broke," she said in disbelief.

"Hospital time! Now!" he ordered, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the front door. "Ken, there's a bag in her closet with clothes in it. Grab it and meet me by the car. C'mon, Ang. Nice and easy."

Angela marveled at his calm, wondering how he knew about her hospital bag and where it was. Another contraction hit, and she stopped on the way to the car, squeezing his hand tightly. "I can't have this baby now. Juice isn't…" she groaned again, bracing herself against the car door.

Bones squeezed back, helping her into the car. "It's okay. Ken's going to call Juice over and over again until he picks up, and if he doesn't, I'll have him call your Bane doppelganger cousin and then that scary lady that comes by every so often," he said, looking in his rearview at Kenny who nodded in agreement. "And Chlo will be there too. We've got you, Ang. You're not alone."

She smiled a little at him, squeezing his hand once more. "Thanks, Boner," she said softly before gritting her teeth again against another contraction. "Now let's go before Monk comes out in your ugly ass car!"

"It's not ugly! It's a Jetta! They're cool!" Bones defended, starting up the car.

Kenny snorted from the back seat. "Yeah, back in 2001 when that dude in _the Fast and the Furious_ had a cool one."

"What do you know? You weren't even born!" Bones shot back.

"I still saw it," Kenny muttered indignantly, his phone at his ear as he redialed Juice again. He'd already called three times and kept hitting voicemail. Wherever Juice was, his personal was off which meant that it was impossible to get a hold of him. Kenny didn't tell them that though, he didn't want to upset Angela.

Angela clutched the door handle as hard as she could as another contraction hit. "Oh my God! This hurts more than being shot!"

Bones looked over at her, eyes wide as he sat at a stoplight. "You've been shot before?" he asked, his mouth agape.

"Light's green, Boner! Focus! I'm having a baby here!" she shouted, glaring at him.

"On it!" he said, pressing on the gas. "Just breathe. We'll be there in like five minutes."

"Goddamn, Boner. Drive faster, _please_," she said, trying to breathe. "I need some drugs, stat!"

Bones smirked, pressing a little harder on the gas as he weaved through traffic, heading straight for St. Thomas. "No natural birth?"

"Fuck off!" she growled, holding her belly. He chuckled, biting back another sarcastic comment as he pressed harder on the gas.

Kenny peeked his head between the seat. "Juice isn't answering," he said after calling twenty times. "Want me to leave a message?"

"I got it," she said, taking the phone from him. "Juice! It's time! I'm going to try and wait-_shit this hurts_-but I don't know if I'll be able to wait for you! Shit, Bones! Drive faster!"

"I'm going, I'm going," he said, pressing his lips together the keep himself from laughing. "Tell Monk to stay in there!"

Chloe bit back a laugh as she heard Angela's loud cursing from her wheelchair while Bones wheeled her down the hall, Kenny chasing after him with his phone pressed tightly to his ear. She was impressed by how calm and collected both boys were. "Hey guys. What's up?" she asked casually.

"I'm about to have this fucking baby early, that's what's up," Angela replied through gritted teeth. She doubled over, gasping in pain. "Jesus Christ this hurts!"

"Told ya you'd know," Chloe said, patting her shoulder and ignoring Angela's fiery glare. "All right, let's get you a room and let's get this baby _out_! Bones, Ken, either of you get a hold of Juice?"

Kenny shook his head as he jogged alongside Chloe. "No. I've been tryin' since we got in the car!"

Chloe looked frustrated for a moment before she pulled out her own phone. "Call Hap. First number on the received calls list. If he doesn't answer, keep trying Juice, and then go for Gemma," she instructed. He nodded, already going through Chloe's contacts. Chloe turned to Bones. "You're up, buddy."

Bones swallowed hard, hesitating for a moment before following them into the hospital room. He was iffy about the whole situation until Angela cried out in pain. The moment he heard that, he was at her side in seconds, her hand in his, all fear erased. "Let's do this, Ang! Let's have this baby!"

* * *

><p>Bones would've laughed if Angela wasn't holding his fingers in a vice grip. He'd heard his mentor swear before, but not like this. The words that were coming out of her mouth were enough to make a sailor blush. He locked eyes with Chloe who also seemed to be fighting back laughter. "C'mon, push, Ang," Chloe coaxed in her calm way. "You got this."<p>

"Drugs! Give me the fuckin' drugs! Goddamn it, Chloe! I don't care if Monk is high as fuck when she gets out, I need the damn drugs!" Angela shouted, gasping as another contraction hit. "Holy shit!"

"You're almost fully dilated, Angela. Too late for that," the actual doctor replied.

"Oh fuck me," Angela said breathing in deeply. Bones went to look but her sharp words cut him off. "You look and so help me God, Boner, I will cut your fuckin' head off."

Bones squeezed her hand in response. "Got it, boss," he said, moving closer to the head of her bed. "C'mon, breathe and push. In and out."

"Fuck off, Boner!" she growled, grunting again as she pushed harder. "Jesus Christ! Where's Juice?"

Chloe looked over at Bones who shrugged in response. "Ken's calling him, Ang. That's all he's doin' out there. Callin' him and Hap and Gemma. They'll be here soon. Juice wouldn't miss this."

"Baby's crowning, Angela. You're doing great," the doctor urged, a small smile on her face. "Just a few more pushes okay. One big one. Ready? One, two…"

Angela pushed, screaming with the effort of it. "Shit! Fuck!"

"Ease up on the language, Ang. You don't want Monk's first words to be 'shit fuck'," Bones teased, regretting the decision immediately when her grip on his finger tightened. "Ow, ow, ow. Just kidding. Swear away!"

"One more push, Angela. C'mon!" Chloe coaxed, her hazel eyes alight with excitement.

After one last, hard push, the sound of the baby's cries filled the air. Chloe beamed at her best friend. "She's out, Ang! You're all done, Mama," she assured her before looking to Bones. "You want to cut the cord, Uncle Bones?"

Bones looked back at Angela who shrugged a shoulder in indifference. _She _wasn't about to do it, and Juice was nowhere to be found. Plus, Bones had stood at her side the whole time. If anyone deserved the honor, it was him. "Go 'head," she said on a nod. Smiling to herself when he beamed back at her.

"This is so cool," he said under his breath as he cut the cord. "She's…kinda gross lookin', Ang."

Angela slumped back against the bed, a breathless laugh escaping her lips. "Is she okay, Chlo?"

"She's beautiful, Ang," Chloe answered, glaring at Bones. She held out the baby to Angela. "See?"

Angela took her daughter from her best friend and grinned. As soon as her baby girl was in her arms, all the pain she was feeling went away. All she could see was the precious little girl in her arms. "Hi beautiful girl," she said around the lump in her throat as she touched her daughter's cheek. "Nice to finally meet you, Monk."

"I gotta take her and clean her up a bit," Chloe said, holding out her arms for the baby. "Run some tests, and then I'll give her back, okay?"

She nodded slowly, biting at her lip nervously as dropped a kiss to her forehead before handing her over. Bones squeezed her hand and gave her a smile. "I'm sure she's fine, Ang," he assured her. "Did you hear her screamin'? With lungs like that, she's gotta be healthy."

Angela smiled at him, wiping at her eyes. "Yeah," she said on a nod, her stomach churning with worry. She glanced up at Bones who looked about as tired and sweaty as she felt. "Thanks for being here, Boner."

Bones' grin widened as he shrugged a shoulder. "I'm your pregnancy guru. 'course I'd be here for you. And as gross as Monk looked covered in all the gunk, I'm sure she cleans up well."

She laughed, reaching out a hand to smack him. "Don't talk about my little girl like that."

"Sorry, sorry," he said, falling heavily into the chair next to her bed. "That was exhausting."

"_You're_ exhausted?" she asked on another laugh. "Try pushing a baby out of you."

Bones smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, you win. That was awesome," he said holding out his fist for her to bump. She rolled her eyes and bumped her fist against his. He sat back in the chair and reached for the remote. "You think that Star Wars marathon is still on?"

* * *

><p>It took awhile before Chloe came back carrying a little white bundle in her arms. "She's perfectly healthy and absolutely beautiful," she reported, carefully handing her over to Angela.<p>

Angela beamed as she held her little girl close. "Hi pretty girl. How you doin'?," she cooed, smiling when her daughter's eyes opened. "You look much better all cleaned up."

"Told you she'd clean up well," Bones said, chuckling at his own joke.

"Just like her daddy," Chloe commented on a laugh. She set her hand on Angela's arm, giving it a loving squeeze. "You did a great job, Ang. And you didn't need the meds!"

Angela had some choice words for her friend about the pain meds, but she kept them to herself. She was holding the little being she'd grown inside of her. It'd been painful as hell, but it had been worth it. "She's so little. Is she supposed to be this small?"

"She's a little light, but she's healthy. Promise. Kid just couldn't wait to get out," Chloe assured her.

"Yeah. My sister was smaller," Bones said on a nod as he peeked over Angela's shoulder. He knew better than to ask to hold the baby. Juice should have the honor of being the first man to hold her. "What are you gonna name her?"

"Evangeline," she said, pressing a kiss to her baby's forehead. "Evangeline Victoria Ortiz."

Chloe wiped at her eyes before smiling and nodding. "Now _that_ is a good name."

Angela smiled, bringing Evie up to her face to kiss her cheek. The love she felt for the little girl in her arms was instant and overwhelming. She lifted her hand and gently touched her daughter's hand smiling when Evie's little fingers curled around hers. "I love you, Evie. So much."

* * *

><p>After being shot at and spending most of the day with Collette, Juice was ready to go home and relax with his Old Lady. They pulled into TM, and he swung his leg off of his bike, determined to ask Chibs to give him some time off to go check on Angela. She hadn't looked good that morning, and he was worried as hell. He turned on his phone as he headed towards the garage bays, surprised when it came to life with an influx of messages. Panic gripped at his heart when he read who they were from: Angela and Chloe. That couldn't be good. "Shit," he breathed, his hands shaking as he dialed his voicemail. He prayed nothing had happened to her, that she was okay, but the pile up of messages was disheartening. He waited nervously for the first message to play.<p>

Angela's voice came over the other line, fast and shaking, "Juice! It's time! I'm going to try and wait-_shit this hurts_-but I don't know if I'll be able to wait for you!"

He furrowed his brows. Time for what? What the hell was going on? Why was she hurting? Than it clicked. "Oh _shit_!" he shouted, turning and sprinting for his bike.

Happy blocked his way. "Where you goin'?"

"Angela's havin' the kid. I gotta..."

He stepped aside and nodded in approval. "Go."

Juice nodded, starting up his motorcycle and pulling out of the lot. He wasn't surprised when he heard the roar of Happy's bike behind him. In fact, he was glad for it. At least he wasn't the only one ditching his brothers. He caught up with him quickly when they hit a red stoplight. Juice looked over at him, his brown eyes wide with panic. Hap nodded, smirking at him and revving his engine. Juice nodded back and did the same. They blew through that red light together and didn't stop once after that until they got to St. Thomas.

* * *

><p>Juice stopped the bike in front of the hospital and got off, throwing his helmet at the handlebars and not bothering to check if it landed as he sprinted through the front doors. Happy shook his head at his brother, picking up his helmet and putting it back on the bars. He followed at a much slower speed, knowing the idiot would be held up at the elevators. And there he was, pressing rapidly at the button as if it would make it come faster. "God damn it," Juice cursed, pushing at it frantically. "How many goddamn floors are there?"<p>

Happy chuckled, looking over at the stairs. He pushed Juice towards them. "Go."

Juice nodded, running towards the stairwell despite the ding of the elevator behind him. He took those damn things two at a time until he finally reached the maternity ward floor. Bursting through the door, he found Kenny Winston sitting in the hallway. "Ken! Where is she?" he asked, his breathing hard as he looked around the hallway.

Kenny nodded towards the end of the hallway. "She's down there. They just changed her rooms because…"

Juice didn't listen to him. He'd already spotted Chloe and took off in her direction. The nurse smirked at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Took ya long enough," she said by way of greeting. Her eyes looked over his shoulder to where Happy was heading towards them.

"Is she okay? Did…is my…is my kid…" Juice stammered, his brown eyes wide with panic. He was out of breath and freaking out. He'd missed it. He'd missed it all. "I didn't…my phone was off and I didn't know…I didn't…I shoulda been there."

"Hey, relax, dude," Chloe said with a light laugh. If Juice could see the murderous look on Happy's face, he would've been infinitely more nervous, but she could tell the younger Son was only focused on one thing. "Your girls are fine. _Both_ of them. You didn't miss anything. It was gross, and she was…swearing like a sailor, but Bones was there for her and she got through it just fine. No drugs."

"And the baby? Is Monk okay?" Juice asked, eyes wide. "She's like…a week or two early, right? I mean, that's not okay…"

"She's fine. Technically, she's a little on the early side, but your daughter is lucky and passed all of our tests with flying colors," she informed him smiling at his concern. "And now, she's resting with Mama."

Juice relaxed a bit at the explanation. He looked at the teal colored door and took a deep breath. "Can I…"

Chloe nodded, gesturing to the closed door. "Of course you can," she said on a laugh. "She's absolutely beautiful."

"Which one?" Juice replied, his hand on the handle.

"Good answer," Chloe acknowledged, her eyes darting to Happy who looked like he was going to punch Juice as the mohawked man disappeared into the room. He made a move to follow the new dad, but she stopped him. "Give him a minute to meet his daughter alone before you go in there."

Happy tried to ignore her, but she stood firm. "Hey, Lowman," she said, trying to get his attention. His dark eyes flicked to her face and then back to the closed door. "Relax. I know that's your little girl in there, but that's _his_ little girl in there too. Let them have their moment."

He took a step back, not because she told him to but because he knew she was right. As much as he wanted to make sure his little cousin was okay, Juice's daughter was in there. He should be the first one to see her, to hold her. Happy wasn't concerned about his new "niece"; he just wanted to make sure Angela was all right. "She okay?"

Chloe didn't have to ask which girl Happy was talking about. "Ang is strong as hell with a mouth that would make a sailor blush. You should be proud of her. I know I am."

Happy shifted as he took in that information, studying Chloe's face to make sure she wasn't telling the truth. He could see that the nurse wasn't lying; she was truly proud of Angela. Without thinking, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Thanks."

She smiled back at him, tugging on his cut affectionately. "I'm a nurse here, Hap. It's my job."

He shook his head slowly. "You're more than that to her 'n' you know it."

Chloe smirked, shrugging it off like it was no big deal. "Ang is family. Has been for awhile now. More of a sister to me than my own."

"Good," he said, the smallest smile on his face. "I'ma call my Ma. Let her know what's goin' on."

He didn't go far, just a few feet away from the door, his finger pressing the speed dial button as he brought the phone to his ear. She knew he programmed all of his burners the same way. The first speed dial was his Mom, the next Angela. He went through those things daily, but he always did it. She'd asked him why, and he told her because sometimes there's not enough time to dial. The way he'd said it gave her chills. It was almost as if he'd done it so he could call them in the event he was hurt, or worse, dying. She didn't like to think of that. She'd grown quite attached to the rough man leaning against the other side of the hallway.

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><p>Juice closed the door behind him, taking a deep breath before he turned around to face what was waiting for him. He was still in disbelief that this was happening. That after eight months of waiting and worrying about never being able to see her, he was finally going to meet his little girl. Turning around, he felt tears rise to his eyes at the sight before him; Angela sitting there with a tiny pink bundle in her arms. He was walking towards them before he even told his feet to move. Angela lifted her head, her dark eyes meeting his as a bright smile crossed her face. "Hey you."<p>

Her greeting was so normal, so nonchalant that it eased his nerves. The smile that graced his face came naturally. "Hey baby," he replied, as was custom. The whole situation didn't feel real. He was in total shock.

"Look who's here, Evie. It's your daddy," she cooed to the small baby before her eyes met his again.

He sat down on the edge of her bed, peering over at the little tan face peeking out from the bundle. "Jesus Christ, Angel," he said around the lump in his throat. "She's…she's…"

"Perfect, right?" Angela filled in with a smile. She carefully shifted Evie over so that she was closer to Juice. "You want to hold her?"

He nodded slowly, allowing Angela to help him get her situated. "Holy shit," he whispered, blinking back his tears. He lifted a hand to touch her little cheek. "She's real."

"Of course she's real, goof," she said on a laugh. "I didn't get that huge belly for nothin'."

Juice smiled a little, his eyes never leaving his little girl's face. "No, it's just…I didn't think I was gonna be able to meet her."

Angela smiled softly, leaning her head against his arm. "I told you would," she said on a happy sigh.

"Hey Monk," he greeted, rocking her slightly. He leaned over, brushing a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes opened at the sound of his voice, searching for him. Her eyes were dark, but not as dark a brown as her mother's. She'd obviously gotten his lighter brown eyes. "Hey, hey there, pretty girl. Holy shit, Monk, you're beautiful. You look like your Mama, lucky girl. And I'm…I'm sorry I wasn't there to see you come out. Daddy was an idiot and didn't turn on his phone. Just didn't think you were comin' so soon."

"Me neither," she said on a tired sigh. "Boner caught it. He timed out my contractions and everything."

Juice chuckled at that, wishing he'd been there to see it. He leaned over and kissed Angela's temple. "I _am_ sorry I wasn't here, Angel. I shoulda been."

" 's okay," she replied sleepily. "I'm just glad its over, and she's out and healthy."

Juice nodded in agreement, his eyes on his daughter. He couldn't believe she was his. That this was his life. He'd been searching for a family since he was old enough to understand what one was. The one he was born into wasn't so great to him, neither were the two he'd joined, first the mob family in New York, then the Sons, but there, in that hospital room, was his real family. One that he'd started for himself. He felt a surge of pride in his tiny family: his tough as nails Old Lady and his beautiful baby girl. His heart was so filled with love; it felt like it was going to burst. For awhile, he thought he wouldn't be there for this moment. That he'd never see his daughter. But he'd done it. He made it. In that moment, his whole world existed in one tiny hospital room. "I'm always gonna take care of you, Evie," he promised the little girl, his voice rough and sincere. "Daddy's always gonna be here for you. You and your Mama are everything to me and I love you both. So much. Don't ever forget that."

Angela set her hand on his arm, the light catching the diamond on her engagement ring. "Love you too," she said, tilting her head back to look at him.

He met her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. Pulling away as Evie wriggled against him, her tiny lips pursing a bit. "What? What's wrong, Monk? What'd I do?"

"Relax, Juice," she said on a laugh. "She's just hungry."

"Oh." His eyes widened as he looked over at Angela who was adjusting her hospital gown. "_Oh_. Have you…"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Yes. She eats a lot just like her dad," she commented, taking Evie from him.

He chuckled, smiling a bit as she got situated, his eyes on Angela's chest. "So _that's_ why they got so big!"

"Juice, if you're gonna be gross, you can get out," she said, the laugh in her voice telling him she didn't mean it.

He kissed her temple, sliding his arm around his shoulder so he could be closer to her. "I'm here, Mama. Not going anywhere. Nothin's gonna take me away from my angels."

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><p><strong>I loved writing this chapter. I really did. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! :) <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think in a review! Good, bad, whatever criticism you have for me just lay it all out there. **

**To those of you in the states, hope you all had an amazing Memorial Day weekend! To everyone else, hope you had an amazing weekend! :D**

**~Love Ink**


	85. Visitors

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you, but thanks also to: _DarkChild20, Eleonora, tracey lewis _**_(I'm not sure on how many more chapters I'm going to write...if people are still reading it, I'd ideally write through at least the end of the show, or at least until Juice's part is over...Depending on what happens in S7, I might start heading into more off canon stuff just to fit in my own OCs with it. As long as people are reading and enjoying the story, I'll keep writing it!), _and_ **Guest. **_

**This chapter takes place towards the end/after Season 6, Episode 3: "Poenitentia"  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Chloe**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 85: Visitors_

_ By Love Ink_

Happy's eyes hadn't left that ugly teal hospital room door since Juice had walked through it. He wanted in. He wanted to make sure his kid was all right. Glancing at Chloe, he noticed she was hiding a laugh behind her hand, her hazel eyes lit up as if she found something very amusing. "What?" he asked, his voice a little harsher than normal. He was pissed. He wanted to see his kid. He had that right.

"You," she answered around a laugh. "You have the most protective Papa Bear look on your face right now, and if I didn't know you, I'd be scared as hell that you were going to kill me."

"Papa Bear?" he repeated in disbelief. Only Chloe would have the balls to call him that. "Really?"

Chloe nodded, smiling brightly at him. "Really," she affirmed, unhitching herself from the wall and moving to stand next to him. "Is your mom coming?"

He nodded, rubbing a hand over his head. "My aunt's drivin' over."

"Want me to leave?" she asked, looking up at him.

Happy blinked at her, surprised by her question. He knew it had something to do with the way he'd questioned her when he found her at his Ma's house. He'd thought she'd gone to pull him in closer by earning his mother's approval when she'd really only gone to take care of Angela. Now, she was asking him if he wanted space to distance herself from his family. But he was starting to realize that she was already a part of his family. That she'd been long before they'd even started their strange relationship. The friendship between her and Angela was strong. It was clear how much those two cared about each other. It was what had drawn him to Chloe in the first place. "No," he replied, shaking his head.

She cocked her head to the side, a curious look on her face. "You can go in there now," she said, nodding towards the door. "I'm sure Ang wants to see you and the baby is really, really cute."

"They name it?"

"_Her_ name is Evangeline Victoria," Chloe said, emphasizing the female pronoun. He paused at that name, a brief smile crossing his face; she'd named her after her dad. Chloe raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm guessin' you know the meaning behind that name 'cause I sure don't..."

"It's a good name," he answered vaguely before stepping into the room. Juice was too immersed in looking at his new daughter to look up, but Angela did. Her dark eyes seeking his as if she knew exactly who'd be walking through that door. A bright smile spread across her face that made his heart squeeze almost painfully in his chest; he loved seeing her smile like that. "Hey kid," he greeted, walking to her side of the bed.

"Hi," she said, holding out her hand to him.

Normally, she wouldn't have made such a gesture and even if she did, he wouldn't have grabbed her hand, but he did this time. Taking it in his own and squeezing it tightly before leaning over to kiss her forehead. "How you doin'?"

"Great," she answered, elbowing Juice to catch his attention. Juice looked startled for a moment before he nodded his greeting to Hap. Reluctantly, he transferred the small pink bundle from his arms to Angela's. She angled her so Happy could see her little face. "Look what I made. Little Miss Evie Ortiz."

Happy couldn't count the amount of times he'd heard Angela say those words while she was growing up. She'd come running to him with drawings or things she'd painted excited to show him. Hearing them now and seeing what she was showing him brought a lump to his throat. He tried to swallow it back as he nodded in approval. "Good job," he said, roughly.

"Thanks." Angela smiled, tracing a finger down Evie's little nose. "Wanna hold her?"

His thoughts drifted back to the day her father had asked him the same question about her when she'd just been born. He felt differently now. For some reason, he wanted to hold the baby. In a strange way, the baby felt like a piece of him too. He'd put in so much work and time with Angela, that he was proud to see how far she'd come. To see her as a mother and to meet his niece. Angela had often disputed over his title in her life. Sometimes she called him brother, sometimes she teased him by saying he was her father. But he was too young for the title of grandfather, he decided. So he settled on 'uncle'. Uncle felt right. He took the baby girl in his arms, smirking as her little arms moved in the jerky-baby way. "Looks like you," he commented, lifting a finger to touch her little fist. "Luckily."

Angela laughed, looking over at Juice who was scowling as he slid his arms around her shoulders. "Don't take that to heart, baby. I think you're very handsome. Happy's needed glasses for awhile now anyway.," she soothed him, patting his cheek lovingly.

That's when Happy saw it. The silver ring with the rather large black diamond on it. Whatever comment she'd made went ignored as fury filled him. That idiot had done it. He'd gone and proposed without his approval. He handed Evie back to Angela before nodding at Juice. "Outside. Now," he growled, his eyes narrowed at the younger man.

Juice's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You gonna be okay, Angel?" he asked, looking at her for some type of explanation as to why Happy looked like he was going to murder him.

"Yeah. Go," she answered, clearly just as confused as he was.

He followed Happy out into the hallway, surprised to see it relatively empty. Bones and Ken had obviously gone to get something to eat. Chloe was standing a few feet away at the nurse's station, chatting with someone behind the desk. He noticed this all in the few seconds before Happy grabbed him by the front of his cut and pinned him against the wall. "Thought I told you 'no'," the Tacoma killer growled.

Juice didn't struggle against him. He'd known this was coming since he put the ring on Angela's finger. He'd blatanly gone against Happy's wishes, but he honestly didn't care. He wasn't going to let Angela slip away. He was going to make her his wife, even if it killed him...which, if the look on Happy's face had anything to do with it, it might. "You did. And back then, you were right. But you're not any more. I love her and that is _never_ going to change," he said, knowing he'd finally said the right thing when Happy let him go. He rolled his shoulders for a moment, fighting the urge to glare at Happy. "She's all I got, Hap. All I want. Her and Evie, they're…they're my life. I live for _them_. I'd kill for _them_. And I would gladly _die_ for them."

Happy recognized the words as the ones that were inked across his own chest. He didn't know whether to punch the idiot or be proud of him for such a bold statement. "You gonna take care of 'em?"

"You know I will, Hap. I've made stupid mistakes before—I _know_ that—but I'm never gonna hurt her again," he promised, his brown eyes honest as he nodded. "I'm gonna take care of my family. All of 'em."

Happy took another step back and shook his head, running a hand over his prickly scalp. He didn't like it. In fact, he hated it. Hated the idea that Angela was no longer just his girl. He'd promised her dad that he'd take care of her, and he took that promise very seriously. He wasn't used to sharing that responsibility nor did he want to. Juice had been an annoyance ever since they'd first started dating, always trying to take over his role of protecting her. But Hap never had imagined the idiot would go this far. A part of him was a little relieved, though. He'd always been worried about who Angela would end up with, if she'd end up alone if anything happened to him. Kozik had been his back up plan; he never would've guessed the blonde would go first. He was glad Juice would be there for her now, to take care of her, to protect her. Deep down, he knew Juice loved Angela almost as much as he did. "She's a pain in the ass," he muttered.

Juice smirked and shrugged. "Not really. Not any more than I am."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes; the idiot was saying all the right things. "You put that ring on and the only way out is in a body bag," he threatened, the look on his face telling Juice that he meant every word he said.

"I know," he answered on a nod. "I'm not goin' anywhere, Hap."

Happy took in a deep breath, his eyes traveling down the hallway to where Chloe was watching them, her arms crossed over her chest. His mother had told him to let Angela go, to let someone else in. There was no way he was going to let his little girl go, but he could allow someone else to take care of her. He slapped Juice on the shoulder and nodded. "Take care a them."

"Always, man."

The _ping_ of the elevator along with the loud sound of two women talking in Spanish caused both men to grimace. Happy pushed Juice towards the hospital room door. "Warn her," he ordered before turning around to face his Mom and Aunt.

But Chloe had already intercepted them, slowing down the two women that came bearing armfuls of gifts and balloons and stuffed animals of every shape and size. Happy breathed a sigh of relief knowing Chloe's little distraction was no accident. Slowly, he headed down the hall towards them, smirking as he watched Graciela hug Chloe tightly followed by his own mother hugging her as if she was family. And Chloe was…talking to them in Spanish. Well, she was trying to. Her accent was atrocious and she interjected English words in their conversation every once in awhile, but it was a hell of a lot better than his. She winked at him as she ushered them into Angela's room, both women so excited, they barely noticed him.

"You speak Spanish?" he asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Chloe shrugged a shoulder. "I speak some of everything. Makes my job easier."

Happy smirked, looking impressed. "Didn't know that."

She shrugged again. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Lowman," she teased, patting the front of his cut, a slow, sexy smile spreading across her face before she walked away, leaving him itching to pull her into a storage closet and have his way with her.

He chased after her, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her into his side. "Don't tease me, woman," he growled into her ear.

"Not teasing," she said, her smile growing. A doctor turned the corner making her step away from him. She made eye contact with the doctor and gave him a quick nod and friendly smile as he walked by.

Happy caught it the small move. Was she embarrassed of him? Was that why she never pushed for a relationship like most girls did if he deigned to fuck them twice in a row? Was that why she didn't flaunt and boast about him? He grabbed her arm, opening the nearest door and shoving her inside of it. He pushed her up against the wall, getting into her face. "The hell was that?"

Her hazel eyes regarded his face without an ounce of fear. He had her goddamned corner in a storage closet, and she still wasn't afraid of him. "What?" she asked, though she looked like she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"You steppin' away from me. What the hell was that?"

"You don't want anyone to know we're fucking, right? _You_ don't want to tell your Ma or your friends, but _I _pull away because one my superiors walk by and that pisses _you_ off?Seriously?" she asked, slightly annoyed by his anger.

Happy slammed his fist against the wall, a growl leaving his lips before he could stop himself. "You want to be an Old Lady? That what you want?" he seethed.

"Have I ever asked for that?" she countered, her fists balled up at her sides. "I don't want that. Not at all! I pushed you away because I don't want to let you in anymore than I have to."

A weird emotion filled Happy at those words, and he took a step back when he realized what it was. Hurt. Why did that hurt him? Wasn't he doing the same to her? He blinked at her before shaking his head and moving to open the door. He stopped and looked back at her. "Why?" he asked flatly, a fiery look in his dark eyes.

"Why what?" she asked, confused. At his look, she sighed. "I just...I'm keeping you at arm's length so that when you get bored of me and move on, it won't hurt as much."

"You got feelin's for me?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Does it matter?"

He nodded, his dark eyes never leaving hers. "Matters to me."

"Yeah, I care about you, asshole," she said on a scowl. "Same as I care about Ang and my family. I'm a nurse. I care about people. It's my job. You care about me?"

Happy smirked, cornering her again. He did. He really did. He didn't know why or when she got under his skin, but there she was. He couldn't get enough of her. Dipping his head, he caught her lips in a rough kiss. She met the kiss eagerly, grabbing onto the front of his cut to hold pull him in closer. Then he pulled away leaving Chloe breathless as he walked out of the closet. She sucked in a deep breath suddenly feeling as though she was in way over her head.

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><p>Angela sighed gratefully when her mom and aunt finally walked out of the hospital room. She was exhausted. Her mother tired her out with her questions and preemptive wedding planning. Like Happy, the older women had not missed the ring around her finger. Both of them had gone insane. First with poor Evie, and now with the idea of a wedding. Angela was starting to wish she'd just taken the damn ring off just to avoid problems. "Are you scared yet? You've just earned yourself not one, but two monster-in-laws," she joked, looking over at Juice. He was staring adoringly at their daughter who was swaddled tightly in the crib by her bed. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her since the moment he first saw her.<p>

"Not scared," he said honestly. He pulled his gaze away from his baby and glanced at Angela who was giving him a doubtful look. "I'm not. I like their fussin'. Makes me feel like part of the family."

She smiled warmly at him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "You are, Juice."

The corner of his mouth turned up in a slight smile before he went back to looking at his daughter. "We made one good looking kid," he stated, beaming with pride.

Angela smirked at him. "Gonna have to beat the boys off with sticks."

His grin faded at the thought of it. "No," he said shaking his head. "No boys. Ever. No one's gonna touch my little girl."

She laughed, feeling a little turned on by the protective look on her face. "Hap used to say the same thing," she said, pointedly. "Look how well that turned out."

He seemed to be considering that when someone barged in the door, startling Evie. The little girl's started wriggling around, her face scrunching as she started to fuss. Juice grabbed her immediately. "Sshhh," he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead. "It's okay, Monk. I got you. Daddy's got you."

"He's a natural," Gemma stated as she walked into the room. She approached Angela first, giving her a big smile as she leaned over and gave her a hug and a kiss. "Congrats, baby. Proud of you."

Angela smiled back at her. "Thanks, Gem."

"Now let me see that baby," she said, turning to Juice and holding out her hands. At Juice's reluctant look, she glanced back at Angela. "Only a few hours old and she's got Daddy wrapped around her finger, huh? C'mon. Let me see her."

Juice handed her over, hovering nearby while Gemma held her. "She's cute, right?" he asked, his brown eyes wide and seeking approval.

Gemma smiled at him and nodded in agreement. "She's precious. Hi little one, what's your name?" she cooed to the baby. Juice gave her Evie's full name making Gemma smirk. "Jesus Christ. That's a mouthful. Got anything shorter?"

"Evie," Angela said on a laugh. She looked up as the door opened and Nero stepped in. Her eyes glanced over at Juice who had visibly tensed. Strangely, none of his brothers other than Happy had stopped by to congratulate him, but here was Nero. "Hey there."

"Hey Mama," Nero greeted on a nod. To her surprise, he leaned over and kissed her forehead before presenting her with a little pink teddy bear. One she'd definitely seen at the hospital gift shop. "Gemma uh…Gemma told me you had a little girl. Thought I'd stop by and say _felicitaciones_." (_Congratulations.)_

"Thanks Nero," Angela replied with a big smile as she took the bear from him. "Cute little thing."

"Look at this little one," Gemma said, moving to stand next to Nero. "Little Evangeline. Our first little brown baby."

Nero smirked at that, his big hand rubbing over Evie's full head of dark hair. "First of many?"

Gemma looked at the couple, chuckling at the identical shocked looks on their faces. They both looked scared shitless. It was clear they hadn't even begun to think of that. "I'm guessin' they haven't gotten that far," she said with a smirk.

"Oh shit. Sorry guys," Nero said on a grimace. He looked at Angela and gestured to the baby. "You mind? Been awhile since I got to hold a baby."

Angela let Juice answer that one. He nodded, perching on the side of her bed. She reached out a hand and slipped it under the hem of his cut, her fingernails lightly raking over his lower back in a soothing motion. She could tell he was tense by the set of his shoulders. His eyes kept cutting to the door as if he was expecting more visitors. She knew he was too. Not a single one of his brothers, save for Happy, had come by. That had to hurt. She wondered if they even knew about their new little addition. "The guys workin' late, Gem?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't.

Gemma nodded, trying for a smile. "TM's swamped. 'specially now that they're missin' this one and Hap. But they'll be here tomorrow. I'm know they want to meet her too."

Juice nodded sadly. He didn't know what he'd expected. A part of him thought all of his brothers would be there to congratulate him with cigars and champagne. That's what they did for Abel and as far as he knew, for Thomas as well. Evie deserved the same treatment, the same celebration. She was special too. Hell, he wanted to tell the whole world that he was now the father of a beautiful baby girl who's mother he was going to marry as soon as possible. "I get it," he said on a sigh.

"Man, she's cute," Nero said on a chuckle as he gave Evie back to her dad. He pat Juice on the back in a fatherly motion. "You did good, _mijo_."

"Thanks," Juice replied, touching his little girl's cheek.

"Hey, why don't you two go get us something cold to drink?" Gemma asked the men, taking Evie from Juice once again. "Let me and little miss over here have some Mom time."

Nero and Juice nodded, both of them clearing out quickly leaving the two women alone. Angela sighed, relaxing back against the pillows. "What happened now, Gem?"

"Got rid of one pregnant lady and gained another one," Gemma commented, her eyes on Angela's face. It was a test. She wanted to know if the undertaker knew about the pregnancy.

She blinked at her in shock. "Wait…you're…"

"No! No. Too old for that now, sweetheart," she interrupted on a chuckle. "Tara. Surprised she didn't tell you."

Angela shook her head slowly. "No, no. Last time I saw her, we…" she trailed off there knowing it wasn't wise to tell Gemma that Tara had wanted her to testify against the club in court. "She kept pushing the guardianship thing, and I wasn't…nice about it this time."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Either way, Gemma bought it. "Wendy told me she doesn't want it," the Queen stated on a frown.

She snorted in response to that; she couldn't help herself. There was no way that was true. She didn't know Wendy well, but she was willing to be the woman wanted guardianship of her only son. Tara had something else up her sleeve. Whatever it was, Angela wasn't going to call her out on it. She was just going to roll with it. "I mean, that makes sense. She probably doesn't want to deal with you either."

"Funny," Gemma said, glaring at the younger woman. She handed Evie back to Angela, perching on the edge of the bed to face the younger woman. "You surprised Tara's pregnant?"

"Not really. She just got out of jail. Figured her and Jax would be at it like rabbits," she replied on a laugh. She looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms and smiled fondly as she remembered just how much fun she and Juice had when he'd come home from county. "I mean, that's how Evie was made."

The older woman chuckled, shaking her head at Angela's bluntness. If someone had told her so many years ago that Juice would not only have an Old Lady, but a kid, she would've told them they were crazy. But here was his little family, and it was a good one too. Angela assimilated to the club as if she'd always been a part of it. She had the respect of the guys and got along with most of the Croweaters, a feat even Tara had yet to accomplish. She helped the club when she could but mostly stayed out of it. Gemma often wondered if Happy had inadvertently trained her for this lifestyle, or if it was her own instincts. Whatever it was, Gemma was happy to have her as part of their family. "Y'know, I knew that day you told me you only wanted Juice's dick that you were a keeper. Just didn't know he'd actually hold on to ya. Thought you'd a given up on him a long time ago."

Angela smirked, leaning over to put Evie in her crib. "I love him. And yeah, it gets tough because he can be a real…idiot sometimes, but…I love him. At the end of the day, he's who I want at my side. Plain and simple."

Gemma gave her a smile that could only be described as motherly. Leaning over, she kissed Angela's cheek and smoothed her hair down lovingly. "You're a good girl, Angie. Glad you stuck around."

With that, she walked out of the room, her heels clacking on the tile. Angela furrowed her brow in utter confusion; she'd never understand that woman.

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><p><strong>Just some fun fluffy stuff before I start delving into the darker parts of season 6. ;) <strong>

**Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think! Your thoughts (good and bad) are very much appreciated! **

**~Love Ink**


	86. Happiness

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! Your reviews give me the inspiration to write more, and make me so happy! :D**

**This chapter takes place between Season 6, Episode 3: "Poenitentia" and Episode 4 "Wolfsangel"...I'm adding a few days in between them just for storytelling purposes... ;) **

**Lots of fluff and happiness in this chapter. Hooray! :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 86: Happiness_

_By Love Ink_

Chloe was standing at the nurse's station when Lieutenant Roosevelt walked in. She gave him a small smile and nod in greeting. He nodded back before clearing his throat to catch the secretary's attention. "Good morning, ma'am. Can you give me the room number for Ms. Angela Ruiz?"

That peaked Chloe's interest. What could her friend have done that could possibly warrant a visit from the Sheriff? Angela had been in the hospital all day the day before, and she hadn't left since. She closed the file she was looking at and smiled at the secretary. "I got this Janice," she assured the older woman. "Follow me, sir," Chloe said, starting her trek down the hall. "Can I ask what you need? The Ortiz family is a bit…exhausted. New baby and all."

"I can only imagine," Eli replied on a trite smile. "I need to ask them a few questions regarding a current investigation. Figured I'd stop by instead of dragging them down to the station."

"How nice of you," she commented, stopping by the door to their room. "I'm gonna go in first. Make sure she's…decent."

Eli nodded his head in agreement, and she quickly slipped into the room. She wasn't surprised to find all three of its inhabitant's sleeping. Angela was on her side, one hand reaching out to Evie's plastic hospital crib that was just within reach. Juice, breaking all the hospital rules that she'd explained to both of them more than once, was lying next to his Old Lady, his arm wrapped tightly around her torso as if he were afraid to let her go. It looked uncomfortable to Chloe, especially since he was snoring like a lawnmower right in Angela's ear. With a sigh, she went over to Juice and shook his shoulder. "Juice, hey, the police are here?"

Juice groaned, rolling onto his back, careful not to disturb Angela. He was usually a pretty heavy sleeper, but he was so worried about Evie, he woke up at every noise. Chloe and Angela had both encouraged him to sleep while Evie was getting fed, but he couldn't. Evie was getting up to eat every two hours. If Angela had to wake up to deal with that, he should too. It wasn't fair for him to sleep while she took care of their child. On the other hand, if Evie woke up for a diaper change, he did his best to make sure Angela stayed asleep through it. Chloe had taught him how to change her, and he gladly did it so Angela could sleep more. She needed her rest more than he did. "What?" he asked blinking up at Chloe.

"Lieutenant Roosevelt is here. Wants to talk to Angela," he explained in a rushed whisper.

He ran a hand over his face, trying to think of why the hell Roosevelt would be there so early to talk to Angela, no less. Sitting up, he swung his legs out of the bed and trudged to the door. He let Chloe slip out before he looked to Roosevelt. "What do you want?" he asked grumpily.

"Good morning, Mr. Ortiz," Roosevelt greeted politely. His dark eyes regarded Juice's bruised face curiously, but he didn't make a comment. The guy looked like he needed sleep, badly. "If you don't mind, I need to talk to Ms. Ruiz."

"She's sleeping. Been a rough night," Juice explained shortly. "What do you need from her?"

Roosevelt sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere without letting Juice in on some of the information he had. "Nero Padilla was brought into the station early this morning on some criminal charges. He claims he was here last night with Gemma visiting Angela. I need a reliable witness to confirm his story, so I can release him," he explained before looking over Juice's shoulder to see if he could see Angela. Juice blocked him, so he continued, "Now, you're club affiliated. Not exactly what we like to call 'reliable'. Angela, however, is not thus making her a reliable witness."

He scowled at that. Not liking the way Roosevelt inferred that he wasn't connected to his own Old Lady. "She's my…"

"I know she's your Old Lady. But on paper, she's got a job that's not at TM, she doesn't have any identifying club tattoos, and she does not have your last name. For all intents and purposes, she is a civilian who can provide a truthful testimony. Now do you want to help Padilla's case or not?"

Juice looked over his shoulder at Angela who was still asleep and heaved another long sigh. He hated to have to wake her up, especially for club business. "Give me a sec. I gotta wake her up," he replied on another sigh. He closed the door in Roosevelt's face and headed over to the bed. Leaning over the side of the bed, he brushed a stray hair from her cheek before pressing a kiss to her temple. "Angel, baby, wake up."

Angela groaned in her sleep before sitting up quickly. "What? What happened? Is she hungry?" she asked groggily. She looked over at the crib and gave him a confused look. "Why am I awake when she's not? Are you okay? What's going on?"

He chuckled a bit at the mess that was her hair, shaking his head. "Roosevelt's here. Wants to ask you some questions about Nero."

"Okay," she replied on a sigh. She raked her hand through her hair, struggling to make it look somewhat neater. "I look like shit."

Juice shook his head, reaching out a hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "Shut up," he said, leaning over to kiss her temple. "You're beautiful."

Butterflies fluttered through her stomach as they always did when he called her beautiful. "Goof," she said, reaching a hand up to pull his face to hers. Their lips met, the feel of his soft lips molding to hers sent that familiar tingly feeling through her body. God, she loved this man. There was a knock on the door, and she pulled away from him out of instinct.

A slow, naughty grin spread across his face, making her stomach do flip flops. "Six weeks, baby," he said, catching her lips once more. His gaze drifted over to Evie's crib where she was still sleeping soundly. "Six weeks and we can practice making another one."

"_Another_ one?" she asked in complete and utter shock. "Juice…"

He gave her that big grin of hers and winked. "Just practice, Angel," he assured her as he headed towards the door.

She watched him walk away; amazed at the short amount of time it took for him to transition from happy, new father to badass biker. His whole posture seemed to change. He walked slower, his shoulders squared, chin in the air. She bit her lip, trying to push away the dirty thoughts that were circling through her mind. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly let it out. "Six weeks," she told herself as Roosevelt walked in.

"Good Morning, Ms. Ruiz," Roosevelt greeted, nodding to her. Evie started fussing at the sound of the new voice. Juice picked her up, barely able to hide a smile as he tucked the little girl in underneath his cut, holding her to his chest. The lieutenant's eyes followed Juice's back as he walked around the room, murmuring softly to the baby.

"Hi Eli," Angela replied politely. "How can I help you?"

Roosevelt pulled his eyes away from Juice and the baby. "We recently started an investigation on Mr. Nero Padilla. We need you to confirm his whereabouts since he claims he was here last night."

"He was," she answered around a yawn. She pointed to the pink teddy bear on the nearby counter. "Came with Gemma. Brought my girl that teddy bear over there. Cute, huh?"

He nodded in response, a small smile gracing his face. "Do you know the approximate time he was here?"

Angela rubbed tiredly at her eyes and shook her head. "Not really, Lieutenant. Towards the end of visiting hours, I guess. Time kind of blurs all together when you're waking up every few hours for a newborn."

Roosevelt chuckled. "I apologize for waking you up then, Ms. Ruiz."

"It's okay. Anything to help Nero. He's a really nice guy," she replied, yawning again. "You need another reliable witness, you can ask my daughter. I will warn you, she doesn't talk much, but she's got quite the set of lungs."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Angie," he said on a genuine smile. "Have a nice day."

Angela nodded back to him. "You too, Eli," she called to his back as he headed out.

Once he was gone, Juice stretched out on the couch, Evie lying on his chest, still tucked underneath his cut. She was quiet now, her eyes closed in sleep. It seemed like the little girl just wanted some attention. "Why you gotta be so nice to him?" he asked on a scowl.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Doesn't hurt to be nice. Only helps Nero. How's Monk doin' after her first police questioning?"

He smiled warmly as he looked down at his daughter. "First and last," he said on a chuckle. "Sleepin'. You should sleep too."

"Mmm," she hummed tiredly as she turned on her side so she was facing them. The movement tugged at her sore muscles, making her wince. She hoped Juice hadn't seen it, but he had. His brow furrowed in concern, but she waved off his worry. "Club call you yet?"

"Not yet," he said around a yawn. "Hopin' they might cut me some slack today. Let me stay with my girls. Get you two home safe."

Angela smiled at that, her eyes felt heavy again. She couldn't believe how exhausted she was. "That why she's under your cut?" she murmured sleepily. "Safe keeping?"

Juice smirked, rubbing a hand over Evie's back. "Nah. Monk hates the thing. Last time I was holdin' her with her over it, she screamed bloody murder. I took it off and she was fine."

"She likes your heartbeat," she explained her eyes drooping closed. "I don't blame her. It's a good one. Best sound in the world."

He smiled softly at her, realizing that all the nights she'd fallen asleep with her head on his chest, that's what she'd been doing, listening to his heartbeat. He'd never thought of that before. "I love you, Angela Ruiz soon to be Ortiz," he said, wondering if she was sleeping or not.

A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "Shut up, goof. I'm trying to sleep."

"Mama's grumpy, Monk, but I know she loves me," he murmured to his sleeping child. "Just like you do. Huh, baby girl? You love me, right?"

Evie made a little sound as she moved her head against his chest. Her dark eyes opened, blinking up at him. His heart ached with love for his tiny girl. "I'm gonna take that as a yes," he said, stroking a finger over her cheek. "And I love you. I'll always love you. Remember that, okay? Your daddy loves you. More than any other asshole that'll try to steal your heart."

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><p>Angela's dark eyes found Juice's in the rearview mirror of the Mazda. They were finally on their way home from the hospital. Juice had fussed over the position of the carseat for what felt like hours before he deemed it was safe for his baby girl. Now, he was driving like a turtle, his eyes darting to the mirror every few seconds as if to check that they were still there. "Juice, baby, you keep looking back here, and you're gonna crash," she teased from the backseat. Evie was buckled tightly into her carseat beside her, her brown eyes wide as she took in the change of scenery, sucking on her Harley Davidson pacifier. "She's fine. Aren't you, baby girl?"<p>

"I know, I know," Juice said, turning his gaze back to the street for a bit. He stopped at the light, his dark eyes flicking back to the rearview mirror.

"_Juice_!" she exclaimed with a laugh. She loved Juice, but his protectiveness of their daughter was driving her nuts. She was already feeling bad for the whatever man Evie ended up bringing home. "Watch the road, goofy!"

He looked back at the road, trying his best to focus on the short drive. Relief filled him when he finally pulled into their driveway. As soon as the car was stopped, he practically jumped out, opening Angela's door and offering her his hands to help her out. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Mama first, then baby," he explained, pulling her to her feet. He looked over his shoulder, surprised to see neon pink and purple balloons decorating their front door step. "Oh shit."

Angela glanced in his direction and smirked. She'd expected this. Gemma had asked for exact arrival time and her mother's phone number. "Grandmama Gemma got busy," she commented on a laugh. Looking down the driveway, she spotted a familiar red Honda. Of course, her Ma and aunt were in on this too. "Correction. _All_ the Grandmas were busy."

Juice followed her gaze to where her mom's car was parked, grimacing slightly. After staying up half the night, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than some quiet time with his family. He didn't have the energy to deal with the presence of his extended family. He'd successfully avoided them that whole morning, and he was more relaxed because of it. He'd wanted this on the day Evie was born. The celebration just like Abels'...now, he wished they would just leave him alone. Seeing the bikes parked in his driveway was a cruel reminder that his standing in the club was shaky at best. The bruises on his face from Chibs' beating had yet to fade, and he was not looking forward to being face to face with his brothers. "Yeah. We should go."

She laughed, walking around to the passenger's side of the door. Evie looked up at her with her big brown eyes, the pacifier in her mouth moving up and down. "Hey baby girl. You're about to get very overwhelmed with way too much love," she cooed, picking her up out of the carrier. "But no one will love you more than Mama and Daddy."

"Exactly," Juice agreed, grunting as he pulled her overnight bag from the trunk. He caught Angela's lips in a quick kiss before pressing one to his daughter's forehead. "You girls ready for this?"

She smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to lead the way. As soon as they stepped in, everyone in their small living room shouted, "Surprise!"

Their small house was filled with their loved ones, most of his brothers included. The amount of people there, the decorations made Angela a little nervous. It was the very same kind of party that Abel had gotten on his own homecoming only with a different color scheme. The thought of that night gave her a bad feeling. It was the night Donna was gunned down. The night, it seemed, that everything changed for the club. Glancing over at Ellie, Angela could see that the young girl was thinking the exact same thing. Juice had already taken Evie from her arms to show her off, so Angela headed over to Ellie. "Hey El," she greeted, pulling her into a tight hug. "You okay?"

Ellie nodded, giving her a sad smile. "Congrats on the baby, Angie," she said trying her best to sound cheery. "If you ever need a babysitter..."

"Be careful what you offer. I might just take you up on it," Angela teased, draping her arm over Ellie's shoulders. She pressed a kiss to her head. "Relax, kiddo. Nothing is going to happen tonight. Promise."

"Yeah," she replied softly, her eyes on her feet. "I just...its all too familiar, y'know? Makes me miss her...miss my dad too."

"I know," she said, for lack of a better thing to say. "You can always come and hang around the cemetery, you know? In fact, have you met Boner? He's a real sweetheart."

A blush rose to Ellie's cheeks as she cast a nervous glance towards where Bones and Kenny were geeking out in the corner. Even Angela had to admit, Bones was looking more dapper than usual in his black button up shirt and pink bow tie. "He came over to play games with Ken once while Lyla was out," Ellie explained, ducking her head. "He's nice."

"Go talk to him," Angela said, bumping her hip against Ellie. "He's a total dweeb, but he's got some mad _Harry Potter_ knowledge. Tell him you're a Hufflepuff. He'll flip. He is too."

Ellie's blush deepened at that. She's been over at Angela's house once and the two had taken several tests to find out what houses they were in. Much to her dismay, she'd gotten Hufflepuff every time. Angela had been the one to dust off her old Harry Potter books and point out how awesome Hufflepuffs really were. "No, he's not. He's too..."

"He's a Hufflepuff, El. Caring, sweet, loyal. Trust me," Angela said with a smirk. "Go talk to him."

Juice caught the end of the conversation as he approached. Ellie nodded her greeting before walking away. "You're not trying to set those two up, are you?" he asked, shock evident in his voice. "She's not even legal yet."

"The last time I talked to her, she said she wanted to get her cherry popped by Rat Boy," she replied, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "I love Rat, but I don't want him anywhere near Ellie. Bones is...safer. If she has a crush on him, I'm all for that. He's safe, smart, and it keeps her mind off of missing her mom and dad."

"_Rat_? Really? Of all the club members..." he said, shaking his head.

"He's the youngest, and he didn't know Ope that well. And probably dumb enough to actually do it. Bones wouldn't know what to do with her," she explained, rolling her eyes. Juice obviously missed the point. "Where's my baby girl?"

Juice nodded over to where Tig was sitting with her on the couch. "He's held her more than anyone," he said, disapproval in his voice. "Don't know whether to tell him to back the off or not. Feel like he's going to taint our daughter or somethin'."

Angela scowled at him. "He just lost his daughter, Juice. That's what it's about. He probably is remembering when Dawn was that little. Plus, Evie's cute as hell. Who wouldn't want to hold her?"

"Takes after her Mama," he said, kissing her cheek. His hand slid from around her waist down to her ass. He gave it a good pinch, biting his lip as he looked her over. "You know how beautiful you are?" he asked, his lips at her ear.

"About as beautiful as a walrus, I'm sure," she said, feeling self-conscious as she tugged down her top over the small pooch of a stomach Evie had left behind.

Juice frowned at that, his eyes following her gaze to where several Croweaters in midriff bearing shirts were flirting with Chibs. He'd never seen Angela self-conscious about her appearance before. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the nursery. He moved her in front of full length mirror they'd put in there and stood behind her. "You are beautiful," he said, honestly. She rolled her eyes at him, opening her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "Shut up. You are, Angel."

"Not right now," she said softly.

"No, especially right now. See this?" he said, his hand on her stomach. She tried to move it away, an embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks. "I love it. Know why?"

She shook her head. "Because you're a weirdo."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. Because my daughter was in there. Because it shows how fucking strong you are. You went through all this shit and all you're complaining about is this…this fucking cute little pooch," he said, squeezing it.

"Stop it," she said, swatting his hand away. "It's not cute."

"It is," he insisted, moving to stand in front of her. He got down on his knees and placed a kiss on her belly. "I love it. I love every part of you."

Angela laughed lightly, rubbing a hand over the strip of hair on his head. He kissed pushed her shirt up more, kissing his way up her torso before pulling back down and kissing the skin left bare by the deep v of her shirt's neckline. "You're a goof," she said on another laugh. As if to emphasize the nickname, he blew a raspberry into her neck which made her laugh even louder. "Juice!"

"Well look at that, little Evie," a voice drawled from the doorway. Juice lifted his head from the crook of Angela's neck and grinned at Gemma. The queen smirked back at him. "You're lucky little one. Your parents are so in love they can't keep their goddamn hands off each other. You're going to have loads of brothers and sisters."

Angela untangled herself from Juice, pushing him away playfully. "What's up, Gemma?"

"Evie here is hungry. Was cryin' two seconds ago," Gemma stated, though she seemed reluctant to hand the fussing baby over. She watched as Angela held Evie close and carried her over to the rocking chair. "I'll give you some space. You, come with me."

Juice raised his eyebrows and pointed at his chest. "But…"

"C'mon. One of you has to be out there. It's your house," Gemma said pushing him out in front of her. She looked over her shoulder at Angela. "And _you_, you don't hole yourself up in here. It _is_ your party."

Angela waved her away, rocking Evie against her chest. She looked down at her daughter for a brief moment, just now noticing the gigantic bow that was on her head. Blue and black with the reaper insignia on a button in the middle. There was a little gold bracelet on her wrist too, with her name etched on it and little fireflies on either end of the letters. "Blinged out, aren't you, Monk? Looks like someone's going to be super spoiled."

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><p>It had been almost an hour since Juice had left Angela and Evie back in the nursery, and neither of them had reappeared. Not that Evie could on her own but…he was sure Gemma would go back to get them eventually. He headed over to where Elena was sitting by herself. He sat down on the couch next to her. "How's it going, Mrs. Lowman?"<p>

"Elena, _mijo_," she said, patting his hand. "You can call me Elena. And its going fine. I'm enjoying meeting my son and daughter's other family."

"Crazy bunch, huh?"

Elena nodded, smiling slightly. "It's good to see them well protected and happy. Even if she is nowhere to be found."

"She's hiding. Doesn't like the attention," he explained on a shrug.

She laughed and nodded. "She's always been like that. Never wanted a birthday party. I'd ask and ask _pero_ _mi Angelita_, all she wanted was a whole day with her _primo _and new markers. That's it. When it wasn't markers it was paint or makeup or something small like that. That's why she works with those _muertos_. Why she liked being a make up lady. Always behind the scenes, _mi Angelita_. Just like my Happy."

Juice smiled at that, chuckling at the accurate description of his Old Lady. "I don't know whether to go find her or…entertain the masses."

Elena patted his hand again. "Go. I'll take care of all this. Get them to clean and leave."

Juice leaned over a kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Elena."

Elena smiled widely at him, her hands reaching up to cup his face. "I love you, _mijo_. You take care of them, okay?"

He nodded, fighting the urge to smirk at how similar those words were to the ones Happy told him every day. "Always."

She patted his cheek once more before pushing him towards the hallway. He stood and headed down to Evie's room, checking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following. Once he opened the door, he felt his heart melt in his chest. Angela was lying on the floor on her side with Evie in front of her, both of them on top of the black and pink Harley Davidson blanket one of her uncles had given her. Rigor was lying on Evie's other side, his nose really close to her face. Evie's little hand was stretched out to him, her fingers skimming over his nose in that awkward baby way. "That doesn't make you nervous?" he asked, slowly getting to the ground and stretching out beside Angela.

"Rigs?" she asked, eyebrows raised. At his nod, she shrugged. "Read a few articles online on how to get dogs accustomed to babies. Started training him awhile back. Looks like it worked. Thank you, Google."

Juice was surprised. He'd never thought about how his new daughter would affect his dog. Leave it to Angela to remember the little details like that. "Knew he'd be a good dog," he said, reaching out to brush a hand over Rigs' head. He propped his head up on his elbow, looking down at his small family. Evie's tiny fingers were curled around one of Angela's as she looked at her mother with those big brown eyes. A small smile was on Angela's face as she looked at their daughter. Juice kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger against her soft skin for a moment. "You happy, baby?"

Angela tore her gaze away from her baby to look at her Old Man. "Yeah," she said, reaching a hand up to touch his face. "Are you?"

He pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. "Yeah," he answered. He honestly had never been happier, and that troubled him to no end. Every time he was happy, something bad happened. He'd been ecstatic when he finally got out of county and got to be with Angela, then Roosevelt blackmailed him and everything went to shit. He'd been happy to hear he was going to have a baby, but even that was ruined by more club shit. He couldn't recall a single time he'd been happy that wasn't ruined just a few days later by something else. The sun was shining now, but he had a feeling there were dark clouds looming in the distance…and that scared the shit out of him.

* * *

><p>Most of the people had cleared out of the small house save for Happy, his mom, his aunt, and Chloe. The three women were busy cleaning up the house while Happy sat on the couch and enjoyed a beer. He looked around the empty place and raised an eyebrow. He just noticed the two people missing from it. "Where's the kid?" he asked as Chloe leaned over to pick up a red cup from the coffee table in front of him. It gave him an excellent view of her chest, which he stared at unabashedly.<p>

"Dunno, but I'm pretty sure she's not down my shirt," Chloe answered on a smirk.

He actually smiled at that line. "You sure?" he asked, moving his foot to nudge one of her breasts with the toe of his boot.

She swatted him away with a scowl, though he could see her trying not to smile. "Think they went to put Eves to bed," she told him. Happy nodded, getting off the couch with a grunt. He headed down the hallway, surprised when he felt a tug at his shirt. He whirled around to see Chloe there. "Your Mom and Aunt want to leave. You go and bug them, so will they."

"They ain't gonna leave without sayin' bye."

Chloe smirked, a mischievous look in her eyes. "Wanna bet?"

Happy watched as she walked towards the kitchen. He strained his ears to hear what they were saying but, once again, found they were speaking Spanish. Of course they were. Chloe knew he couldn't understand it, not at the speed they were talking at least. It took all of five minutes before his mother walked over, a wide smile on her face. "The baby needs rest so we're going home, _mijo_," she said, waiting for him to press a kiss on her cheek before she kissed his. "You be good. Be nice to Chloe. I like her."

He nodded, watching his mother walk away before turning to his aunt. Graciela was staring at the opening of the hallway. He was pretty sure she wanted to go down there to say goodbye. "You really leavin'?" he asked her.

Graciela clucked her tongue, scowling at her nephew. "_Si_, of course. She needs her rest, _pero_ I'll be back soon. I have so many presents! Dolls and bows and dresses! All the stuff my daughter would not wear, my granddaughter will!"

Happy smirked. "Good luck."

"Eva will like it," she said confidently.

"Sure, _Tia_," Happy said, subtly pushing her towards the door. Graciela took one last longing look over her shoulder before exiting. He turned to say something to Chloe but found she'd disappeared. Raising an eyebrow, he wandered down the hallway and found her leaning against the door to Evie's room, phone in her hand. "What?"

"Look," she whispered, nodding into the room. He looked inside to find Juice sprawled out on the floor, snoring loudly. Evie was laying on one side of his chest and Angela's head was on the other, her hand on top of Evie's back. Rigor had his head on Juice's stomach. Juice had one arm around Angela's back and a hand tangled into Rigor's fur. "Cute, huh?"

Happy shrugged a shoulder. The word 'cute' didn't exist in his vocabulary. "Idiot proposed."

Chloe nodded slowly. "I know," she whispered, smiling a bit. She glanced at Happy's face, surprised by the dark look in his eyes. "You didn't?"

He shook his head. "Told him no."

She took a step away from the room, closing the door behind her so as not to wake them. "Why?" she asked

He shrugged again, turning and heading back to the living room. He took a seat on the couch and looked at her expectantly. She sat down next to him, pulling her legs up to her chest. He slid his arm around her leg, the trips of his fingers trailing up and down the inside of her leg. "He's an idiot."

"But you knew that from day one, and you did nothing to stop it," she pointed out.

"Didn't think it'd get this far. Thought she'd get sick of him."

Chloe's hazel eyes seemed to look right through him. "I think that's bullshit," she stated honestly. He gave her one of his dark glares, but she shrugged it off. He was still touching her, so she knew he wasn't really pissed. When he was pissed he tended to put space between them. She figured it was because he was used to dealing with his anger physically and didn't want to hurt her. "She's not sick of you, is she?"

"No. That's got nothin' to do with him."

"You're the same," she stated, meeting his gaze. "You really are. He's a little…lighter and sweeter, but he's just as loyal as you are, just as ready to get his hands dirty to protect what's his. That's why Angela loves him so much. He's you!"

Happy smirked, shaking his head in disbelief. He would never admit that he was anything like Juice. The only thing they had in common was their love for Angela and for their club. "Her dad was like him. Always makin' jokes and shit. Never really serious."

Chloe laughed, it all made sense now. "Juice is a mix of two men she loves more than anything which is why she loves him so much. And he loves her too! God, you can practically _feel_ it when they're in a room together," she said emphatically. "He's an idiot, yes, but she…she's not easy either."

He glared at her again and pulled his hand away from her leg. "Watch it."

"She's not, Hap," she replied on a laugh. "And you know it. She's stubborn, thinks she's always right, always wants to win, and thinks she's invincible which puts her in danger way more often than she needs to be. Sound familiar?"

Happy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before setting it back on her knee. She was right, of course. He'd been complaining for years about what a pain in the ass she was. "Guess so," he rasped before looking at her. "You think it'll last?"

"You don't?"

He considered that question for a moment before shrugging. He had no idea if it would last or even how long it would play out. Juice was a rat. He'd known that the second he'd pulled that bullshit with the missing key of coke. Giving the prospects a chance to put the thing back without any judgement. That pussy move had showed his true colors. The only reason Happy didn't take it to Jax was because of Angela. It still left a bad taste in his mouth, keeping shit from the club like that. Did he think his relationship with Angela was going to last? Yeah, if Juice got to live long enough to see it through. But that was a big 'if'. Sooner or later, it would all catch up with the idiot. Happy just hoped his cousin and her kid wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. He looked over at Chloe and sighed, rubbing a hand over his head again. "We'll see."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer 2: I don't own Harry Potter...but I love those books. They'll always have a special place in my heart. ;)<strong>

**A bit more of fluff before they heavy stuff hits... **

**~Love Ink**

**Just wanted to put a little time in between episodes. I've got a plan, I swear! ;) **


	87. Something's Coming

**Thanks so much for your patience! Got a bit of World Cup fever and have been glued to the TV for the past couple of days! ;) Thought I'd post before the finals! **

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow. I got back to most of you, but thanks also to: _Bb _**_(Hope you don't mind, but I used your idea because it was too cute! Thanks!), **Redkazi, Guest 1, Guest 2, Eleonora, Seriously Honest **(I'm a bit anxious about Juice's storyline going into Season 7. I hope he gets out alive. As far as how it will affect my story, I have a few different things written out but who knows? Depending on how S7 goes, I might have to start writing more AU. ;)), **and Spookie.**__  
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**This chapter takes place during Season 6, episode 4: "Wolfsangel". I changed a few things because honestly, the end of it bothered me. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 87: Something Coming_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice didn't wake up for his cell phone or for his alarm, but his little girl screaming her lungs out paired with Rigs' barking had him awake in seconds. The damn dog was better than any baby monitor. He slept right in front of Evie's crib and every time she cried, he sprinted into their room and barked or whined until one of them got up. He glanced at Angela who had just begun to stir against his chest. Dropping a kiss to her forehead, he whispered, "I got this one."

"You can't feed her," she murmured, her words muffled by the bedspread as he slipped out from under her. "No boobs."

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. Evie was not a good sleeper. She'd only been home for a week, and didn't sleep for more than three hours straight. Juice had stopped waking up every time she did ever since Angela had snapped at him, told him to 'go the fuck to sleep', and he'd listened. He'd been too tired not to. But she'd just fed the kid, and Evie was already crying again. He figured his baby girl either wanted attention or a new diaper. Both of those things, he could deal with. "I'll figure something out."

"Love you," she sighed, her dark eyes closing again.

Juice brushed a stray hair off her cheek, leaning over to kiss her. Angela fell asleep almost instantly. Her sleeping face was beautiful and for a moment, he couldn't look away. He'd never imagined he'd love anything as much as he loved her until Evie came along, and he fell just as hard for his baby girl. Another of Evie's cries filled the air and Rigor whined in unison. "I know, boy. I got her. You stay with Mama," he told the dog. He thought better of it and added, "On the floor. Not the bed. Got me?"

Evie wailed again, and he jogged out of the room toward the nursery. There was his little daughter screaming her tiny lungs out, her little hands balled into fists while her legs kicked out. "Hey, hey there little monkey," he cooed, scooping her up into his arms. "Ssh. C'mon Monk just calm down. You're all right, sweetheart."

Her cries softened as she nuzzled her little face against the bare skin of his chest. His heart ached with love for the little girl. He brushed a hand over her soft, brown hair as he turned to kiss her temple. "You just wanted some love, huh, Evie girl? You didn't want Mama's boobies. Just some daddy love. Save Mama's boobs for daddy."

"You good now, monk?" he asked, moving to set her down only to see her face start to contort. "Oh shit. I mean…sorry, Evie baby. Not ready to go back to bed yet, huh?"

He picked her up again and carried her back to their room. He wasn't surprised to see Rigor stretched out beside Angela, his head at her hip. Rigs had learned it was the best place to be to avoid getting kicked out of bed. Juice rolled his eyes at the dog. "You can stay too, ya mook," he told him as he carefully laid down on the bed, Evie still asleep against his chest. He'd read all about co-sleeping and figured they'd be okay. There was no way he'd be able to sleep anyway; he couldn't stop staring at his daughter.

Angela stirred with the movement of the bed and turned on her side to cuddle in closer to him. "She stayin' here tonight?" she asked.

"She cried every time I put her down," he lied. She'd cried once, and he hadn't wanted to risk having his baby cry again. It hurt his heart to see her suffering. "Just for tonight. She'll be fine. She wants some daddy love."

"You're not gonna be saying that when she's older and sneaking in here," she teased, reaching down to pet Rigor. Juice nodded pointedly at the dog which only made her smile widen. "Rigs is easy to kick out. You try telling Monk 'no' when she comes in here asking for some daddy love."

Juice scowled at her, looking down at his baby. "I'll carefully explain that its Mama and Daddy love time."

"Good luck with that, sucka," she said leaning over to kiss him. She yawned, angling herself around Rigor to rest her head on Juice's shoulder. "No way will you say 'no' to her. She's gonna have you wrapped around her little finger."

He chuckled, dropping a kiss to her forehead. To be honest, he loved sleeping like this, with Evie on his chest and Angela tucked into his side, both of his girls close. "She already does."

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><p>Juice woke up with a jerk when he realized Evie was no longer on his chest. For one terrifying moment, he thought she'd fallen off of him and landed on the floor or worse…maybe he'd rolled over her. He sat up with a jolt looking around, his chest rising and falling quickly in panic. He heard Angela laugh and looked over to find her standing at the door with Evie in her arms, burping her. "Lose something?" she asked, a small smile on her face.<p>

He ran a hand over his head, trying to calm down. "Jesus Christ, Angel. You scared this shit outta me."

"Sorry," she replied, trying to hide a laugh. "Monk was hungry. I didn't want to wake you. Came back when I heard your phone."

Juice groaned as he reached out for the burner on his nightstand. The club had let him be for a few days, but he knew it was about time for him to go back. The taste of normalcy had been sweet. Too sweet. Sweet enough for him to consider leaving the club all together. But he knew he couldn't do that now. He was in too deep, owed Jax too much. Now, the only way out was either running or death. He wasn't about to subject his kid to the first, and the latter wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He wouldn't let it. He got out of bed, the phone still ringing in his hand. He answered it on a sigh. "Yeah?" he asked. Chibs' voice replied and that familiar weight settled back on his shoulders. With a frown, he decided he needed to smoke to be able to deal with this shit. To be able to get through the day. He listened to the voice blaring on the otherside of his phone as he pressed a quick kiss to Evie's head then Angela's and headed outside.

Angela watched his shoulders sag as walked away, Rigor running around at his heels. She looked down at Evie, gently patting her back as she burped her. "Daddy's gonna have a tough day today, Evie-doll," she murmured, nuzzling her nose against her daughter's soft hair. She walked over to her room. "We gotta be here to cheer him up, okay?"

Evie burped in response which made Angela laugh. "Cute, Eves," she said, laying her down on her tummy on the blanket on the floor. She lay down next to her, putting her face as close as she could to her daughter's. Angela had read babies around Evie's age loved to mimic their loved ones' faces, so she stuck her tongue out at her baby girl. It took a few moments, but Evie's little tongue protruded from her mouth. She laughed, gently touching Evie's nose with the tip of her finger. "Goddamn, you're cute, kiddo. Don't grow bigger, okay? Stay a baby and cute forever for me. Please?"

Juice chuckled from the door way. "Or we can just have another one."

Angela looked at him with a smirk. "We just had this one, and you already want another one? You're crazy," she said on a laugh. He got down on the ground, lying on top of Angela, his head on her chest. He was heavy, but she didn't complain, his weight was a welcome one. Her hand rubbed over his bareback as she kissed the top of his head. "What's your plan for today?"

"Some assholes broke into TM 'n' carved a swastika on Unser's chest. I gotta go help…deal with that," he said on a heavy sigh that she felt through her body. Her finger traced the tattoos on his scalp, something that was relaxing for both of them. "Its gonna be a long ass day."

The fact that hearing someone got a racist symbol carved into their chest didn't surprise her, worried her a little. Had they really been through so much shit that this was no big deal? "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, I think. I dunno, I have to go over there," he said disjointedly. He closed his eyes, his ear over her heart, listening to its beat. He understood now why both of his girls liked to sleep on his chest; the sound of her strong and steady heartbeat was the most soothing sound he'd ever heard. That paired with the way she was now tracing her fingers over his tattoos, down his neck, and across his shoulders over and over was slowly lulling him back to sleep. He could feel her stomach rising and falling with his and wondered briefly if his weight was too heavy for her. "Am I crushing you?"

"Mmm," she hummed, and he could feel the vibration of it through chest. "A little, but its nice."

Juice lifted himself off of her, smirking as her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. He put his lips to hers in a long, lazy kiss. "I'm gonna shower and head out. You got work today?"

"No. Skeet gave me maternity leave or whatever, but I might take Evie and Rigs over there anyway. Just for fun."

He nodded, angling himself over to kiss Evie's nose. "Be good for Mama, Monk," he said, grinning like a fool when his baby girl smiled at him. "I love her smile."

"Its yours," Angela said softly, her hands reaching up to gently touch the butterfly bandages on his cheek. "Be safe. Come home to us."

"Always do," he said, kissing her once more. "Love you, angels."

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><p>Angela spent most of the morning at the funeral home doing paperwork at the desk while Evie rested in the bassinet Skeeter had bought her for that express purpose. Skeeter actually bought a lot of "baby shit" to make it easy for Angela to bring Evie to work. Not that Evie stayed in the bassinet much. Between Bones and Skeeter, the little girl was constantly being showered with love. After she fed and changed Evie, she set up the jogging stroller and headed out to the cemetery. There was someone she wanted her to meet.<p>

She pushed the jogging stroller in front of her as she jogged behind it. Chloe had told her not to do too much strenuous activity, but it felt good to jog for once instead of waddle. Rigor was running like a crazy dog through the headstones making her laugh. He knew the path she was taking and stopped right in front of one of the headstones. Slowing, she pulled a treat out of her bag and tossed it to him. "Good boy, Rigs," she said, rubbing her hand over his head.

She leaned over and pulled Evie out of the stroller holding her against her chest as she carefully sat down in front of the headstone. "Hey Kozi," she greeted the stone with a small smile. "Remember when I skipped a period, and you said something about meeting my future story. This is her. My Evangeline."

She sniffled slightly, pressing a kiss to Evie's forehead. "Juice picked the name. Said he liked that it had your middle name in it, so I guess we named her after you after all. Wish you could be here to meet her, Koz. I'm sure she'd love you just as much as I do…did."

"She doesn't do much now," Angela continued, looking down at Evie who was sleeping, "but Skeet is dead set on having her grow up around the funeral home, so I'm sure she'll be visiting you all of the time when she's old enough. And I'll tell her all the cool shit you've done and the hilarious things you've said and show her pictures of you so she knows you because she should know you. You're a big part of who I am, and I want her to know she's got a lemonheaded guardian angel up there watching her alongside her grandpa and Great Uncle Chico."

She laughed at that, wiping at her eyes. A loud, obnoxious noise filled the air, startling Evie and making her start to cry. Angela's heart stopped in her chest as she recognized the burner's ringtone. That sound never meant anything good. She scrambled to get it, rocking Evie against her as she dug into her bag for her phone. Her hands shook as she pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey there, Angie-girl," Chibs' voice replied. "Hap 'n' Juice are fine. Got a favor to ask ye though."

She let out a sigh of relief, raking a hand through her hair. Chibs probably new exactly what she'd been fearing when she picked up the phone, and she was thankful he told her what he wanted to hear before asking for his favor. "Yeah, sure," she said, putting Evie back into her stroller. Rigs trotted his way over to it, sticking his nose close to her face and nuzzling it against her cheek. Evie quieted slowly, her little hand reaching for his nose. The sweet moment briefly distracted Angela. Chib's sighed on the other end of the phone, and she was reminded of why Evie had started crying in the first place. "What's going on?"

"Need to use yer oven tonight," he answered on a heavy sigh. "Phil and V-Lin."

Angela's breath caught in her throat, tears stinging her eyes. "Shit," she said, her voice choked. "Yeah, of course. Just um…bring them over after hours like usual, I guess. Do they…do they need to be prepped?"

"No, love. Just the oven," he said, his voice soft and sad. "Gotta run. Give Evie-girl my love, all righ'?"

"Yeah," she said on a breath, trying to keep herself together. "See you later, Chibbies."

"Take care of yourself, swee'heart," he replied before his line went dead.

Angela felt like throwing the little burner across the cemetery. She didn't though; instead she pressed it close to her heart and thanked God that it wasn't Juice or Happy they needed the oven for. She ran a hand over Rigor's head lovingly before peeking under the stroller's brim to see Evie sleeping soundly. "Good boy, Rigs. You're such a good big brother," she cooed, scratching behind his ears. She sat down in front of Kozik's stone again and took a deep breath. "Looks like a few more brothers are joinin' ya, Koz. Take care of 'em for me. I liked those two knuckleheads."

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><p>Juice and Happy walked into the funeral home a little earlier than their other brothers since they were in charge of transporting Phil and V-Lin to the funeral home. The image of his brothers lying hacked into pieces was still fresh in Juice's mind. He couldn't get over it, couldn't understand what degree of craziness you had to be to do that to another human being. He hoped the two had been dead before those Irish bastards hacked them to pieces. "Stop," Happy's voice interrupted his thoughts. "She sees you scared, and it'll scare the shit outta her. It happened. It's over. Move on. The Irish will get theirs."<p>

Juice shook his head. "This shit's dangerous. How long 'til it bleeds over to our families?" he asked around the lump in his throat.

"It won't," he said confidently.

He wasn't so sure. With a heavy sigh, he opened the front door and walked in, grimacing at the happy chime that joined the opening of the door. Bones walked out dressed in a black dress shirt and slacks paired with a pair of bright red Converse. He was holding Evie against his chest, Rigor trotting around his thighs. The dog followed Evie wherever she went; her own personal bodyguard. "Oh hey," he greeted them, his eyes darting nervously over to Hap. It was clear the young apprentice was still uneasy around the Tacoma killer. "Ang just came back from a run. Said she was gonna shower, so I told her I'd watch Eves. She should be out soon."

Juice took his daughter from him as soon as he saw her. It wasn't that he didn't trust Bones; it was that he hadn't seen his little girl in hours and after the hellish day he had, he needed to be near her. "A run?" Juice repeated incredulously as he rocked Evie in his arms. "Chlo told her not to like fifty times."

Happy smirked. He couldn't count the times Angela had ignored Chloe's requests. To her, they were more like suggestions. "You're surprised?"

He sighed lengthily. "No, not really. Wish she'd listen to her though."

"Kid doesn't listen to anyone," he said on a shrug. It was true, in a way. Angela would listen, but ultimately, she did whatever the hell she wanted.

Juice nodded in agreement. He knew that well; it was one of the few things he'd change about her. "She go alone?"

"Nah, she took Evie with that fancy running stroller Skeet bought her and Rigs," Bones explained, grimacing when the phone rang. He headed towards the office. "I gotta get that. She should be out soon."

"Give me the brat and go," Hap replied, nodding to the door that hid the stairs to the apartment.

Pressing a kiss to Evie's head, he carefully handed her over to Hap. "You got her?" he asked, hesitating a bit.

Happy gave him a dark glare, holding the tiny girl against his chest. He turned away from him and headed to the office. "Your dad's an idiot, brat," he muttered to the baby.

Juice stared after him for a moment before shaking his head and heading up the stairs to the apartment. The place had changed a lot since it was Angela's. Bones had hung up all sorts of different movie posters and comic book memorabilia. His video game counsels were all strewn messily in front of the TV, most of the controllers and games on the floor. Juice's OCD made him itch with the need to go and fix it all, but he restrained himself and headed towards the bedroom. It wasn't much better. The bed was unmade and clothes were strewn everywhere. Angela's workout clothes made a trail to the bathroom. He stooped down to pick them up, carrying them with him to the bathroom.

"Hey you!" she called out from behind the shower curtain.

He smirked, pushing back the shower curtain to look at her. "Hey baby," he said, taking in her naked body, a hungry look in his eyes. Her curves had become more accentuated with the weight she'd put on. She'd never looked sexier to him.

When his gaze finally met hers, she quirked on eyebrow, a sexy smirk on her face. "You gonna join me?"

He wanted to, but he couldn't. There was no way he could control himself if he got in there with her. It would kill him to be able to look but not touch. She might not listen to Chloe's advice, but he sure as hell did. The nurse said they had to wait to have sex because it could hurt Angela, so he was counting down the days. He had an alarm on his phone down to the goddamn second. "Nah," he said on a quick shake of his head. "Five more weeks."

She laughed lightly, tipping her head back under the shower's spray once more. "Want to get me a towel then?"

It took him a minute to answer as he watched the water drip down her chest. "Huh? Yeah, 'course," he said, tearing his eyes away from her and grabbing the towel off the counter. Unfolding it, he held it open for her as she stepped out of the shower. She walked towards him, looping her arms around his neck while he wrapped the towel around her torso and pulled her in close. "You all right?"

"Mmm," she hummed, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. His scent was comforting and made her feel a lot stronger than she had when she'd first heard about Phil and V-Lin. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good now," he answered, his fingers tracing lazily over her spine. "You know what happened to them?"

Angela sighed and shook her head. "Is it bad?"

"The Irish…hacked 'em into pieces," Juice replied, his voice cracking as he thought of the image they'd been met with when they opened those barn doors.

She tilted her head back to look at him, eyes wide with fear. "Are you serious?"

He nodded slowly. "Jax told us to just bury and burn 'em out by Oswald's but…that didn't feel right. I mean, we can still do it if you don't want us to…"

"No," she cut him off sternly. Her eyes were glassy with tears as if the mere mention of disrespecting his brothers with such an impersonal burial upset her. Phil had specifically asked her to take care of him, and she was going to do her damn best to make sure he got the proper send off he deserved. "Absolutely not. I got this. They were good men; they deserve to be treated right."

Juice's heart swelled with love for the woman in his arms. The way she cared about the people she loved was one of the things he loved most about her. "Thank you."

"Don't," she said, shaking her head. "Not necessary, Juice. You know that."

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear before kissing her softly. "I love you," he whispered, kissing her once more.

Angela smiled up at him. "I know," she said on a sigh.

He buried her face in the crook of her neck, loving the warm smell of lavender and vanilla that radiated off of her. The same smell as the day he met her. She'd gone through a few different body washes since he'd met her, but this was the smell he liked best. "You smell so good, baby," he said, kissing the soft skin where her shoulder met her neck softly.

"Thank you," she replied, running her hand over his head. "How was your day besides this…craziness?"

"Awful," he answered on a groan, his words muffled by her skin. He let her go, so that she could get changed. She moved around him and headed for the bureau in Bones' room. She pulled open the drawer that was filled with her clothes and pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a nicer top. "You ever been…judged 'cause of the color of your skin?"

Angela nodded as she wiggled into her jeans. "Yeah. 'course. When it wasn't the color of my skin, it was the men in their cuts," she explained, grabbing her necklace off the bureau and clipping it easily around her neck.

Juice tugged lovingly on the crow skull while he sighed. "Mayan or Sons?"

"Both," she answered with a smirk. "Mostly Hap and Koz in Tacoma, though. People in Oakland don't judge too harshly. Not where I lived at least. Why?"

"Had a run in with white hate today. Went to their headquarters, and they had a bunch of… dummies covered in racist shit so they could use them as targets," he explained on a sigh. "I was on watch duty outside of it and those fuckers caught me. Shoved me in a van, spewing all kinds of hate. Spic, beaner, wetback, I mean, shit, I don't even speak Spanish, but…it still hurt."

"Jesus Christ, Juice," Angela breathed, that worried wrinkle forming between her brows. "Are you okay?"

The corner of his lips quirked into a smile. " 'm fine. Just some awful shit. Can't believe people like that exist. That Monk might have to deal with all of that 'cause she's…she's brown," he said on a sad laugh. He played aimlessly with her necklace. "I don't want her to ever experience that."

She nodded in agreement. "She won't. She's got her badass daddy to protect her," she said confidently.

A slow smile spread across Juice's face, spreading a fire in her belly. "Still can't believe she's my kid," he admitted softly. "That you're my Old Lady."

She laughed lightly as he dotted kisses across her cheek and down her neck. "You lucked out, mister," she teased, gasping as he nipped at the spot where her neck met her shoulder. His kisses traveled lower until he was nose deep in her cleavage. "Juice!" she exclaimed, her fingers scraping over his mowhawk. "Those aren't just for you anymore!"

"Monk can share," he said, his words muffled against her skin. He kissed the valley between her breasts before looking up at her with an innocent smile. "She needs to learn some time, right?"

She rolled her eyes at him before connecting their lips in a brief kiss. "Goof," she teased, her lips moving across his jaw and down his neck, kissing and nipping lightly.

Juice slid his hands around her hips to grab her ass as he enjoyed the feel of her lips against his skin. She was driving him crazy, and she knew it. "Baby," he said on a breath. "You gotta stop…"

Her hands slid toward his belt buckle, tugging it open. "You sure that's what you want?" she asked, her fingers teasing under the elastic of his boxer briefs.

He closed his eyes as her hand slid lower. "Jesus Christ," he breathed as her lips traveled down his neck, nipping at his clavicle as she slowly sunk to her knees, taking his pants down with her. And then Evie's screams filled the air along with the loud sound of the front door closing.

"Hey kid!" Hap's voice called out, his steps loud as he neared the bedroom.

"Shit," Juice cursed, pulling up his pants and extending a hand to help Angela to her feet. He was painfully hard and knew now that there was no way she was going to be able to finish what she'd started, not with both Hap and Evie just down the hall. He turned towards the dresser, gripping the sides of it as he tried to calm down. Angela rubbed a hand over his shoulder and he tensed even more. She needed to stop touching him or he'd never cool off. "Don't. Go get the kid."

Angela nodded, pecking his cheek quickly. "Love you, Juicy."

"Uh-huh," he muttered, heading towards the bathroom and shutting the door quickly.

She walked out to living room and fought the urge to laugh at the sight of Happy trying to quiet Evie while she screamed and kicked against him, her black Harley Davidson diaper bag slung over his shoulder. It seemed Harley Davidson made a lot of things for babies, and Evie owned most of the collection. "What'd you do?" she asked, a teasing smirk on her face.

"Nothin'," he said, handing Evie over. "The brat shit herself."

"So? She's a baby, and you know how to change a diaper," she accused, grabbing the diaper bag off his shoulder.

Happy shook his head. He'd changed a handful of diapers in his life, and they'd all been hers. "Did my time. Ain't handling your shit anymore."

She rolled her eyes at his comment as she handed him the diaper mat that was decked out in skulls. He stretched it out on the table for her. "Boner wasn't around to help?"

"Nah. Dealin' with a phone call," he explained on a shrug. "Where's the idiot?"

"Bathroom," she answered nonchalantly as she started to change Evie's diaper. "Heard what happened to Phil and V. That shit's awful."

Happy nodded slowly. "Irish sent a message. We'll take care a it."

Angela tensed at this, her brows creasing with worry. "Hap…"

"Don't worry 'bout it," he said, cutting off whatever she was going to say. "We got this shit handled."

She sighed, looking down at her daughter and giving the smiley baby a smile. "Your uncle is crazy, baby girl," she cooed, playing with Evie's little feet. "He better not get himself hacked to pieces."

"Nice way to talk to her," Happy admonished with a smirk.

"She doesn't understand what I'm saying yet," she explained, doing up the buttons on Evie's onesie. It was a black one with a pink rhinestone skull on the front; one of the few of "pink" items that she actually kept from her baby shower. Lyla had bought it for her along with a pink tutu that Angela refused to put on her. "She just likes my voice. Don't you, Evie doll?"

Evie kicked her legs out and smiled happily at her mother. Angela grinned at her little girl. She looked so cute wearing the headband with pink and black flowers on it. She understood now why her mother always fussed over her hair as a child. It sort of made her feel bad for being such a brat about it. "Can't believe she likes the bows," she mused, fixing the bow.

"You'd a knocked it off by now, brat," Happy said reaching out to tug on a lock of her hair. Angela stuck her tongue out at him. He held up two fingers and made a scissor motion to threaten cutting it off. He'd been doing it to her for years and had yet to make good on his threat. The sound of motorcycles filled the air, and Happy sighed, checking his watch. "Gonna see what's up. Tell the idiot to come down when he's ready."

Angela sighed lengthily and nodded, watching as he walked away. She picked Evie up in her arms and held her close, swaying side to side with her as she breathed in the comforting scent that seemed to accompany all babies. She could hear the clunk of Juice's boots as he walked towards them. His hand slid around her waist as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "That was mean," he practically growled in her ear.

"You can thank Monk for that one," she said, smiling devilishly at him. She raised Evie up so that her face was even with her dad's. "Huh, baby girl? You just want all the attention for yourself."

Juice nuzzled his nose against Evie's. "Look at that face. Picture of innocence, my little cockblocker. You're gonna give your daddy blue balls, aren't ya?"

"You guys do know you're talking to a baby, right?" Bones voice drawled from behind them.

Angela ignored him, handing Evie over to Juice who took her willingly. "What do you need, Boner?"

"The rest of the guys are here. They want to use the ovens which is…fine, but Skeet said you had to supervise because he doesn't want me 'all up in that shit'," he explained, air quoting the last part. "Whatever that means."

She knew what it meant. Skeeter was worried that the Sons would ask him to prospect. It was something she often thought about when she saw him talking to Juice. Luckily, Juice didn't think of him that way; that idea had never occurred to him and she wasn't about to give it to him. "Okay. Will you watch the little one?" she asked, nodding towards Evie.

Bones nodded, shifting awkwardly as he watched Juice kiss and cuddle with the baby. It was weird to see a badass biker so sweet and loving. Juice gave her one last big kiss before handing her over to Bones. "Take care a her," he said, waiting until Bones nodded again to leave.

Angela frowned at his back. She could see the tension in his shoulders. She was sure his mind was working on overload; that he'd found a way to blame it on himself. She followed after him slowly, surprised when he stopped at the bottom of the stairs and held out his hand to her. She took it, allowing him to pull her in to his chest. He wrapped her up in a tight hug, easing his grip just a bit to gain access to her lips. After a quick kiss, he walked away from her, towards the crematorium.

She waited a few minutes after he disappeared around the corner, allowing him to have some time with his brothers. When she finally got there, they were all waiting outside the door to the crematorium. All five of them. She tried to think of who was missing but only came up with Bobby. But Juice had said Bobby was probably going to jump ship meaning those five men were all that was left of SAMCRO, the rest of them were behind bars or six feet under. That was a harrowing realization. Seeing them all standing there brought back memories of the first time she'd met them. There'd only been six of them then too, but that was because a few didn't go. They'd all been so young, joking around with each other and just…happy. There was a darkness that was hovering over them now that made her uneasy. Something big was coming, she could feel it.

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><p><strong>Short-ish chapter, but the next is mostly written which mean it will be up sooner! Yay! :) Thanks so much for taking the time to read! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	88. Whatever It Takes

****IMPORTANT**: I do _not _have an account on Wattpad. I was recently informed that someone else had posted my story there under my name with a totally different title! This is _NOT _me. I did NOT give the poster permission to post it (and certainly did not give them permission to credit themselves for my work). Wattpad has been informed of this and (I hope) has taken the story down. The only site that I post on is this one. If you happen to see this story on other outlets, _please _let me know! This really upsets me as I work hard on each and every chapter, and if it is being plagiarized, I'd like to know. Thank you.**

**On another note, thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to review, favorite, and follow. I got back to most of you, but thanks also to: _Love forK ozik _**_(Thanks! I'm both excited and scared for Sept. 9th! Only a month or so left!)_

**This take place during Season 6, Episodes 4 and the beginning of 5.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, Chloe, & Bones**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 88: Whatever It Takes_

_ By Love Ink_

Three open crates sat in front of the locked doors of the crematorium. Two cardboard coffins next to them on transport carts. Angela silently thanked Bones for setting those up for the guys because there was no way that those crates would fit in the ovens, and she didn't want to see what was inside of them. She didn't want to remember the two prospects like that. Nodding her hello to the guys, she went over to the crematorium and unlocked the doors for the SAMCRO boys standing in front of them. "Both are on. You guys know what to do," she said, opening the doors and stepping away from them.

Happy, Tig, Juice, and Chibs took in the cardboard coffins leaving Jax behind. The president nodded to Angela. "Thanks for this."

"Don't hesitate to ask," she told him on a nod. "These guys deserve better than some backyard burial."

He sighed heavily, his hand coming down hard on her shoulder and squeezing it lovingly. "Yeah. They really do," he replied, his voice thick with a promise of revenge. He nodded to her once before walking into the crematorium, dragging the door shut behind him.

She wasn't surprised that he'd shut her out. This was a moment meant for the club men to mourn their fallen brother away from the eyes of those who didn't don the Reaper. Sighing, she walked towards the hearse that was parked across the way. Opening the back, she took a seat on the bumper and lay down, her feet swinging back and forth as she stared at the purple velvet on the roof. Exhaustion hit her all at once, and she closed her eyes to doze a bit, taking advantage of the fact that Evie was safe with Bones to catch up on some sleep. She hadn't been out long when someone kicked her foot. Opening one eye, she saw Tig's silhouette standing over her. "Hi," she greeted, holding out a hand to him.

He grabbed it and pulled her up into a sitting position before sitting down next to her. "Too hot in there," he said on a shrug.

"Gets hotter when both ovens are on," she explained in response. She had a feeling the real reason he didn't want to be near the ovens was because the awful reminder the fire was of his daughter's death. She wasn't about to mention that, though. Men like Tig didn't like to be psychologically analyzed nor did she ever want to dig deeper into Tig's psychological state.

"Where's Eves?" he asked, further proving her thoughts.

"In the apartment with Bones," she replied on a sigh. "You can go up and visit if you want."

Tig considered it for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, I'm good. That guy's scared shitless of me," he said with a smirk. Angela laughed and nodded; Bones was scared of most of SAMCRO. She lay back down on a sigh, and he looked over his shoulder at her. "You all right, doll?"

"Fine," she said around a yawn. "Tired."

"Nice place to crash," he said, leaning back to look around the hearse. He looked behind him at how long it was and quirked an eyebrow. "You ever fuck in here?"

Angela gave him a devilish smirk and sat up again. "Not often. Freaks Juice out."

"Bet you don't mind it you, kinky, kinky girl," Tig teased, chuckling to himself as he shook his head.

"I don't _not_ like it," she said, the grin on her face giving her away.

Tig draped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a half hug, an almost proud look on his face. "I knew I liked you."

Angela laughed lightly, leaning her head against his shoulder. They were both silent for a brief moment, each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts. "Things are gonna calm down, right?" she asked softly. "I don't know how many more bodies those ovens can take."

He regarded her for a brief moment. Then he nodded slowly. "This shit comes in waves," he explained gesturing towards the crematorium. "Peaks and valleys, doll. It'll end. Just got to wait it out."

She nodded, sighing as she watched the rest of the boys start to file out; she'd had a feeling they weren't going to stay for the whole thing. Tig kissed her temple quickly before standing up and heading over to join them. "Peaks and valleys," she repeated to herself, running a hand through her hair. They'd been in a "valley" for such a long time now, she wasn't sure there'd ever be a peak again.

* * *

><p>Juice watched his brothers ride away, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Jax was trying his best to fix the club, to get them out of guns, but it didn't seem to be doing them any good. They'd lost more brothers in this struggle than anything else. The weight of losing his brothers, of murdering Miles and Darveny, of being a rat fell heavy on his shoulders. Most days, he could pull himself out of it by distracting himself with Evie or talking it through with Angela. Lately, though, talking about his issues didn't do very much. She could tell him until she was blue in the face that he wasn't a monster, that what he was doing didn't change who he was, but he didn't believe it. After all of the things he'd done, it was hard to see himself as anything else. He tried to put on a smile for her, though. Act like everything was okay, but he could feel himself starting to drown in it all. He'd been trying his best to find some good in what they were doing, but he couldn't wrap his head around it. Everything was changing, <em>he<em> was changing, and he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

He watched Angela get out of the hearse and close the door behind her. Even in the darkness of the parking lot, he could see that worried look in her dark eyes. He had a feeling she wasn't fooled by his act. She never was. Angela knew him better than anybody, and though she'd play along sometimes, he knew that deep down, she felt the changes happening. That's why she was so damn worried about him. "Hey baby," he greeted, stretching out his hand to her.

"Hey you," she replied, taking his offered hand and giving it a squeeze. "You okay?"

For a moment, he wanted to shake his head. Be honest with her and tell her that he was so far from okay, he didn't know what 'okay' was anymore, but he could hear Evie crying from the upstairs apartment and knew Angela had enough on her plate for one night. "Yeah," he rasped, trying to give her a smile and failing.

"Juice…"

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm fine, really," he stated, doing his best to sound confident. He pulled her in closer to him, enveloping her in his arms. Holding her close relaxed him a little bit. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, her nose nuzzling against the side his neck with the movement. "Just glad it wasn't you," she answered honestly.

Juice held her tighter then. He remembered how helpless he'd felt when he climbed that tree just the year before. How upset she had been at him for trying to leave her like that. A small part of him wondered if she and Evie would be better off without him. He imagined they'd leave Charming; find a safer place to go away from the reach of the club and the dangers being close to it brought. His head combated that idea though. He didn't want to leave them. He wanted to watch his daughter grow up, wanted to have his family. The two ideas warred in his head, and he didn't know how to get them to quiet. He rubbed his hand over Angela's back as he thought, wanting nothing more to get out. To go for a ride with her and just never come back, but the sound of Evie's crying brought him back to reality. They couldn't do that. Not anymore. "Monk's cryin'," he said, playing with her hair.

"I know, but I miss this," Angela murmured, her hands sliding under his shirt. She massaged his lower back with firm fingers, smirking at his soft groan of enjoyment. She tilted her head back to look at him. "This whole thing…means a lockdown, huh?"

"Hmm," he hummed, his eyes closed at the feel of her hands on his skin. She knew just how to touch him to make him forget everything. Including what she'd asked him. For a moment, she stopped what she was doing and repeated the question. He blinked at her, trying to find the answer in the fog of lust that was clouding his head. "Yeah. Irish are tryin' to hurt the club. We need to keep you guys safe."

"Evie's first lockdown," she said, a smile in her tone. "She's going to drive everyone _nuts_."

"Yeah," he agreed, still distracted by the massages she was giving him. He leaned into her, trying to get as close to her as possible as her hands moved higher up his back. He grunted as she rubbed harder at a knot in his back. "Gem said you can have my old room. No one's used it since I was there anyway."

Angela nodded as she mentally went through what she needed to pack. "You gonna be around or…"

"No. We got some…shit to do," he said on a tired sigh. He bent his head, moving his face into the crook of her neck as he moved one hand around her waist, the other around her shoulders. One of her hands traveled higher, massaging the muscles in his neck while the other smoothed over his shoulder blades. "That feels so good, baby," he murmured into her skin.

She laughed a little, rubbing harder. "You're really knotted up back here."

"Fuckin' stressed," he groaned, pressing a kiss into the soft skin of her neck. The burner in his pocket went off, making him groan again. The sharp sound brought him back to reality. He was dreading staying up all night in that damn van to watch the Irish. Hopefully, he didn't have to share it with Chibs or Jax. He didn't need to deal with their shit right now. "We should probably head home so we can head over. My bike's at TM. You think Bones'll watch Rigs for a bit?"

"I think he'd love that. This whole thing's got him spooked, I think," she said, taking a step away from him. Her dark eyes searched his face for a moment, that worried wrinkle appearing in between them. "Are you sure you're okay, Juice?"

He shrugged his shoulders this time, giving her as honest of an answer as he could. "I'm dealing with it," he said before heading up the stairs to Bones' apartment. He knew the answer wouldn't be good enough for her. That she would spend the rest of the night worrying about him, but he hadn't had the heart to lie to her this time. He heard her call his name and turned at the top of the stairs. She was still standing at the bottom, twisting nervously at the engagement ring on her finger. "C'mon, Angel. Monk's cryin'. My fuckin' burner is ringing...we gotta go."

She reluctantly climbed the stairs, grabbing his wrist at the top to stop him from going inside. "You'll tell me if you're thinking about… climbing any trees, right?" she asked, vaguely.

Juice knew what she was referring to, and though he had been thinking it about it, it was best she didn't know. "No trees. Just my daughter cryin' her head off," he assured her. At her doubtful look, he smiled. "Honest. 'm not goin' anywhere. I promise."

She still didn't look convinced. When she opened her mouth to question him more, he put his lips to hers in a long, slow kiss. "I love you, Angel," he said as passionately as he could. "Don't worry about me."

"Okay," she said on a resigned sigh. "Whatever you say."

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><p>Chloe pulled up to the front of her house, not at all surprised to see the familiar motorcycle in her driveway. She tried to keep from smiling but found she couldn't. Her heart did a little flip at the idea of what was waiting for her inside. Opening the door, she found him sitting on the couch where he usually was petting Hades. The pitbull had never looked happier. "Hey there," she greeted lightly, smiling as her dog ran towards her. She squatted down and rubbed her hand over his head, laughing as he licked her face. "Someone's happy to see me!"<p>

Happy smirked. "Crazy dog," he muttered, shaking his head. "Need you to pack a bag. We got lockdown."

"Funny," she said on a laugh. She'd already gone through that once, she wasn't about to do it again.

" 'm serious. Shit went down, you ain't safe here."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. No one knows we…sleep together, Hap. And Ang already had the baby so she doesn't need a nurse, there is literally no reason for me to be there other than the fact you're a control freak."

"You don't got a choice," he stated, standing from the couch. His bike was routinely parked outside of her house, the SOA and Reaper decals he'd painted on it a clear indicator of her association with the club. They might not have told anyone about their strange relationship, but his bike told the whole neighborhood that she was affiliated, and he wasn't about to risk leaving her alone and unprotected.

"Why?" she asked, straightening up from her squatting position.

He scowled at her, hating the way she questioned everything he said. Even Angela didn't question him as much as Chloe did. "What d'ya mean _why_?"

"Am I really in that much danger? Why is it so important to you that I go?" she asked, a genuine curiosity in her eyes. She really wanted to know.

Happy shifted uncomfortably before letting out a long breath. " 'cause I want you safe," he admitted after a long minute. "That okay with you?"

She quirked an eyebrow, an amused look on her face as she nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek before heading up the stairs to her room.

He followed her up at a slower pace, surprised by how easy that had been. "Not much of a fight," he pointed out, leaning against the doorjamb. His eyes stayed on her back as he watched her strip off her scrub top and toss it on the floor.

"You were honest with me," she stated on a shrug. She dug through her drawers for a comfortable, somewhat nice top. "You want me to fight more?"

Slowly, he walked up behind her, his hands on her hips. "No," he practically growled in her ear. He pulled her back into him, using a hand to swipe the hair off of her neck. His mouth was hot on her skin as he trailed kisses across her shoulder to her neck. He sucked on the soft skin there, his teeth lightly scraping across it.

Chloe closed her eyes, loving the feel of his rough hands as they moved over her skin. "We leavin' tonight 'cause you keep that up and we're not going anywhere," she teased on a content size. He sunk his teeth into her neck, hard. She winced but didn't pull away; she was used to him being rough with her. "Ow! Why?"

He wondered if 'why' was her favorite word. She said it often enough. His tongue swept across the area quickly as he took a step back from her, a proud smirk on his face. " 'cause."

She stepped away from him to examine the darkening mark in the mirror. There was no way she'd be able to hide that thing. He'd marked her on purpose, the bastard. "You gonna pee on me next, Lowman?"

He seemed to consider it for a moment. "Not tonight," he said, smacking her ass before taking a seat on the bed to watch her get dressed.

She snorted at that, rolling her eyes at him. "There somethin' in particular you want me to wear?" she asked, wondering why he was showing so much interest. She'd have thought he'd leave her be to go play with the dog. There had to be a reason he was sitting there.

"Whatever you want," he said on a shrug. Chloe picked out her shortest pair of shorts and most revealing top as a test. He shook his head. "Not that."

She smirked and put it back, grabbing a pair of light jeans and a simple v-neck t-shirt. He nodded his approval as she pulled them on. "People are going to ask why I'm there, Hap. You gotta give me somethin' to say. Being Ang's nurse isn't gonna fly this time."

Happy ran a hand over his face, knowing she was right; she usually was. It was a tricky question. One that would give away a lot about the way he felt about her. Feelings that were still unclear to him. He stood slowly, stepping closer to her. His hand came up to rest on the side of her neck, his thumb brushing over the dark mark he'd left behind. He touched his lips to hers in a brief kiss. "Tell 'em you're with me. That's all they gotta know."

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><p>Chloe walked into the clubhouse behind Happy, already feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on her. She sucked in a deep breath, straightening her posture to do her best to give off an air of confidence. It was with great relief that she spotted Angela standing by the pool table talking to a tatted out Hispanic man without a cut on, Evie was strapped to her front in a Baby Bjorn. Happy discreetly pushed her towards them before heading off to go find another of his brothers. Typical. He tells her to do something then bails. She made her way towards the pool table but was quickly intercepted by none other than Gemma Teller. Clenching her jaw, she gave the Queen a smile. "Hey Gemma. How's it goin'?"<p>

"Hap bring you here?" Gemma asked, cutting to the chase.

"Yeah," she answered on a nod. "You want me to go, I'm fine with leaving. Didn't want to come anyway."

She smirked at her, cocking her hip and putting a hand on it. "Nah, Hap wants you here. That means somethin'," she said, her eyes looking her up and down. "Don't know what but…"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Chloe said on a shrug. She looked around, shifting uncomfortably at the glares she was getting from the surrounding Croweaters. "It cold in here or is it just me?"

Gemma laughed, looking around her and noticing the same thing. "Hap is…popular with the girls. They've been tryin' to get him to pick one of 'em for years. Two ways you can handle it."

"And those are?"

"You can do what your little friend over there does and kill 'em with kindness," she said, nodding towards Angela, "or you can get your fists a little bloody. Either way, it serves to mark your territory. That mark on your neck might keep the boys off your ass, but it don't mean shit to _them_."

Chloe sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "What am I supposed to do, Gemma? Attack him? He's not one for public displays."

"You're smart. You'll figure it out," Gemma replied, patting her shoulder as she walked by her, heading towards another group of women.

She stood there, mouth open and gaping as Gemma walked away. A laugh from behind her made her spin around. Angela's dark eyes were alight with amusement. "You've just been Gemma-d," she teased on a wide grin.

"That lady is a total mind fuck," Chloe said, reaching her arms out for Evie. "Give me my goddaughter. I need a distraction."

Angela laughed and ran a hand over the front of the baby carrier. "She _just_ fell asleep," she said on a shake of her head. "Trying to keep her quiet for as long as I can. Juice was pretty upset when I told him he couldn't take her out. He wanted to parade her around."

"Idiot," she muttered on a snort. She looked back at Juice who was talking to another brother she didn't know. A Croweater was draped over the other brother but none of them came close to Juice. "You really kill 'em with kindness?"

"The Croweaters?" Angela asked, eyebrows raised. She looked over in the direction Chloe was staring, seeing Juice talking to Tig while Croweaters flitted about the wild haired man. "I'm nice to them because I'm nice to everyone. They don't push up on Juice because no one is ever genuinely nice to them, and they respect that. The veteran 'eaters know not to mess and the new ones get told by Juice to stay off and once they go pouting to the older ones about their brush off, they set them straight."

Chloe raised her eyebrows, impressed by the system Angela had. "You think of that all by yourself?"

"Like I said, I'm usually nice to everyone until I have a reason not to be. I'm not Happy. He's an ass 'cause he never had to be nice to people that weren't his family. I learned early on you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. I kill 'em with kindness, and Hap just kills them."

The nurse's hazel eyes widened significantly at that statement. She'd said it so flippantly as if killing people were no big deal. "I can't tell if you're kidding..."

Angela realized then how little she knew about Happy and the club lifestyle. She knew better than to explain; there had to be a reason Happy was keeping her in the dark. "Don't worry about it."

Chloe shook her head, trying to forget what she'd just heard. Instead, she looked over at Happy. She still couldn't wrap her head around who he was. What he was doing with her. What she was doing there. It was all so strange. "Did you have to…_claim _Juice?"

The corner of Angela's mouth lifted slightly as she thought back to her first party at the clubhouse. It'd been the night Bobby got home from the pen, and she'd wanted nothing more to claim him, but it hadn't been necessary. Juice had claimed her on his own with a kiss she'd felt right down to her toes. Thinking about it made butterflies flutter in her stomach. "No, he made that move himself," she replied wistfully.

Chloe saw Angela's eyes grow hazy as if she were remembering the moment and scowled. She snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face. "Hey! Space Cadet! Focus! How does that help me?"

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Don't try to 'claim' him, Chlo. He'll drop you like a hot potato. Hap doesn't do PDA or ownership shit. No one owns him, and I think that's why he likes you. 'cause you're easy. You haven't asked for a title."

"I don't want one," Chloe interjected.

"Good. Then don't worry about it," she repeated, on a shrug. "Look, the fact that you're here _again_ is a huge show of how much he cares for _you_. Before, he could play it off as you being there to help out my pregnant ass, but this time, it's to protect _you_. That is…_unheard_ of when it comes to Happy. Trust me. He's had fuck buddies before, but he's never brought them to lock down."

"He doesn't bring your Ma and aunt…"

Angela rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Chlo, you've met both my mom and aunt. They are both stubborn as hell and drive us crazy. Do you know what epic pains in the ass they would be here? I mean, I love them, but I would not want to be stuck here with them complaining. They are far away in Bakersfield and protected by Ms. Vivica and her gang of gigantic men," she explained, waving her hands as she spoke. "Would you just accept that he cares about you and leave it at that? He's not gonna touch those sweetbutts with you here. Don't bother yourself worrying about them. They're not worth it."

Chloe nodded slowly, still looking unsure. She'd known from the beginning she was biting off more than she could chew with Happy, and the longer they continued their bizarre relationship, the harder it became to distance herself and her feelings. He was going to hurt her eventually; she knew that, but she didn't want to let him go. "Whatever you say, Ang," she said on a tired sigh, watching as the boys headed into whatever room was behind the double doors.

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><p>Angela watched as the boys came out of Chapel. They all headed towards their respective loved ones clad in black hoodies. If what they were doing wasn't so dangerous, she would've laughed at the "uniform" they'd all chosen. Juice looked more tired than ever as he approached. "We're heading out," he told her. "Stay here, stay safe."<p>

She studied his face, worried by the darkness she saw in his eyes. There was something bad going on in that head of his, and he refused to let her in. She knew the signs of depression when she saw them; she'd grown up with a severely depressed mother. He'd been showing a few of them, though he tried desperately to hide it. The way he was acting made her uneasy. It was too similar to the way he acted the day he'd attempted to kill himself. "Don't do anything…dangerous, Juice. We need you to come back, okay?"

He smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah, baby. I'll be back."

She reached up, framing his face with her hands. "I _love_ you. No matter what."

"Love you too, Angel," he murmured, dipping his head to give her a long, sweet kiss. He gently kissed Evie's head, his lips lingering against her soft skin. "You too, baby girl. Don't forget that."

Angela froze then. Those words never meant anything good. Her dark eyes met his as her hand grabbed his wrist. They'd thrown around the phrase at their most dire moments. He'd told her not to forget hours before he tried to hang himself, she'd said the same when she'd managed to call him after Mel had kidnapped her. Those words always prefaced something bad, and she didn't like hearing them on nights like these when he was going off to do something he couldn't tell her about. "Juice…"

He realized his mistake as soon as he said it. "We're not doin' anythin' dangerous, Angel. I promise. Didn't mean to say it, it just slipped. I'm _fine._"

"Okay," she conceded, nodding slowly. He kissed her once more before walking away and heading out the door. She felt helpless as she watched him walk away. There was obviously something going on in his head that she couldn't get to. She hadn't noticed it before. Both of them had been so wrapped up in being new parents, they barely talked about anything other than Evie. But as the novelty wore off and the club violence was kicked up a notch, it seemed Juice was slowly slipping back into whatever dark place he'd been in the night he'd helped turn Clay in. Her only ray of hope was that he wasn't completely shutting her out this time. No, he didn't blame her any more; he was blaming himself now and that scared her more than anything.

* * *

><p>Happy said a quick goodbye to his cousin, a little concerned by how distracted she seemed. Her dark eyes kept staring at the front door Juice had just disappeared out of as if she'd wanted to chase after him. There was something going on between those two again. It seemed everyday was something new with them. He got tired of trying to figure it out. As long as Juice didn't hurt Angela, he wasn't going to delve too deeply into their relationship. He wasn't good at that shit anyway.<p>

He turned slightly to look at Chloe who was shifting nervously. The nurse raised her eyebrow at him. "I don't know what you're doing, but just…don't hurt yourself. I didn't bring my med supplies," she said, playing off her concern as part of her profession.

He smirked at that. Without thinking, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Take care a yourself. Take care a them," he said, nodding towards where Angela was standing by the bar trying her best to look like she wasn't spying on them. She stared up at him, shock in her eyes. Clearly, she hadn't expected the kiss which kind of made him want to kiss her again. So he did. He captured her mouth with his own, banding an arm around her back and drawing her in closer. He savored the kiss for a moment before pulling away. "Be good."

And just like that he was gone. Chloe stared after him in complete and utter shock, her lips still tingling from his kiss. "Jesus Christ," she whispered, raking a hand through her hair. She looked across the room at Angela, but the undertaker wasn't even paying attention. Her face was ashen as she rubbed a hand up and down the back of Evie's carrier. "Ang? You okay?"

Angela blinked slowly before sucking a quick breath. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she nodded. "Fine. 'm…fine. Totally fine," she assured her quickly.

Chloe knew that was a lie, but she also knew better than to push it. She didn't want Angela to get upset with her; the girl was her only ally in this place. "Whatever you say," she said, rolling her eyes. "Hey, I got Monk somethin'."

She seemed to perk up at the reminder of her daughter. Her dark eyes flitted down to the sleeping baby, a warm smile on her face. "What'd you get her, fairy godmother?"

Chloe dug into her bag for a moment before pulling out a pair of what looked like white headphones. The strap was decked out in red, white, and blue stripes and little white stars with silver glitter. "How cute are these earmuffs? They're to protect her ears from all this craziness," she explained, an excited look in her hazel eyes. "A neonatal nurse was talking about them, and I couldn't resist. Had to get the white pair since someone I know hates pink."

Angela grinned as she looked at the tiny earmuffs. It was a perfect present for a little girl whose life was very…loud. "Thanks, Chlo," she said on a laugh. "Did you put glitter glue on the stars?"

She nodded, scowling when Angela laughed in response. "You won't put her pink and this was the most girly design that wasn't pink. Figured I'd glitz it up for the kid."

"You're ridiculous. I love them, and I'm sure Evie will too," she said around a yawn.

"You gonna sleep at all? You need some rest, Ang."

Angela narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You gonna be my nurse or my friend?"

"I'm perfectly capable of being both. Are you sleeping out here with the rest of these loonies or…"

"Gem set me up with one of the dorm rooms in the back. Used to be Juice's," she explained around another yawn. "Don't want to leave you alone though."

Chloe waved her off. "Go, Ang. I'll figure out something to do."

Angela nodded, hugging her friend quickly before heading down the hall. Evie began to stir along the way, and she smiled down at her daughter. "Hey Monk. Was wondering when you'd wake up," she cooed, opening the door to the room and taking a step inside. She lifted her out of the carrier and laid her down on the bed before slipping off the contraption.

Evie's little feet kicked in the air as she gurgled and cooed. Angela looked up at the mirror on the ceiling and lay down on her tummy next to her, her face close to her daughter's. She grinned at the baby girl, laughing when she smiled back. "You have your daddy's smile, you lucky girl," she told her, drawing a finger down her nose.

There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Tara standing there with Thomas in her arms. Angela sat up, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Hey T," she greeted cautiously. "What's up?"

Tara stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She lay Thomas on the bed next to Evie and sat on the other side of the bed next to him. "She's beautiful, Ang," she commented, reaching out to touch Evie's bare foot. "Didn't get a chance to meet her before."

"Thank you," Angela said softly. Tara had been "sick" when they had their little homecoming party for Evie. She'd understood. They hadn't been on the best of terms then, and it was better that no one knew there was bad blood between them.

She stared at Evie for a moment more before her eyes met Angela's. "I wanted to apologize for getting so angry with you last time we spoke. I was...a little out of line."

Angela could tell she meant the apology and sighed heavily. "I understand where you're coming from now," she admitted with a sad smile. "And I'd...love to get Evie out of here before she has to deal with any of the shit your boys have had to, but..."

"You don't want to leave Juice," Tara finished with a small smile. "There's something admirable in that loyalty, I guess."

"Juice and Jax aren't exactly comparable. Jax is on a whole other level, and you have Gemma to deal with on top of that. I get why you're trying to leave. I really do, but I can't turn against Juice to help you. I'm sorry."

She nodded. "I know," she said softly. "It's just...I'm pregnant, and I need a friend right now more than ever. Someone I can trust. I don't have many of those left."

Angela gave her a warm smile, reaching out to pat her hand. "I can do that," she replied. She looked at Thomas who was staring curiously at Evie, his big blue eyes regarding her warily. He reached out a hand to touch hers before grinning. Angela's smile widened; it looked like Evie made her first friend. "And congrats, T! You hopin' for a girl this time?"

Tara nodded. "Jax thinks it will be. I'm ready for either at this point," she answered with a tired smile. "That's a cute onesie she's got there."

She laughed as she looked down at her daughter's black and pink onesie that proudly stated, "My Daddy rides a Harley" with a motorcycle on the front. "She's my little biker chick," she joked, playing with Evie's chubby foot.

Tara seemed to recoil at the description. "You're not worried at all for her? I mean, you heard about what happened to Tig's daughter, right? That doesn't scare you?"

Angela's smile faded, her expression growing serious. "I worry everyday for her, for Juice, for Hap, for this...little family I acquired. But I can't leave it behind. It's not that easy for me."

"It's not that easy for me, either," she admitted, looking down at her hands. "But I have to get them out. Before they get hurt again. The offer still stands and will always stand for you to be their guardian or to even...come with me. Get out. Get away."

"Thanks, T. I appreciate it."

Tara nodded, picking up Thomas before standing. "I'll let you get some rest. I remember how hard it was to sleep the first few weeks with him."

Angela waved goodbye to both of them, a sigh of relief escaping her lips once the door closed behind them. Her head was buzzing with too much information. The look in Juice's eyes as he left, the sadness written all over Tara's face, all of it made her anxious. She knew that despite needing to rest, there was no way she'd ever get to sleep. Not until Juice came back. She pulled herself up to the head of the bed, pulling her knees up and lying Evie back against them. Evie's pretty brown eyes looked up at her, her little arms jerking about. "We're going to be okay, baby girl," she said, holding out her finger to her. Evie wrapped her fingers around it, holding tightly to it. "Me and Daddy will keep you safe. No matter what. We'll do whatever it takes, Evie-doll. I promise you that."

* * *

><p><strong>Kind of a downer of a chapter...working my way up to the events that happen later on in the season though. :(<strong>

**Thank you so much for taking the time to read! Let me know what you think in a review! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	89. Don't Let Me Go

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! You all inspire me to write more, faster. :)**

**This chapter takes place during Season 6, Episode 5: "The Mad King". **

**Only 35 DAYS until Season 7! Can you believe it?! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Chloe**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 89: Don't Let Me Go_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice was sitting in the van staring at the little Irish bar across the street. They were staking out the Irish in an attempt to locate Galen or one of his crew. He'd been looking at the building for so long; he could see those damn neon Irish shamrocks behind his eyelids when he blinked. He checked his phone, smiling at the picture of his daughter with huge headphones on her head. The caption explained it was a present from her 'fairy godmother'.

"That's one sweet girl you got there," Tig stated, nodding at the phone.

Juice shut his phone quickly, not exactly pleased that Tig was snooping in on his personal life. "Yeah," he said, his voice rough and tired. "How's Fawn doin'?"

Tig shrugged a shoulder, his blue eyes staring out the front window. "Dunno. She won't talk to me. Least she's safe, y'know?"

He nodded in agreement, staring back at the bar. "You ever wished you'd a kept them here?"

"No," he answered honestly. "Wish I woulda made more of effort to see 'em though. Their Ma was a bitch, but I love those girls. Shoulda showed it more when they were growin' up."

"Why didn't you want them here?"

Tig shrugged again. "They were born smack in the middle of that Mayan war. All the shit that was going on…it was better they were gone. No way could I have been dad and Sergeant. Hard to flip off that switch and be a good dad. Better that they were far away. Outta sight, outta mind," he explained, before he realized why Juice was asking. "You're not gonna make her leave are ya?"

Juice shrugged in response. It wasn't a bad idea. It'd be nice to know she was out of Charming and safe. One less thing to worry about. But he knew there was no way she'd up and leave. Not unless he gave her a reason to. "Dunno," he answered curtly. "You think I should?"

He frowned, running a hand through his crazy hair. "Eve's, what, a month, two months old now?"

"Two _weeks_," he corrected, wondering how Tig could possibly think two months had gone by. "Two weeks and already two brothers have died and she's in her first lockdown."

"Kids love lockdown. Always thought it'd be fun to have the girls here for one. One big sleepover."

"She's two weeks old," he repeated incredulously. "She barely knows what's going on."

"Which is why it don't matter if they're here or far away. She don't know what's goin' on. It ain't gonna scar her later. Keep her close as long as you can 'cause there'll be a time when she won't want to be close anymore 'n' that shit hurts. Ang too. There's gonna come a point when she wants out like Tara. The smart ones always do... 'cept Gemma, of course."

Juice sighed, running a hand over his head. "But what if they get hurt? What if the Irish come after 'em? Then what? I lose 'em anyway."

"Not gonna happen," Tig said as if he was positive. "No way."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Just can be. Have a little faith in the club, Juicy. Look at Gemma and Tara, Abel and Thomas, the Winston kids, they're all alive and kicking."

Juice snorted at that, shaking his head. "Gemma was…taken by those Nazi assholes, Tara and Angel were kidnapped by Salazar, then Angel was shot by that asshole, Abel was kidnapped by that Irish prick and the Winston kids have lost not only their mom and dad but their grandpa too. You call that safe?"

"Didn't say safe. Said alive," Tig pointed out. " 'sides, look at Tommy. Nothin's happened to him."

"Not helpin'."

The older man sighed, straightening up in his seat slightly. "Look, you love them, right?" he asked. Juice looked at him like he was an idiot, so he continued without an answer. "Don't send 'em away just 'cause a all this shit. You might not get 'em back."

"That what happened to you?"

Tig was quiet for a moment, clearly lost in his thoughts. "Somethin' like that," he admitted softly. "Thought I was gettin' rid of their Ma. Didn't realize she'd keep the girls from me too."

Juice looked down at the phone in his hand, flipping it open to the picture of Angela and Evie on the home screen. He didn't have that problem. Angela would never keep Evie away from him; she'd promised him that. He didn't want to lose Angela though. But if he didn't send them away, he could lose them too...permanently. Things had to change if he wanted them to stay here. "You think Jax'll get us out of all this shit?"

"Eventually," he answered on a nod. "Not gonna be fast, not gonna be safe, but it'll happen. You ain't the only one with a young kid. Jax wants to see his boys safe too."

He nodded slowly, letting that sink in. Staring back at the building they were surveying, he let out a long sigh. The three shamrocks in the front turned off, one by one. Someone he didn't recognize walked out and locked the doors before getting into his truck and driving off. "They locked up for the night," he told Tig. "Should we call Jax?"

Tig nodded, pulling out is burner. "Don't push her away. Won't be worth it in the end."

Juice slunk down in his seat, thinking over what Tig said. He didn't see how he could keep his girls both safe and close. The violence seemed to be seeping into every aspect of his life. He'd killed a brother and an innocent woman, he'd seen his brothers hacked to pieces, what was next? How bad could it get before they were done with it? He was almost scared to find out.

* * *

><p>Angela carried Evie outside wanting desperately to escape the attention that was being bestowed on her by every woman in the clubhouse. The Croweaters, Old Ladies, and daughters got those sparkles in their eyes when they saw the baby girl. All of them asking to hold her and fussing over her. Evie didn't seem to mind much, but it was driving Angela crazy. She didn't like being the center of attention on her best days; being it in the clubhouse was a million times worse. She spotted Tara and the boys out at the playground with Kenny and Ellie but decided to head to the office instead. Opening the door, she wasn't surprised to find Gemma sitting inside looking over paperwork. "Oh hey sweetheart," Gemma greeted, looking at her over her sunglasses. "You hiding out in here?"<p>

She smirked at Gemma and nodded. "It's getting claustrophobic in there. Evie's not a fan of so much attention."

"Bullshit. Mommy's not a fan of the attention," she corrected on a snort. She took off her glasses and set them down on the desk. "Let me see that baby."

Angela begrudgingly handed her over before stretching out on the couch, a soft sigh leaving her lips. She stared at the picture of a Harley on the wall before clearing her throat. If there was one person she could be honest with, it was Gemma. "You ever worry about your guys getting pulled in too deep?"

"You worried about Juice?" she shot back, avoiding the question.

She twisted her ring around her finger nervously. "He's…different now, Gem. I don't know how to explain it. It's like he's on this...edge. Like he's lost or something. And all of this shit…it's not helping. I catch these, glimpses of who he was when he's holding Evie or when it's just the two of us talking about something stupid but then the club calls or something reminds him of it and he just…he shuts off."

Gemma sighed heavily. "This have to do with Clay?"

"I think so," she said, raking her hand through her hair. "I've been trying to get him to talk to me about it, but he shuts down. He doesn't want to let me in. I feel so…useless."

"You can't fix everything, baby," she told her softly. "Things are hard now and Juice is…he's not made of the same stuff the other guys are. He's young and…sweet. This killing shit, turning against brothers, that ain't him. He's tryin' to change to fit a mold that isn't meant for him. You just keep reminding him who he is. Make sure he knows you still love him. Because you do, right?"

Angela looked up from her shoes and met Gemma's stare. "Yeah, of course."

"And that ring on your finger that no one seems to be noticing 'cause of this sweet thing, that means you're in it for the long run. Right, Mrs. Ortiz?"

She smirked at that and nodded. "Right."

"Then keep tryin'. Don't lose faith in him. He's done some stupid shit, but I know him like he was my own son and that boy loves you. This shit'll pass and things will go back to normal. They always do."

Angela was a little reluctant to believe her seeing as the Queen had been through three men in the span of her reign. Things didn't go back to normal for her, she'd just found a new normal with a new man. That wasn't an option for her. "Hope so," she said on a sigh, just as there was a knock on the door.

Nero stepped in, a wide smile on his face. " 'ey look who's here! It's the _angelita_," he exclaimed, nodding towards Evie. He stuck his head in more and smiled at Angela. He sat down on the arm of the couch next to her, reaching out a hand to squeeze her shoulder before kissing her head. "How's it goin' lil' Mama?" (_Little angel)_

She smiled up at him. It was strange to hear her childhood nickname used on her daughter, but she didn't mind it. If he was going to call her daughter anything, calling her a 'little angel' wasn't bad at all. She had to admit she was fond of the older man. He reminded her so much of her Uncle Chico that it felt like she'd known him her whole life. "Doin' good, thanks," she said around a yawn.

"_Cansada?_" he asked, smiling slightly. "Little one keepin' you up?" (_Tired?)_

"Mmm. She hasn't quite grasped the concept of letting Mama sleep," she confirmed on a nod. "Being away from home doesn't make it any easier."

Nero grimaced, exchanging a quick glance with Gemma. "How long does this, uh, lockdown last?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," Gemma replied on a sigh.

She looked pointedly at Angela, holding Evie out to her with her arms outstretched. Angela got up with a grunt, taking Evie from her and smiling at her daughter. "C'mon, baby girl. Grandmama Gemma doesn't want us around here anymore. She's got to talk to Nero privately."

Gemma laughed a little, shaking her head at the undertaker. "I'll see you two later, sweetheart."

Angela nodded, looking up at Nero with a smile. _"Hasta la vista_," she said, winking at the older man. (_See you later.)_

He chuckled, taking a step back to let her by. "_Adios, nena. Cuidate._" (_By, little girl. Take care of yourself.)_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said as she walked away, heading back to the clubhouse. She found Chloe sitting on one of the picnic tables outside, a beer at her hip. "Little early for beer, isn't it?"

Chloe looked miserable as she shrugged. "Five o'clock somewhere."

Angela handed her Evie before moving to sit next to her. Chloe didn't give the baby back, just held her a little closer. "How many beers have you had?"

"Just the one," she answered on a sigh. "I'm not gonna lie, this shit sucks."

She smirked in response, holding up her shirt to reveal three thin scars on her rib cage. "That'd be from the top of the fence surrounding the Tacoma clubhouse," she explained, pulling her shirt back down. "I was stuck in there for all of my first spring break over there. I did everything to get Happy to let me out, but he wouldn't. Finally, I got desperate, tried to scale the fence. Ripped the shit out of my shirt and got these scratches while I was climbing over it, got halfway down before one of the brothers grabbed me and tossed my ass on the ground."

Chloe laughed; the story didn't surprise her in the least. "Did it work?"

"No, of course not," she said on a sad smile. "Once Hap has his mind set, it doesn't change. I didn't get out of there until he deemed it acceptable. Found out later, he kept me in there a few extra days 'cause he didn't want me to go home for spring break."

"Why not?"

"Who knows?" Angela replied, though she knew very well the reason he'd kept her there. Both he and Kozik didn't let her go anywhere near California for the first two years, afraid that she'd meet up with Esai and get sucked right back into the life she was living before. But there were too many things to explain to Chloe in that reason. She didn't want to get into club politics and Mayans just yet. That was something Happy needed to clue her in on.

Chloe mulled over that for a moment before sighing. "Can I ask you something?"

" 'course."

"Listening to that story and some of the shit Hap says, it seems like you've been fighting against this club your whole life. Why…why'd you get into it with Juice?"

Angela looked at her daughter who was asleep in Chloe's arms and wondered how to answer that. "Juice is different from any Son I've ever met," she admitted with a small smile. "He was such a goof when I first met him. Always smiling and joking around. And I loved that. I needed that. Everyone in my life before him was always so serious. It was nice to have someone close to make me laugh. It was easy to forget he was a Son when we were together. I didn't see the Reaper when I was with him; I just saw him. And I accidentally fell in love with him. That's it. I fell in love with Juan Carlos Ortiz. Not the club's intelligence officer, just Juice. When I looked at him, I didn't see the cut, just that cheesy, goofy smile."

Chloe smiled, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the mushiness of the story. "And the club…"

"I'm going to tell you what every Old Lady hears at least once. You love the man, you learn to love the club," she said, laughing a bit as she said them.

"That sounds like a Gemma quote," Chloe stated on a smirk.

Angela nodded, reaching up to play with the crow skull on her necklace. "It is, but its true."

"You love the club?"

"I used to," she admitted with a small smile. "Before all of this crazy shit happened…I used to see how happy it made him. How much he loved his brothers and wearing that cut. But lately, it's been…complicated."

Chloe sighed, rubbing her hand up and down Evie's back. "Everythin' all right between you two?"

Angela nodded. "We're fine," she answered honestly. Because _they_ were fine. It was Juice that wasn't okay. At Chloe's look, she sighed. "Don't worry about it, Chlo. I'm handling it."

"Ang…"

She stood, holding her arms out for her daughter. "I should go feed her," she said, taking Evie from Chloe and carrying her back into the clubhouse.

"Hey!" Chloe called after her as she jumped down off the table. Angela turned around, eyebrows raised, an expression that was so like Happy's, she couldn't help but smirk. "Heard you've got the WiFi password."

Angela smirked back and gestured for her to follow her. "C'mon. Clubhouse has the best internet."

Chloe laughed as she followed her into the clubhouse. "Juice?"

"My man's got magic fingers," she said, winking at her friend.

"That is so gross," she muttered, wrinkling her nose in response. "So what's the password?"

Angela rattled off a long, seemingly random series of numbers. At Chloe's confused look, she grinned. "My birth month, his birth month, my birthday, his birthday, the month we met, the year he was born, the year I was born, the year we met, the day we found out about Evie, and the month she was _supposed_ to be born in," she explained.

Chloe couldn't help but smile at that. "That idiot is crazy in love with you."

"He's not an idiot," she defended softly. "He's actually kind of brilliant."

"Because you're crazy in love with him."

Angela rolled her eyes. "We're not Jay-Z and Beyonce."

"Please, you wish you were Beyonce," she teased, flipping her hair sassily.

She shook her head, laughing at her. "Get outta here. I gotta feed her, and I don't need you staring at my boobs."

"Pssh! Nothing I haven't seen before!" she called over her shoulder as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Angela looked down at Evie as she got comfortable on the bed, grabbing her breastfeeding pillow and settling herself. "Your godmother is a loser, Eves," she said, rolling her eyes again. "But I love her."

* * *

><p>Juice had never been happier to be dismissed from a club job early than he was when Jax told him and Tig to go back to the clubhouse. After staying up for most of the night to watch the Irish, he was exhausted. Taking a step into the main room, he took in a deep breath, relaxing a bit at the familiar smell of beer and cigarette smoke. His eyes scanned the floor, looking for the one person that could make him feel better. "They're in your old room. Evie needed a nap," a voice said from his side. He turned to find Chloe looking up at him. "You look like you could use one too."<p>

He ran a hand over his face and nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Chlo," he said, trudging in the direction of the dorm rooms. He opened the door and smiled at the sight of his angels asleep on the bed, Angela on her stomach, her hand on Evie's tummy as if she were afraid the baby would roll off of the bed.

With a sigh, he shrugged out of his cut, hanging it up on a nearby hook before toeing off his boots. He stretched out next to his daughter with a tired groan. The movement and the noise woke her up, and she looked at him with those big dark eyes. "Hey baby girl," he said, moving his face closer to hers. Her little hand reached out for his nose, little fingers curling around it. His heart felt like it was going to explode. He moved his face to kiss her hand. "Love you, Monk."

There was a light knock on the door, and he scowled. He'd been lying down for all of two seconds. Lifting Evie into his arms, he padded his way over and opened it. Chloe was standing there, her hands on her hips. As soon as he opened the doors, she swept in and grabbed Evie's diaper bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She held her arms out for Evie. "Give me the kid. You need to rest and so does Ang."

A sense of relief swept through him as he nodded. "Thank you," he whispered, dropping a kiss to Evie's head before handing her over to Chloe. "You're the best, Chlo."

"I know. No sex, Ortiz. You could really hurt her," Chloe warned at him, glaring at him over the baby's head.

Juice sighed, hanging his head. He didn't need the reminder. He was painfully aware of how much time they had left before they could get physical again. "I know, I know," he muttered, waiting until she walked away to close the door.

Much to his surprise, Angela had slept through the whole exchange. She must've been wiped out to not have woken up once. He pulled off his shirt before lying down on the bed next to her once more. This time, when he lay down on the bed, the movement woke her up with a jolt. "Oh shit!" she exclaimed her eyes wide as she scrambled to get up. Her eyes were wild as she looked around the room, searching for her daughter.

His chuckle pulled her out of her panic. "Chlo took her. Wanted to give us some time," he explained, stretching out his arm to her.

She raked a hand through her hair. "Shit, that scared the crap outta me," she breathed, hand to her heart. She was kneeling by his hip, trying her best to relax.

"Now you know how I felt," Juice teased before tugging on the front of her shirt, a silent plea for her to come closer. She didn't disappoint. With a relieved sigh, she stretched out beside him, lying her head on his chest as he curled his arm around her. He could feel her heart beating rapidly against his side. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Relax, Angel. She's all right."

Angela nodded against him, taking in deep breaths to slow her pulse. "I know. Sorry," she said, letting out a long breath before looking up at him. "Hi. How are you?"

"Good," he replied, dipping his head to catch her lips in a quick kiss. "Got that picture. What the hell does Monk need headphones for?"

"They block out sound. She actually likes them, surprisingly," Angela said on a laugh. Her fingers skimmed over his skin, drawing aimless designs over his abs.

He shifted uncomfortably under her ministrations. "Angel…" he said, a warning in his tone. Her lips replaced her fingers, pressing soft kisses over his skin. "Baby, baby, stop," he said, his voice husky with lust. "We can't…Chlo said…"

Her dark eyes met his as she trailed kisses lower down his torso. "Don't care," she said, tugging at his belt buckle.

"Angel…"

She could feel his hard length underneath his jeans and lifted an eyebrow. "You really gonna stop me now?" she challenged, watching his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed hard.

He shook his head slowly. Groaning as she teased him through his jeans. "Fuck, baby. Don't stop."

Angela grinned wickedly at him, slowly kissing her way back up his chest until she caught his lips with hers in a searing kiss. "You sure? Chlo said…" she teased, gasping when he nipped at the skin of her neck.

He was sure now, more than he'd ever been. It'd been too long since they'd been close like this, too long since he got to have his hands all over her. He growled as he flipped her over onto her back, trapping her beneath him. "Fuck it. What does she know?"

Her responding smile made his heart flip. "Now that's more like it."

* * *

><p>Angela put her forehead to his as they lay there after, both of them out of breath. They'd taken things slow, almost painstakingly so, both very aware that they weren't supposed to be getting so physical with each other so soon after her pregnancy. Juice had been so careful and sweet with her as they made love. She moved her head to press her lips to his, a soft lazy kiss. "That was...awesome," she said on a breath.<p>

"I didn't…hurt you, did I?" he asked, his dark eyes worried.

"Nope," she said softly. She was sore, but she'd live. It had been totally worth it. She rested her hand on his cheek, thumb gently dragging over the healing cut underneath his eye. "Are you okay?"

"Never better," he rasped, kissing her lips before trailing kisses across her cheek to her ear. "I love you," he whispered, making her shiver against him.

Angela's hand smoothed over his arm, sliding over the contours of his muscles. "Love you too," she replied, her lips meeting his briefly. She studied his face, worried a little by the dark, pensive expression on it. Something was troubling him, and she was going to do her best to find out what it was. "What's goin' on between those two tats, Juice?"

He closed his eyes, smiling a bit at the familiar question. "Conversation I had with Tig."

"Well _that's_ a scary thought," she teased, laughing.

The corners of his mouth turned up with the hint of a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Askin' about his daughters. How he handled them growin' up in all of this…shit."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Did they grow up here?"

He frowned a bit and shook his head. "That's the thing. Their mom took 'em away. They stayed safe, off the radar for…_years_. It wasn't until he killed Pope's daughter that they ever were in danger. And I…I worry that keepin' you and Evie here is gonna…I don't want you getting hurt," he said, his voice rougher than usual. "I love you, Angel. So much shit has already happened to you 'cause a me. You were kidnapped _twice_. Got a concussion, stabbed, and shot. All this stuff happened to you 'cause of me. And I…I don't want Evie to _ever_ have to go through any of that shit."

Angela's face grew serious, worry and confusion creasing her brow. "Baby, none of that was your fault. _I _was with Tara because she is _my _friend. She was my friend before I met you. Not as close but…still. And the second time was all Mel. That had nothing to do with you. I could've been dating a lawyer, and he'd a still pulled that stunt. He was crazy, Juice."

"He wouldn't have gone off on you like that if you weren't with me. He thought he was takin' you away to a better life."

"He wasn't," she said decidedly. "I'm not gonna leave, Juice. This is my home. You're my home."

Juice sighed, feeling a little frustrated by her answer. "You could have a better life. You and Eves. Roosevelt even said it. You have no record, no ink, nothin' to tie you to us."

She scowled at him. "Free of what exactly, Juice?"

"Free of all this violence, free of people being hacked to pieces…free of me. You take off your rings and the necklace I gave you and…you could be free. No one would know you had anything to do with SAMCRO."

Angela reached up her hands to frame his face. Her dark eyes searched for his, trying to understand where he was coming from. She could see the fear in his light brown eyes, the worry, the sadness. The club and everything they were doing was wearing on him. He wasn't meant for this life; she'd known that the moment she'd met him. It was why she'd fallen in love with him. "I love you, Juice," she said before connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. "And I don't want to be free of you. Ever. You're it for me. You're the father of my kid, you're…Juice, you're everything to me. Don't you know that by now?"

Juice nodded. "I do but-"

"But nothing," she interrupted quickly. "We're safe here. With you. There is no safer place for us."

"I don't know if that's true anymore," he admitted softly.

Angela's heart broke at the sadness in his eyes as he met hers. He truly believed that they should leave him, that they'd be safer without him in their lives. "Don't push me away, baby," she pleaded, feeling her own tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "This is where I want to be."

Juice nodded, pulling her in closer to him with a sigh. He held her against his chest, his hand smoothing over the warm skin of her back. "This is where I want you," he said softly.

"Then don't let me go."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer 2: I don't own Beyonce or Jay-Z or 'Crazy In Love', though I do love them. ;) <strong>

**Trying my best not to make every chapter as heavy as the show, but its getting tougher! As always let me know what you think! Your reviews make me write faster! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	90. Wings

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! You guys are what keep me writing! **

**Its a short chapter this time that takes place during Season 6, Episode 5 "Mad King". I am totally procrastinating getting into the heavier stuff. :( Season 7 starts in just 29 days! GAH! I'm so excited! Though the new trailer has me incredibly worried...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela & Chloe**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 90: Wings _

_ By Love Ink_

Happy sat down tiredly on the couch next to Chloe. It'd been a long day, and he was exhausted. Chloe gave him a warm smile as she rocked Evie in her arms. "You okay?" she asked without looking at him.

"Yeah," he answered, draping his arm over the back of the couch where Chloe was sitting. "How's she doing?"

"Which one?" she asked, taking her eyes off of Evie to look at him. He shrugged in response, and she sighed. "Evie is fine. Just woke up from her nap with a diaper full of shit, so I changed it. Ang is…probably having sex with Juice. Which I specifically told _both _of them not to do. But apparently, I don't know what I'm talking about despite my nursing degree, so…"

Happy grimaced at her blunt language, though he didn't comment on it. He'd asked, she'd answered. In a certain way, he appreciated her honesty. Most girls would've laughed it off and tried to be secretive about it, but Chloe was always straight with him. He liked that about her. "Somethin' I need to handle?"

Chloe wondered for a brief moment how he'd "handle" it but decided against finding out. It probably involved some type of violence, though she assumed it would be to a lesser extent than the beat down she'd seen between him and Juice in the ring. Whatever it was, it wasn't necessary. "Nope. It's just frustrating, that's all. Wish she'd listen."

He smirked at that. "Welcome to my life."

She laughed a bit before sighing, her smile faltering a bit. "Am I gonna get out of here anytime soon?"

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "Dunno yet."

Chloe sighed, tilting her head back on the couch cushion. Happy's arm fell slightly away so it was resting on her shoulders, his fingers running over the skin of her upper arm. "Ang showed me the scars from when she climbed the fence. That something I should be considering?"

He chuckled, a rare sound that Chloe loved. "Not tonight."

"Hm," she snorted, holding her finger out to Evie. The baby grabbed onto it, smiling as Chloe moved it up and down."Where do I sleep?"

"With me," he said, lifting his hand off of her shoulder and playing with the ends of her short hair. "That okay?"

Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "No, I wanted to squish between Juice and Ang with this little monkey," she said, grinning at Evie. He tugged on her hair to show he wasn't pleased by her comment. She smirked at him, the sudden urge to lean over and kiss him strong. "But next to you works too, I guess."

She caught the corners of Happy's mouth turning up before he stopped himself from smiling. He put his hand on her neck, applying just the slightest amount of pressure to the dark bruise he had left there. She slapped his hand away, scowling at him. "That hurt?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, glaring at him.

He smirked back at her. "Good."

"Watch it, Lowman. You're cruisin' for a bruisin'," she stated, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips. Happy fought the urge to laugh again at her threat. He'd never admit that he enjoyed her little sayings and the way she teased him.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Juice standing there. She smirked and lifted Evie up so he could take her. He lifted his daughter up to his face and touched his nose to hers. "Hey beautiful girl. You miss me?"

"What were you two doing?" Chloe asked as Angela took a seat on the arm of the couch next to Happy. "Something I told you not to?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe," she replied flippantly. She looked over her shoulder at Juice who was walking away with Evie, proudly showing her off to anyone who paid him any attention. "Hey Hap. I need you to do somethin' for me."

Happy grimaced at those words; they never led to anything good. "What?"

"Just…trust," she said, walking towards the backroom where the brothers' lockers were.

He sighed heavily, glancing at Chloe. "You gonna be okay?" he asked as he got to his feet.

She laughed at him and nodded. "I'll live. Go! See what she wants."

He nodded, tracing a finger across her cheek as he walked by on his way to follow Angela. When he got to the store room, his cousin had his locker open and was digging through it. "You know the combo?"

"You've had the same locker combination since I was five. It's my birthday," she said on a scoff as she grabbed something and held it out to him.

Happy's eyes settled on the heavy black case that contained his tattoo machine, and he sighed. He moved her aside with a gentle nudge and grabbed a folder out. "Let me guess," he said, leafing through the binder of SAMCRO designs that had been passed down to him. He found the one he was looking for and handed it over to her.

Angela held the design page in front of her, contemplating it as she straightened out one of the bent corners. She knew the crow was what she should be getting, what would mark her as part of the elite group known as "Old Ladies", but she didn't want it. As much as she loved Tara, Gemma, and Lyla, she was starting to think that crow was cursed since neither of them seemed to have much luck with their 'old men'. Her eyes met Happy's for a brief moment, and she knew he felt the same way. She handed it back to him. "No. I want something…different."

A look of pride flickered across his face as he took the design and put it back in the file. "You got an idea in mind?"

She nodded, twisting nervously at her ring. "You got your sketch book?"

It didn't take long for him to sketch out what she wanted; it'd been his design to begin with. He set up his kit in the weight room, having her sit backwards on a chair so he could get at her shoulders. Staring at the picture she'd given him, he made sure he got the details down before he turned back to her and started to draw the design onto her skin, free-handing the line work so it flowed perfectly with her upper back and shoulders. "You want to look 'fore I start?"

"No, I trust you," she said on a sigh. "How's it look?"

Happy assessed his work for a moment, asking her to move her arms in different ways to make sure the design flowed right from every angle. "Looks good."

"Have at it then," she said, getting comfortable on the chair. She closed her eyes, holding her breath for a moment as she tried to calm down. She hadn't gotten a tattoo in years and the piece she had was nowhere near as big as the one she was getting. A part of her worried she wouldn't be able to handle it and judging by the way Happy was taking his sweet time setting up his machine; she assumed he was thinking the same thing. "I can do this, Hap," she assured him.

" 'course you can," he agreed, though it didn't sound like he meant it. "You ready?"

"Yes."

"It's gonna hurt. You need a break, you let me know."

"Hap, would you please start already?" she asked, exasperated. He'd pulled the same shit when he did her koi fish.

He chuckled and started the machine. Dipping it into the black ink, he put the needle to her skin, tracing out the first line slowly. "You okay?" he asked, for the sole purpose of annoying her.

"Yes. Continue," she said through clenched teeth. She zoned out for a moment, lulled into a peaceful state by the sound of the tattoo machine. It was a comforting sound, one she associated with the days she spent at Happy's tattoo shop when she was young. "This isn't as bad as the other one."

Happy smirked, that was his tough girl. He knew it would hurt more when he got closer to the bonier parts of her back, but he didn't correct her. "Idiot know you're doin' this?"

"Nope," she replied before grimacing. "I should've asked him, huh?"

The needle left her back for a moment, the machine going quiet. "This your skin or his?"

"Mine."

"You need to ask to mark your own damn skin?"

"Nope. That's why I didn't," she answered, smirking when she felt the needles dig into her skin again. It meant Happy had approved of her answer. "Chloe going to be getting any ink anytime soon?"

"Don't go there, kid."

"Does she even have any ink to begin with? I mean, we never talked about it…" she trailed off before looking over her shoulder at him.

He lifted his free hand off of her back and pushed her face so she stayed looking straight. "Don't move."

Angela rolled her eyes at him. "So? Does she have tats or not?"

"No."

"Blank canvas, huh? That why you like her so much?"

Happy stopped tattooing for a second, letting out a grunt of frustration. "It gonna be a problem?"

Angela's eyebrows skyrocketed as she turned her head again. He hadn't denied that he liked her. Hadn't tried to play it off as nothing. "Hap, you really care about her don't you?"

"She's here, isn't she?"

"Stop answering my questions with questions," she demanded, turning around to see his face much to his frustration. "This is _me_ you're talking to. You don't have to act like the badass killer with me. I already know you're a badass. Do you care about her or not?"

His dark eyes held her gaze for a moment before he nodded. A grin spread across Angela's face which made him scowl. "Don't start."

"Not starting," she said, turning back around. She heard the buzz of the tattoo machine start again and relaxed. "I like it. I think she's good for you, Hap."

"You want me to finish this or not, kid? Gettin' real tired of your shit," he muttered, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Angela sighed, resting her chin on her arms. "Go 'head. I'll be quiet."

* * *

><p>Juice looked around the clubhouse, searching for his Old Lady. He hadn't seen her in an hour or two. Evie was sleeping in his arms, those headphones securely on her ears so he didn't have to put her in the other room to sleep. He found Chloe sitting on one of the couches deeply immersed in a book. He nudged her calf with the toe of his boot to get her attention. "You seen Ang?" he asked, looking around the room again.<p>

Chloe looked at him from over her reading glasses. "She and Hap went to the weight room. Not sure why. Wasn't invited," she said, getting up from the couch. "Shall we go bust in on their party?"

He hesitated for a brief moment; if Hap and Angela had gone to talk privately, neither would appreciate their interruption. Still, he wanted to spend some time with Angela before church and there wasn't much time left. "Yeah, let's go," he said on a sigh.

"Good, 'cause I don't know where the weight room is," Chloe said on a smile. "How you doin' big Poppa?"

He smirked at the nickname, running his hand over Evie's back as he shrugged. "Good," he answered simply. "What about you?"

"Bored as hell," she replied on a sigh. "Want me to take her off your hands?"

Juice cuddled his girl close for a moment, dropping a kiss to her forehead before handing her over and stretching out his tired arms. "Thanks. She's heavier than she looks."

"No problem. I love this little monkey," she replied, settling the sleeping child in her arms. The weight room door was closed and behind it, they could hear a soft buzzing noise. She raised an eyebrow at him. "There some…buzzing machine in there?"

"Not that I know of," Juice said shaking his head.

Chloe shrugged and knocked on the door and after hearing a grunted 'come in', she opened iy. She gasped at whatever she saw, but Juice couldn't see. He took a step in and stopped at the door, glad that Chloe had taken Evie from him because otherwise, he would've dropped her.

The buzzing noise had come from the tattoo machine, he realized as he stared at the ink stretching across his Old Lady's back. He felt a lump rise in his throat as he recognized the tribal lines as the same ones he had tattooed on his skull. They were the most distinctive thing about him, the thing people knew him for, and now, she had them permanently etched into her back in a design that was similar to the one she'd drawn on Evie's wall except without the cheesy heart in the middle. No, this design looked more like tribal wings stretching across her shoulders and upper back, the ends curving perfectly around her shoulder blades. The design flowed so well with her body; it looked like it belonged there.

This was her way of connecting them, he realized. He'd told her just hours before that if she left and removed the material things he'd given her, she could be free. That there was nothing permanently tying them together. Now, with his ink tattooed on her back, there was. Anyone who saw it would know exactly who she belonged to. The love he felt for her almost knocked him to his knees. How on Earth did he get so fucking lucky? What had he done to deserve her?

The machine stopped and Angela rolled her shoulders, the black design moving along with the muscles underneath it in a way that made him feel hot all over. "Jesus Christ," he breathed, unable to formulate more words.

Angela looked at him over her shoulder, a knowing look in her eyes. "Hey you," she greeted, sitting up a bit, her arm banding across her chest to prevent her bra from falling down.

"Hey baby," he rasped, distracted by the ink. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was beautiful and just…perfect.

Happy stood from his seat before shoving something into his hand and bringing him out of his stupor. It was a small tub of 'Tattoo Goo'. "You know how to bandage it?" he asked.

Juice nodded slowly, vaguely aware that Hap and Chloe were leaving while he took a seat on the little stool Happy had vacated. He put on gloves first because he didn't want to leave to wash his hands. For a moment, he took in the sight of the inked lines, knowing that as soon as he bandaged it, they'd have to stay covered for awhile.

Angela shifted uncomfortably, turning her head to see him as best as she could. "You're too quiet. What's goin' on? You don't like it?"

He shook his head slowly. "Angel, this is…incredible."

Her responding smile made his heart flutter. He dipped his fingers into the lotion and carefully began to work it into the tattoo, his fingers slowly tracing out the design. "I didn't want the crow," she told him, her voice a little unsure. "I know it's a big deal but…the crow ties me to the club, and I don't want to be tied to them. I want to be tied to you and only you. Forever and ever."

Juice smiled, he couldn't help it. "God, I love you. So much, Angel. It's just…this is crazy, baby. You know this is permanent, right?"

She laughed, and he could feel the vibration through his fingers. "What? Is that why my koi hasn't washed off yet?" she teased, happy that he liked it.

He nodded, smirking slightly. "Looks like you've got wings now," he murmured as he carefully applied the gauze bandage to it. He finished it quickly before doing up the back strap of her bra.

She waited until he was done before pulling up her tube top and pushing herself to her feet. Turning, she found him standing just inches away. With a small smile, she took his face in her hands and pressed a kiss to his lips. "_You_ give me wings, Juice. Every day. You make me happy, you help me fly. Figuratively and literally, now I guess."

Juice shook his head, connecting their lips once more. "Cheeseball," he accused, pulling her in close. She slipped her arms around him, nuzzling her nose against his neck and smirking as his hands found her ass. "D'you know how fuckin' sexy that tattoo is?" he asked, his voice thick with lust.

Angela smirked. She knew exactly how sexy he thought the tattoo was; she could feel his hard on through his jeans. "I am here telling you that I love you and that you give me wings and all you're thinking about is sex," she said on a laugh. "Typical man."

"I heard you, I heard you," he replied, a sexy smile on his face. He squeezed her ass as he pressed her closer. "Just havin' trouble focusing, that's all."

She pulled away from him slightly, catching his gaze for a brief moment. Before they got naked, she wanted him to understand why she'd done it. Reaching up, she took his face in her hands. "I'm not going anywhere, Juice. I am yours forever. That's what this ink means. No matter what happens, I will always be yours. Nothing will change that."

His smile faded a bit as if he understood just how serious she was being. Worry filled his eyes for a brief moment. "I know," he answered, trying to put his smile back into place. He knew everything she was saying was true, and it troubled him. Would she risk putting her life, the life of their daughter, in danger just to stay by his side? Was he really worth all of that? He didn't think so. He'd done too much wrong to be worthy of a woman like her, of a family like the one she'd given him.

As if she could read his mind, that wrinkle that appeared between her brows when she was worried came out. "Juice…"

The door opened and Rat's head peeked in. "Juice, the WiFi went down. Shit's gettin' a little…crazy out there."

Juice let go of Angela and sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "You can't figure it out?"

"I unplugged it and plugged it back in. Lyla's kid says he could fix it, but he needs the computer password and only you have that so…"

"Fuck," Juice cursed before looking back at Angela. He wanted to tell Rat to fuck off, but he knew it would only mean that the prospect would go to another brother to ask, and then he'd have to do it anyway. With a sigh, he looked back at his Old Lady. "I gotta…"

She still had that worried look in her eyes as she nodded. "Yeah. Right. Go."

He gave her a sound kiss on the mouth, his thumb gingerly swiping over his cheek. "Love you," he told her before he headed out.

He left her feeling like a deflated balloon. Her stomach was churning as she thought of all the reasons why he'd looked so fearful. She had a feeling he was still thinking about the danger they were in, trying to plan a way to get them out of it. But she didn't want out. Not without him.

* * *

><p><strong>Short chapter, I know, but tacked on to the other part it was way too long. Now, I can add more detail into the next one. Yay! <strong>

**As always, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in a review. They always make me write faster! ;) **

**~Love Ink**


	91. Bombs Drop

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! You all are awesome! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _mariah_**_ (haha I guess persistent is one thing you could call me. ;)), **Tay **(Not sure if I'm staying canon or not...depends what S7 brings. I've got a few ideas floating around though!), **Guests, Eleonora, and Amanda.**_

One of my awesome readers, DLaw84, recently sent me a link to this awesome Youtube video someone made for this fic! Youtube user, April Diaz, thank you so much for taking the time to make it! It's really cool to see the characters in my head put together like that and I love that song! :D If anyone else had made anything similar, send me links! I'd love to see them!

**Just 13 more days until Season 7! I'm so excited! :D**

**This chapter takes place during Season 6, episode 5 "Mad King". **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Chloe**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 91: Bombs Drop_

_ By Love Ink_

Juice sat on the bed with Angela between his legs as she breastfed their daughter. He loved sitting with them like this. Loved the intimacy of the act. For the moment, it felt like they were in their own little bubble where nothing bad could happen to them. If he could, he would stay there forever. His hand brushed over Angela's back, moving her hair away from the stark white bandage that was covering her new ink. "How long you gotta wear this for?" he asked, itching to take it off to get another look at it.

"Few more hours, goofy," she replied on a laugh. "It's gotta heal a little."

"Hmm," he grunted in disappointment. He nuzzled his nose against her neck, kissing the base of it before moving his way across her shoulders, his lips searing her skin.

A soft, moan left her lips. "Baby, I am _feeding_ your daughter right now," she reminded him, squeezing his thigh with her free hand. "Don't start."

He chuckled, sitting up so he was closer to her. He moved one arm around her waist and settled his other hand on Evie's head. "You're kinda like a cow, Angel," he stated.

If anyone else had called her a cow, she would've smacked them, but he'd said it so sweetly, so innocently, she found it hard to be mad at him for it and laughed instead. "Please explain why you just called me a 'cow', Juice, and be very, very careful with how you do it."

"Oh shit. I didn't mean…not 'cause of how you look because you're beautiful. Like really gorgeous and sexy and pretty and I didn't mean to call you a cow like that," he blurted out quickly, rapidly trying to cover his mistake. "Because I love you and you're gorgeous. Did I mention you're beautiful? Because you are. And I'm…I'm an idiot. I didn't-"

"Its okay. Relax. Just…explain."

Juice rubbed a hand over his head, trying to remember what exactly he'd been trying to say. "I meant…I meant you make milk and then Monk drinks it from you're boob sometimes and other times, you like…milk yourself with that pump thing. Like a cow. But you don't look anything like a cow, Angel. I swear."

Angela's laughter filled the room, making him feel a little bit better about his unfortunate choice of words. "Goof!" she exclaimed, turning her head to kiss his cheek.

He squeezed her middle as he caught her lips with his own. This was one of those times he was grateful that Angela's sense of humor was so similar to his own. If he'd told any other woman they were cow-like, they would've flipped out, but Angela seemed to think it was hilarious. "Love you, Angel," he said on a sigh of relief. "You're not a cow…except for the milk thing."

"Moo," she said, smiling when Evie broke away from her breast, her little hand reaching up and waving around. "Yeah, Evie-doll. Your daddy narrowly dodged a big bullet. Callin' your Mama a cow. Can you believe him? Silly daddy."

Juice chuckled, carefully taking Evie from her arms so she could fix her shirt. "Daddy's a bad guy, Monk. That's somethin' you gotta get used to," he said, mouthing her chubby fingers when she put them to his lips.

"Don't say that," Angela said on a scowl. She sat up, moving so she was seated on the side of him instead, her legs draped over his. She lay a burping cloth over his shoulder to protect his cut while he burped Evie. "You're not a bad guy. At all. Where did you get that from?"

The corner of his lips turned up in a sad smile. "Just…feels that way lately," he admitted. He regretted it when he turned to see her dark eyes studying him with a look of worry and fear. "Angel, I'm okay."

She shook her head slowly; unconvinced. "No, you're not. Stop playing it off as nothing. Juice, talk to me. Please."

"Just been going through a lot of shit lately. I didn't mean it," he said, turning his head to avoid her gaze and focusing on his daughter instead.

She grabbed his face and turned it so their eyes could meet. "But you did. I know you did. Talk to me," she begged. "I am here for you. I'm always here-"

"I'm _fine_, Angel," he interjected, hoping that the more he said it, the truer it would become. She stayed staring at him, her expression telling him she saw right through him. Sighing, he handed Evie back to her and ran his hands over his head. "Just figuring shit out. I got this."

"Juice-"

He knew what she was thinking about now. Could see it by the fear written all over her face. The last time he'd tried to figure shit out alone, he'd ended up trying to kill himself. She was worried he'd do it again. But he would never consider that now. Not when he had so much to live for. No, this time, he was going to fight to live, whatever it took. "I'm not goin' anywhere, Angel," he assured her, cutting her off again. He stood, taking her chin into his hand and kissing her softly. He ran his thumb over her lower lip as he pulled away. "I love you. Both of you, and I'm gonna fix this."

"Juice, please…"

There was a loud knock on the door before it swung open to reveal Chibs. "Need to have a word with ye, Juicy."

For once, Juice welcomed the interruption. He nodded to Chibs and kissed his Old Lady one more time. "I gotta go. I'll see you out there."

Chibs watched him walk by before turning to look at the young woman still sitting on the bed. "Didn't interrupt anythin' did I?"

"No," she answered curtly, looking back at her daughter.

"Yer worried about him," Chibs stated rather than asked.

She cut her eyes to him, glaring at him with all the frustration and anger she felt growing inside of her. How dare he act like he cared about Juice? Like he hadn't just beaten the shit out of him? The bruises on Juice's face had yet to fade and were a constant reminder of his standing with the club, a constant weight on his shoulders. "Fuck off, Chibs," she muttered. Regret filled her the instant she said it. Sure, it was what she was feeling, but she had no right to talk to him like that. Not when he was being nice to her.

His eyebrows skyrocketed up in surprise. He took a slow step into the room, closing in on her, his dark eyes angry. "Now hear me, lass. I ain't yer Old Man, and I ain't your cousin. He may put up with that shite, but I won't stand for it," he said, shaking his head. For a moment, she was genuinely afraid of the Scot as he stepped in front of her. She held Evie closer to her chest, swallowing hard as Chibs set a hand on her shoulder and continued speaking, "The mess yer Old Man is in, is his own doin'. What I did, I did to make it right. Could've gone another way, love. He deserved much more for the shit he pulled. Ye know that, don'tcha?"

Angela nodded, looking down at her daughter and feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. He was right, of course he was right. What happened to Juice was nothing compared to the sentence he deserved for what he did. "Yeah," she rasped, swallowing back tears.

Chibs squeezed her shoulder, dipping his head to meet her eyes. "Ye have a beautiful daughter, Angie-girl. Take care a her. Don' worry abou' him. Juicy will be fine."

Somehow, she doubted that. "Okay," she replied softly. She wiped at her eyes and sighed. "Sorry for snapping at you. Just…"

He leaned over and kissed her head. "I know, love. I know." He gave her a weak smile before disappearing out the door.

* * *

><p>Chloe sat at the bar, reading up on the latest nursing newsletter on her iPad for lack of a better thing to do. A half empty beer bottle sat in front of her; a treasured item, apparently, since they were quickly running out. No one really bothered her. A woman wearing glasses that was nose deep in her tablet didn't seem to attract much attention from the rest of the Sons. A part of her wondered if it'd be different if she took the glasses off and pulled down her shirt, but she didn't feel like finding out. One because she had a feeling Happy wouldn't like her trying to lure men in too much and two, because if she did do that and they still treated her as if she were invisible, it'd be a serious kick to her ego. The only man who was paying her any attention was the one with the plastic hands who had introduced himself as Chucky. He kept breezing by, asking if she was okay, setting out food for everyone. For someone with plastic appendages, he was sure handy to have around.<p>

"Hey," Tara greeted, taking a seat at her side, reaffirming that she was not, in fact, invisible.

"Hey Tara," she replied, grateful to have someone to talk to. It'd been awhile since the little Ortiz family had disappeared, and though Juice had come back to talk to his brothers, Angela was staying holed up wherever she was. Chloe hoped she was actually sleeping. The girl needed some rest, she was starting to look a little worse for wear. "How's it going?"

The doctor's green eyes scanned the room as she shrugged. "Fine," she said, her eyes landing on where Thomas was playing with Ellie. She watched them for a brief moment before looking back at her. "Surprised to see you here. Didn't think you were involved with all this shit," she said, gesturing to the rest of the room.

Chloe and Tara had worked together many times at the hospital since Chloe favored working in the maternity ward of the hospital and tried to get that shift as often as she could. St. Thomas was a small hospital, and since she was well trained in most areas, they let her bounce around when she wanted. "Angela's a close friend of mine," she explained nonchalantly.

"Don't bullshit me. I know it wasn't Ang that brought you here. I've seen the way Happy is with you. Plus, that mark on your neck is textbook SAMCRO claiming. I don't know who they learn that shit from, but they all do it sooner or later," Tara said, a hint of anger and annoyance in her voice.

She rubbed at the hickey self-consciously, wondering if it had faded enough to be hidden with makeup. She doubted it. Even if she tried, she knew Happy would just rub it off. He seemed to like seeing that mark there. "Ha. Yeah," she replied, awkwardly. "I'm just glad he didn't pee on me."

That earned her a smile from the doctor. "How much do you know about him, Chloe? Do you know what you're getting into?"

"I know enough about him to know that I'm fine being here," she answered vaguely. "As for what I'm getting into, I have no clue. I'm just rolling with it."

"You mean, Angela didn't tell you who he is? What he _does_?"

Chloe's brows furrowed together in confusion. "No, I mean...we really don't talk much about him," she answered, cutting her eyes to where Happy was playing pool with some of his brothers. Croweaters approached him in waves, but he turned them all down with a simple shove. If she wasn't so flattered by the fact he was staying faithful to her, she would be annoyed by unnecessary forcefulness of his reaction. She knew the girls were pushy, but did he have to literally shove them away? Didn't that hurt them? If it did, however, the sweetbutts didn't show it. They'd wait awhile and come back. Chloe could practically set her watch to their routine. "Why? What does he do?"

"He's the club's _assassin_, Chloe. They call him the Tacoma killer," Tara answered flatly. "He _kills_ people."

She didn't know what to do with the information bomb Tara had just dropped on her. It was something she'd always suspected. Hap, Juice, and Angela had alluded to it enough times. Mostly joking, but every so often, she caught the hint of truth in their teasing. No wonder Angela always told her not to worry about it when she questioned her on it. "Huh," she said, for lack of a better response. She wasn't sure whether to be angry or afraid, mostly she was just annoyed.

The doctor gave her a shocked look. "That's it?" she asked, eyes wide. "I-"

"Tara! Thomas is crying for you," Ellie chimed in, cutting off whatever Tara was going to say.

Tara sighed and nodded, taking the crying baby from her arms. "Thank you," she told the young girl, waiting for her to leave before turning to Chloe. "You should be afraid of this shit. You should be getting out while you still can because this club will slowly destroy everything you love. You want proof? Look at what its done to your friend."

"Ang is fine," Chloe said, though she knew it was a lie. Angela was far from fine, but she had no idea what was wrong or how to fix it.

"No, she's not, and you know it," she shot back, glaring at her before taking the crying baby to the back rooms.

Chloe let out a lengthy breath. She'd long since stopped trying to figure out what was wrong with Angela. It seemed to change on a daily basis. She always figured it was more about Juice then anything, but she was starting to think maybe the club was really what it all was about. Tara seemed more than a little jaded by the club, but what she said could also be true. Maybe if they removed the club aspect out of their relationship, Angela and Juice would be fine. Now, her relationship with Happy was another matter all together. That man was defined by his club. She had a feeling that without it, he would be stuck behind bars or worse. With a long sigh, she drank what was left of her beer before pushing her glasses back into her hair and heading to the back to find Angela. There were a few things she needed to discuss with the undertaker.

It was easy enough to find her; she was hiding out in the dorm room as she'd been periodically when she could get away with it. She was lying on the floor with Evie, both on the baby's little gym mat. Angela was tugging on the toys hanging from the arches above them, making them move and rattle while Evie smiled at the bright shapes and colors. "How clean is that floor?" Chloe asked, catching her attention.

"Pretty gross, but she's on the mat, so I'm not worried about it," Angela replied, flicking the sun with the goofy sunglasses. "Why would a sun need glasses anyway? It's _the sun_. Does its own brightness get in its eyes?"

"It's a baby toy, Ang. There's also a monkey and a bear hanging over her and those don't typically co-habitate," she pointed out, taking a seat on the bed.

"Fair point," she muttered, smiling when Evie giggled. "I can't get over how fucking cute she is. I mean, she has Juice's smile which is…the weirdest thing."

"Yeah, she's a cute one," Chloe said distractedly. She kicked Angela's foot to draw her attention away from her baby. "So Tara told me something about Happy."

Angela tensed at that, her jaw clenching and unclenching just like Happy's did when he was annoyed. "What could she possibly know about Hap that you don't?"

"Oh. How about, that he's the club assassin."

She sat up at that, a conflicted look on her face as if she were deciding how to address that. After a moment, she shrugged. "Yeah. And?"

"You didn't think I should know that?"

She shrugged again. "Now you know. What does it change? Does it make you love him less?"

Chloe gave her a hard look before sighing. "I don't love him."

"Okay," she said on a snort of disbelief. "But that wasn't my question. Does hearing that he's the club assassin change the way you feel about him?"

"No."

"So? What's the big deal?"

"Okay, reality check, Ang. Not many people have killed other people. It's called homicide, and it's illegal. Everywhere. That's a big fucking deal."

She scoffed at that, rolling her eyes as if it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "Look, he does what he does for his family. Its not often, and its not pretty, but he does it for us. Because he loves us. That's his way of showing it."

Chloe ran a hand through her hair, letting out a long breath as she tried to wrap her head around what Angela had just told her. "The people he…takes care of…they're bad guys, right?"

"One held me up at gunpoint when I was eight, another was an ex of mine who not only smacked me around but had killed some innocent people. He's not a maniac. He doesn't just kill for the fun of it," she assured Chloe. It was the same thing she always told herself about Happy. She wasn't entirely sure it was always true, of course, but it was how she liked to look at it. Sometimes, she felt he enjoyed the chase and the eventual kill, but she didn't need to tell Chloe that. The poor woman already looked scared. "He'd never, ever hurt you, Chlo. He'll protect you with his life."

She smiled a little at that. "I know," she said softly. Her heart had already made her decision, long before she'd known about his stupid title. Her feelings for the Tacoma Killer ran deep, too deep to give them up. A part of her like the added edge to him. "You really get held up at gunpoint when you were eight?"

"Yeah," Angela answered on a laugh. "It was wild."

"I don't know what I'm doing here, Ang," Chloe admitted to her. "And I don't mean why I'm physically here, I mean, emotionally. This is…I went from almost marrying a cop to…"

"Fucking an outlaw," she stated bluntly, smirking when Chloe winced in response. "Yeah, that's a big change."

Chloe laughed a little bit and nodded. "Yeah."

"You're handling it quite well," she assured her with a smirk.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "It _is_ similar, though. The cop and the outlaw. With both of them there's this…constant fear that when they leave, they won't be coming back," she admitted softly. "Does that…does that happen often?"

Angela flinched at the question, remembering all the brothers that had been lost in the few years she'd lived in Charming. Instinctively, she reached a hand out to touch the dog tags that hung around her neck. "Lately, yes."

"You aren't even going to try and sugar coat that?"

She shrugged a shoulder and sighed. "What's the use? You're going to find out sooner or later," she replied, touching her daughter's tiny fist with her finger. "My advice? Don't get close to any of the rest of them if you don't have to. They'll break your heart in one way or another."

Chloe gaped at Angela for that pessimistic statement. She'd sounded a lot like Tara for a second there. "Well, hello Little Miss Sunshine."

Angela gave her a weak smile as she stood up before bending over to scoop Evie into her arms. "Sorry. I'm just…having issues at the moment," she said on a laugh. "Shall we go back out there? See what the guys are up to?"

She stopped her, grabbing her wrist to stop her path. "You know if you want to talk, I'm here, right?"

She gave her an appreciative smile and nodded. "I know. Thanks," she replied, grabbing Evie's earmuffs from the dresser. "Want to help me put these bad boys on? I want her to get some sleep, but I don't want to be cooped up in here."

"Oh _now_, you don't want to be cooped up here. A conversation gets close to discussing feelings and you bolt. Just like you're cousin," she muttered, shaking her head at her as she helped put on Evie's earmuffs.

Angela laughed at her for that. "Wait, wait, wait, _you've_ tried to talk to him about his _feelings? _Are you serious? Like what feelings? About you?"

"Drop it, kid. Ain't sayin' shit," she replied, already heading towards the door.

She smirked when she heard Angela's slow clapping. "Now, _that_ was a good impression of Hap! I'm impressed!"

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><p>The clubhouse was bustling with people when they walked back into the main room. Chloe headed over to where Happy was playing with his tattoo machine while Angela walked towards the bar where Tig was calling her over from his spot next to Juice. "Lemme see her," Tig demanded, holding out his hands and moving his fingers towards him in a 'come here' gesture.<p>

Angela laughed, carefully putting her in his arms. "There you go, Uncle Tiggy."

The wild haired man grinned at the baby girl, rocking her gently as he murmured nonsense to her. She felt Juice's arm slide around her waist, pulling her back into him. "Hey baby," he greeted, his calloused fingers trailing over the tattoo on her hip.

"Hey you," she replied, kissing his cheek. His eyes were zoned in on his daughter, and her kiss did nothing to distract him. He was watching Tig like a hawk as he did anytime one of his brothers held her. She wondered why it bothered him so much when his brothers held her. He had no problem handing her off to Chloe or Bones, but as soon as someone with a cut or a crow had her in his arms, he got tense and wouldn't take his eyes off of her. It was the strangest thing. She slipped a hand underneath his shirt, making rubbing smooth circles into the muscles of his lower back.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her hands on his skin like he always did. His mind was buzzing with all the Irish shit Chibs had unloaded on them. The Irish were pissed off about all the changes happening. Pissed off Irishmen had been the reason Phil and V-Lin were hacked into pieces. Now, they'd taken one of their men and killed another. They had to be furious. Whatever retaliation they had planned was going to be insane if Jax didn't nip it in the bud. Taking in a deep breath, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. He exhaled, relaxing a bit at Angela's ministrations. Turning his head, his kissed her temple, letting his lips linger there for a moment and inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She smelled like jasmine with a hint of lavender, something he knew came from the lotion she used on Evie.

Lifting his hand off her hip, he settled it on her neck, pressing his thumb into the muscles at the nape of it and rubbing upward as she'd taught him to do. A soft groan left her lips as she tilted her head forward a bit to give him better access. "Like that?" he whispered in her ear.

"Mm-hmm," she replied on a content sigh. "Feels good."

His thumb brushed over the top of the bandage on her back, idly smoothing over the tape there. He glanced over his shoulder at Happy who was immersed in showing Chloe the different parts of his tattoo machine. "Hap!" he shouted, catching the killer's attention and Angela's. "Can I take it off?"

Happy gave him a frustrated look before rolling his eyes. "S'long as you put it back on."

"You mind, baby?" Juice asked his Old Lady, itching to see the tattoo again.

Angela laughed and nodded. "Go ahead, goofy."

Juice carefully peeled away the gauze, his heart beating excitedly in his chest. He felt like a kid at Christmas, getting to unwrap a present early. When he finally finished uncovering in it, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. It finally felt official. Angela was his Old Lady. She had his mark on her, something that would remain there for the rest of her life. She was his forever. "Damn, baby," he murmured, wishing he could touch it. The lines were slightly thinner than the ones on his head making it more delicate, but the image was unmistakable. He wanted to kiss every inch of it, trace it with his tongue, watch her muscles move underneath it as her entered her from behind. Just thinking about it made his blood boil with lust.

He slid his arm around her hips, dipping his fingers into the waist of her jeans while he placed a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. "This is the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he rasped. The room was filled with people, but he was having a bad case of tunnel vision. All he saw was Angela, all he wanted was her, in his bed, naked.

Shivers went down her spine as she leaned into him, tilting her head back on his shoulder and kissing his jaw. "Glad you like it," she replied, grabbing his wrist to stop his hand from going lower. "We're in the middle of the clubhouse," she reminded him. "My cousin is right there."

Juice pressed his forehead against her shoulder and sighed, trying his best to calm himself down. " 'm sorry," he muttered, kissing her shoulder once more before gently pushing her away and angling himself so that he was sitting closer to the bar so as to hide his hard on. "Got chapel in a minute anyway."

Angela smirked a bit, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "After chapel," she whispered, nipping his earlobe.

He nodded in agreement, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "Love you, Angel," he said, rubbing his thumb over her engagement ring.

"Nice tat, doll," Tig said, handing Evie back to her. "Figures Hap's kid wouldn't go for the traditional shit. Looks good on ya. Better than it does on him, that's for sure."

"Ain't gonna argue that." Juice smirked and nodded, watching e design move over her shoulders as Angela shifted her hold on Evie. She put her against her shoulder so he could see her cute little face. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to his daughter's head just as Tig pointed out the cop cars pulling into the lot. Bitterness filled him at the sight of that damn Bronco the lieutenant was fond of driving. That asshole was the reason he was in the place he was in now. If he'd never found that damn photo, he would be fine. Sitting pretty without a care in the world other than the normal shit the club was dealing with. He wouldn't have this extra weight on his shoulders. He wouldn't be a rat.

"Juice," Angela's voice pulled him from his acidic thoughts.

He looked at her, eyebrows raised in question. "Huh?"

She nodded in the direction of the chapel where his brothers were slowly making their way to the table. Reluctantly, he stood from his stool and gave her a quick kiss. "Be right back, Mama," he told her before kissing Evie. "Love you both."

Angela rolled her eyes at him, but smiled anyway. "We love you too."

He'd just made it into his seat at the table when Jax and Chibs started shouting for them to clear out. He was on his feet and moving in seconds, propelled forward by Happy's hand pushing him towards the front door. He stopped outside the threshold, frantically looking for Angela, desperate to find her in the stampede of people that were making their way out. "Angel!" he called out, pushing his way through the crowd. "Angela!"

His heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't find her. It was Happy's voice that pulled him from it as the Tacoma killer grabbed his arm and practically hauled him out the door. "She's outside!" he shouted, pushing him in the right direction with one hand while he held tightly to Chloe's hand with the other.

Relief spread through him when he saw her across the lot, calling his name while she held tightly to Evie. He ran to her, wrapping his arms around her and Evie just as someone shouted for them to get down again. They got down together, both of them moving perfectly in sync as if this were the most normal thing in the world. He heard the blast just seconds before he felt the wave of heat engulf them, blowing her hair around them as one of her hands clung tightly to the back of his cut, her forehead pressed to his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his. Evie was nestled between them, her earmuffs firmly in place, completely enveloped by the two people that loved her most. Juice held on to them as tightly as he could, praying it was enough to keep them safe.

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><p><strong>Lots of craziness going on in this one! Hope you liked it! <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think in a review! I love hearing from you guys! **

**~Love Ink**


	92. Wake Up Call

**Sorry it took me so long to upload! My laptop died, and it took forever for my new one to come in. :(**

**Thank you so much to those who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! Your reviews are what keep me writing! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Guest, Lauren Houston,_**and _**mariah**_**. :) ****  
><strong>

**This chapter takes place after Season 6, episode 5: "The Mad King."**

**I can't believe season 7 premieres TOMORROW! I'm SO excited! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Chloe and Angela and Evie. Woot. :) **

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 92: Wake Up Call_

_By Love Ink_

Angela held Evie tightly through the chaos that was currently surrounding them. Evie had only cried a little after the initial blast, scared by the rapid movement and probably by the heat that had come from the explosion, but she wasn't crying at all now. In fact, she was sleeping soundly which scared the shit out of her mother. How could her child sleep through all of this? Had the blast hurt her in some way? Was she going through some kind of shock? She looked up at Juice who looked just as worried as his eyes went from her to the clubhouse that was still engulfed in flames. Firemen and policemen were walking around the lot, interviewing everyone to see if they knew what happened. She wondered if they'd find out anything helpful. Everyone knew what happened, except for maybe the newer sweetbutts, but they all knew better than to say anything. This was a matter for SAMCRO to deal with, not law enforcement

Juice turned to her, his hands reaching up to frame her face and keep her eyes trained on his. "Are you okay?"

She looked at the wreckage of the clubhouse for a brief moment before meeting his eyes again. "Yeah," she said on a breath. "Yeah, I think so. I mean…are you?"

He nodded once, swallowing hard as his hands left her face, one brushing over Evie's head. "She's okay, right?"

"I don't know," she answered, her voice cracking a little bit and showing just how worried she was. She was scared as hell because there was no way for her to know how her own daughter was affected by the blast. The feeling of uselessness overwhelmed her, bringing frustrated tears to her eyes. "I don't know how to tell. I can't…I can't ask her, and I can't…I don't know."

Juice's eyes scanned the parking lot for a brief moment. "Chlo!" he shouted, catching the nurse's attention. She was standing with Happy, her hand in his as they talked. When she heard him calling, they dropped their hands. He gave her a quick peck on the forehead before pushing her towards them while he went to go talk to Jax.

Chloe quickly walked towards them, a worried look in her hazel eyes. She held out her arms for Evie, but Angela only held her closer to her chest. They'd been seconds away from the clubhouse exploding with them inside of it, there was no way she was going to let her baby girl go. "Have you taken her earmuffs off yet?" she asked, not pushing it.

"No, I didn't want to…I wasn't sure it was over," Angela answered.

"Okay, let's take them off, then," she said, using her soft nurse tone. If Angela wasn't in such a panic mode, she would've been all over her for using that tone of voice with her, but she was too worried, and it was actually kind of soothing.

Carefully, she pulled the earmuffs off, handing them to Juice who was at her side, shifting nervously. "Now what?" she asked. Chloe snapped her fingers by one of Evie's ears, watching as the baby flinched at the loud sound. She did it again in the other and Evie's face started to scrunch up before she started to cry. Angela held her closer to her chest, glaring at Chloe. "What the fuck, Chlo?"

"I'm checking her ears. That's what I'm most worried about. I think we ere far enough away that we don't have to worry about smoke inhalation, but that was a loud blast and it could've royally messed up her hearing," she explained patiently. "But she's responding well to those loud noises, so I think her hearing's just fine. Take her to the hospital tomorrow. I'll set her up with an appointment, and we'll make sure. Right now, I think she's fine."

"You're sure?" Juice asked.

Chloe gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes, sir," she said on a nod. "You don't have to worry about traumatizing her either. She's too young to remember any of this."

"Thank God," Angela said under her breath. Her dark eyes swept over the crowd of people, clearly searching for someone. It took her a minute to find whoever it was she was looking for, but when she did, she handed Evie over to Juice. It didn't take Chloe long to realize that her friend was heading straight for Happy.

Happy held his little cousin for a moment, dropping a kiss to the top of her head before pushing her away, his dark eyes searching over her every feature. That was the man Chloe was starting to fall for. The loving man who was constantly worried about his family, though he'd never admit it. It was watching him with Angela that made her realize that she didn't give a shit about his assassin title, it didn't change anything.

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><p>Happy studied Angela's face for a brief moment, seeing the pure fear in her eyes, fear he hadn't seen in them for a long time. "S'okay, kid. You're okay," he told her, brushing a stray tear from her cheek. He could tell she was starting to split at the seams and close to a breakdown. This was something he hadn't trained her for. Something he couldn't train her for. It was new ground for the both of them, but he wasn't going to let it get to her. He was going to treat it like he did with everything else and not let her give in to her fear. She was strong enough to handle it. "Hey, hey, stop cryin', kid. You're okay. The brat's okay. Nothin' happened. Breathe. In. Out."<p>

She listened to him, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Her tears subsided and the shaking in her hands lessened a bit. He could see her starting to put that wall up and strengthen herself against her fear. He was proud of her for it; it showed how strong she was. Wiping at her face, she gave him a small smile. "I'm good. I'm good," she said, holding up her hands.

"You sure?"

Angela nodded, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "Yeah. Got it," she said, her voice still a little shaky. "Thanks. I needed that."

"I got you, kid."

Angela stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Love you, Hap."

"You too," he said on a nod of approval as they walked to where Juice and Chloe were talking. He nodded his greeting to Juice. "You should get 'em home."

Juice nodded in agreement, using his free hand to grab Angela's. She slid her fingers between his, leaning her head onto his shoulder. "Yeah," he rasped, turning his head to kiss her forehead.

"Take care of 'em," Happy told him, as he always did.

"Always," he answered, squeezing Angela's hand before letting it go and slipping his arm around her shoulders instead.

Chloe watched them walk away, the three of them pressed so tightly together it was hard to see where one ended and the other one began. "She's not okay, is she?" she asked Happy without turning to look at him.

"No," he answered honestly, his hands deep in his pockets as he searched for a toothpick. "Neither is he."

She nodded slowly in agreement. There was something in Juice's eyes that put her on edge. The wheels were turning in his head, and she worried that whatever he was working on would eventually hurt Angela. "What now?"

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "I'll take you home."

"Okay."

The ride to her house was longer than usual. Happy drove at a slower pace knowing that he didn't have a place to stay for the night. He could drive the few hours it took to get to his Ma's place and stay there, but it was a long ride, and he was exhausted. He knew if he asked Chloe to stay, she'd let him, but he didn't want to impose. After what they'd just been through, he wouldn't blame her if she didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

He finally pulled up in front of her house, stopping the bike and waiting for her to get off. She looked confused for a brief moment when he made no move to get off the bike. The moment passed and a knowing look crossed her face. Without a word, she grabbed his wrist and gave it a tug, nodding her head towards her house, a silent invitation.

He nodded, taking off his helmet and hanging it on his handlebars before following her up the walk to the front door. Once inside, he took a heavy seat on the couch, tilting his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes. He felt something cold and wet lap over his hand and opened an eye to see her pitbull, Hades, staring back at him, his tongue hanging out. He smirked and ran a hand over the dog's head, scratching behind his ears.

Chloe bouncing around the house with a nervous kind of energy. She handed him a beer before she started to pace. His eyes followed her for a moment, giving her some time to work out whatever was going on in her head before he asked, "You okay?"

She stopped pacing and stared at him, eyebrows raised as if she was surprised he was still there. "Yeah, I guess. I'm just…trying to convince myself that the whole thing was a gas pipe leak that caught fire."

He shook his head. "It wasn't," he replied honestly. It was better for her to know than to kid herself into thinking something different about it. "Irish keg bomb."

"Irish keg bomb," she repeated slowly. "Well, that's a St. Patty's day drink waiting to happen."

Happy chuckled at that. He couldn't help it. It was such a ridiculous thing to say considering what just happened. He hooked a finger around her belt loop, tugging on it to pull her next to him. She felt onto the couch cushion beside him with a surprised gasp. Sitting up, she moved closer to him, their legs just barely touching. "The brat okay? Didn't get a chance to check."

Chloe blinked at him for a brief moment before nodding. "I think so. She had those ear muffs on, and they're pretty protective. I'll check her out at St. Thomas tomorrow."

He draped an arm over her shoulders, his hand playing with the ends of her short hair. "Why'd you get 'em?"

" 'cause they don't make Kevlar vests for infants," she answered, only half joking. At his raised eyebrow, she sighed. "I know Ang's life is…dangerous. Hell, she came in a few months ago with a stab wound and a bullet in her calf. I just…I wanted to give Eves something that would protect her in some way. Figured her life was loud, she could use something to quiet it a bit."

Happy leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. She leaned into his kiss, so he let his lips linger against her soft skin for a moment longer than usual. "Thanks."

"Mmm," she hummed, closing her eyes as she let her head rest on his shoulder. She sighed lengthily before she remembered what she'd talked about before. Setting her hand on his thigh, she gave it a loving squeeze. "So…you're the Tacoma Killer, huh?"

Happy tensed at the nickname. He wasn't that surprised that she'd found out about it. She'd been in such close quarters with a good chunk of his brothers, it had to have caught her attention some time. In fact, he thought she'd learn it sooner. "The kid tell you?"

"No, Ang doesn't tell me anything about you that I don't already know," Chloe answered on a light laugh. "She _should've_, but she doesn't seem to think it's a big deal. Tara told me, actually."

He sighed lengthily as he rubbed a hand over his face. "You want me to leave?"

"No," she said, squeezing his thigh. "Stay. Just tell me something…the happy faces…are they up to date?"

He smirked as he thought about it. The Croweater that used to do them had gone and gotten herself an Old Man in a different charter, and he didn't trust anyone else to do them without asking their meaning. He knew Angela would, but it didn't feel right for his little cousin to be tattoo his kills on him. "Nah. Missin' a few," he answered honestly. "That scare you?"

A soft laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head. "No," she said on a breath. "It should. But it doesn't."

His eyes met hers and he leaned forward, putting his forehead to hers for a brief moment. "Ain't ever gonna hurt you," he promised, his hands tangling in her hair.

"I know," she replied, boldly closing the space between them to kiss his lips. She pulled away, patting his thigh before she stood up. "C'mon, killer, I need a shower."

He smacked her ass before getting to his feet and draping an arm over her shoulders. "That an invitation?"

She smiled up at him and nodded. "You're not as dumb as you look."

"Shut up," he muttered, pressing hard on the bruise he had left on the side of her neck with his thumb. She let out a yelp of pain, but her smile didn't waver.

She led him into the bedroom, surprised when he stopped at the threshold of the master bathroom. His dark eyes looked her up and down in a way that made her shiver. "What?"

"You with me?"

That question carried more weight with it than anything he'd ever asked her before. Every instinct Chloe had in her told her to run. This man was a killer. He _admitted_ it. But she didn't see that when she looked at him. No, when she looked at him she saw the man who loved and cared about his family above all else. Who would do anything for them, no matter the circumstance. He was a good man, a great man even. She found herself smiling as she nodded, "Yeah, Lowman. I'm with you."

* * *

><p>Angela sat in the passenger's seat of her Mazda, staring numbly out of the windshield as Juice drove through the quiet downtown area. They were both silent as they past empty shops with 'for sale' sign hanging in the windows, a sign of the changing times; Hale was slowly buying out everything. All of the quaint little stores and restaurants would be replaced with chains. She was dreading it. There were a lot of changes happening in Charming as of late. After seeing the clubhouse go up in flames, Angela was starting to understand Tara's need to get out. As safe as she felt in that sleepy town, the reality was they weren't safe at all.<p>

A sigh of relief left her lips as they passed the "Welcome to Charming" sign. Clearly, Juice needed to get out too, if only for a moment. She reached out a hand, grabbing his and squeezing it tightly. Without looking at her, he brought her fingers to his lips and brushed his lips against her knuckles.

When he finally parked on their little mountain overlook, he let go of her hand and got out. She looked over her shoulder at Evie, whose face she could see in the little reflective mirror. She was sleeping soundly, the ugly bulldog that Kozik had won for her the day he died tucked safely by her side. Angela was thankful she'd forgotten it in the car now; she would've hated to lose that little piece of her fallen brother. She sighed as she got out of the car and went to join Juice who had opened the hatchback and was sitting on the bumper.

They both sat there staring at the sleeping town for a minute before she cleared her throat. "Well that was…a blast," she said flatly.

Juice hung his head as he tried not to smile. That comment was so inappropriate in the wake of what had just happened, but also so like his Old Lady to say. He couldn't help but laugh. "Jesus Christ, baby," he said on a chuckle, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her towards him to kiss her temple. He loved her for that comment. Loved that she could make him laugh when he was feeling like his world had just exploded…because it almost had.

"Sorry," she said, smiling a little herself. She sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "In all seriousness though, that was scary as hell."

"I know," he agreed softly. He felt like the worst father in the entire world. His daughter was barely two weeks old and had already survived her first bombing. What the hell was wrong with him? How could he put his family though that kind of shit? It'd been proven time and time again that as long as he was a Son, their lives would constantly be in danger. "I'm sorry, Angel. This shit…it's not right."

She got to her feet, moving to stand between her legs. "That wasn't your fault. You know that, right?"

"My fault you were there. My fault that you and Monk coulda been-"

"Stop!" she exclaimed, cutting him off quickly. "Don't go there, Juice. Nothing happened. We're here, we're alive. Don't start with the 'what if's'. Please."

If he was paid for the amount of times she had to remind him of that, he'd be rich. Angela didn't think on the past, she didn't see a use in it. Juice found it hard to think like that, though; especially when the past had a habit of turning around and biting him in the ass. "You two aren't safe here, Angel," he told her softly.

The look in her eyes told him she agreed with him, but he knew she wasn't going to tell him that before she even opened her mouth. "Yes, we are. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because shit like what just happened has been happening on a constant basis. This is the first time its reached you guys, but it could happen again."

"It _could_," she agreed on a nod. "But what are those chances?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder as he put his hands on her hips, his thumbs rubbing over her warm skin. "I dunno. Pretty fucking high, I'd say."

"I'm not going to leave, Juice. Not without you. That's not the way this works. Evie needs her dad."

He shook his head miserably. "You two would be better off without me."

"No, we wouldn't," she said stubbornly. "Juice, don't push me away. Not now. I need you."

"What could you possibly need me for, Angel?" he asked, softly. "All I do is put you and Evie in danger. What good am I?"

"Juice, you're everything to me. You...I need you to make me feel wanted and loved, to give me strength, to…to complete me. We've tried being apart, and it was...the hardest thing I've ever done. I need you because without you, I'm lost."

He understood those feelings because he felt them himself. Being without her for just a week had nearly killed him; he couldn't imagine being away from her for longer. But if it meant she was safe, he could suffer through that. He could live without her if it meant that she got to _live_. He knew there was no way to make her see that, though. She wasn't going to just leave him because he told her to. He had to find another way to get her and his daughter away from all of this danger they were in. From the bombs and the bullets. He had to protect them, no matter what the cost. "Feel the same way, baby," he said, standing and pulling her into his arms. "I love you, Angel. So much."

Angela nodded, her ear pressed to his heart. She could hear its strong beating, too fast for the normal resting rate. Something else was going on in his head, something that he was keeping from her. "Love you too," she said, tilting her head back to look at his face. She connected their lips in a quick kiss before pulling away with a sigh. "We're going to be okay, Juice. It's going to be all right. All of this shit will work itself out. It always does."

Juice smiled grimly at that. It was a lie if he'd ever heard one. The shit that they were going through would take months, maybe even _years_ to work out, and the little family he'd worked so hard to get would be stuck in the middle of it. The bomb was a clear wake up call; Charming wasn't safe anymore. His family wasn't safe anymore. He had to get them out before they got hurt. He just didn't know how to do it.

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><p><strong>Heavy, heavy chapter. :( It'll get better...maybe... ;) <strong>

**As always, your reviews encourage me to write more, so leave me some love...or some critiques or ramblings or...whatever you'd like in a review!**

**~Love Ink**


	93. The Morning After

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow. I know I got back to most of you but thanks also to:_ mariah_ and _Love For Kozik_**_ (That doesn't creep me out at all! Haha that's awesome! Any ideas you have are welcome! I've got a loose plan for where I'm going with all the season 6/7 madness but I'm always open to suggestions!)._

**How heartbreaking was last night's episode! Gah! Not gonna put any spoilers here, but it definitely made me sad. :( **

**In case you're curious about the time line, this chapter takes place in between season 6 episode 5 "_The Mad King"_** **and episode 6 "_Salvage". ;)_  
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**Disclaimer****: I don't own anything except Angela, Evie, and Chloe. :) **

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 93: The Morning After_

_By Love Ink_

Juice stood in the doorway to his kitchen holding his baby girl as he watched Angela move around the kitchen while making breakfast. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he looked his fill, enjoying the sight of her wearing nothing but a pair of his boxers and a camisole. There was something off about her, he noticed. Music was playing softly in the background, but she wasn't dancing around and singing like she usually did. She was somber now, pensive. He had a feeling it had to do with what had happened the night before.

He knew how she felt. He hadn't been able to sleep at all. Had stayed up most of the night, tracing the tattoo on her back as he stared up at the ceiling. He knew he'd woken her up a few times when he'd gotten out of bed to check on Evie. She'd gotten frustrated with him after the tenth time and told him to just bring her into bed because he was driving her crazy. Juice listened to her. Once his girls were both close and safe beside him, he found it a little easier to fall asleep. He woke up that morning with Evie still on his chest, but Angela was already up and making breakfast.

He hitched Evie up higher on his bare chest, his heart aching with love as she snuggled in closer to him. He put his lips to her head, breathing in deeply and enjoying the comforting smell of her baby shampoo.

He put Evie down in her little rocker before moving closer to Angela. Leaning against the counter, he studied her face, noticing the bags under her eyes. He could've sworn she'd slept just fine. Apparently, she was a lot better at pretending to sleep than he'd thought. "You okay, Angel?" he asked, brushing a stray hair from her face.

Angela's dark eyes met his as she sighed and nodded. "Yeah," she said, trying for a smile. She nodded towards the bottle warmer they had set up on the counter. "Wanna give her that bottle?"

Juice furrowed his brows in confusion. She only gave Evie a bottle when she was working and needed someone else to feed her. It was out of the ordinary now. Something was wrong. "You're not gonna…" he trailed off, gesturing to her chest.

"I'm exhausted," she lied, sighing again. The truth was she'd tried earlier that morning when he'd been asleep and had barely produced enough milk for Evie. She'd had to get some out of the bottles she had stocked in the fridge. They were running low on those too. Chloe had been on her for weeks about stress and breastfeeding. She'd thought it was all bullshit despite the way she'd noticed the decrease in the amount she was making. If she didn't start producing milk soon, she was going to have to switch to formula. She kept all of this from Juice though, he was on edge as it was. If he knew the stress his club was causing her was also affecting Evie, he'd try pushing them away even harder than he had before. "Thought you might want to feed her."

He didn't buy her lie for a minute; Angela loved breastfeeding, said it brought her and Evie closer. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Just don't feel like being a cow today," she said, trying for a joke.

He frowned at her, seeing her joke for what it was; a way to cover what was really going on. "Bull shit," he said, his hand trailing up and down her arm "What's going on, Angel?"

"I couldn't…I don't have enough to feed her," she admitted, hanging her head. "I tried late last night, and she got…fussy so I had to get some out of the fridge. Tried to pump this morning and got barely enough to fill half a bottle."

Juice ran a hand over his hair, his eyes wide. "Jesus Christ, baby. Why can't you…"

"Chloe says its…a mixture of things. Might be my caffeine intake. I tend to drink more coffee while in lockdown," she explained on a shrug.

"Or it could be stress, right? 'cause of the explosion and shit?"

Angela took in a deep breath as she shrugged again. "Who knows? She'll get fed regardless. Might just have to switch her to formula for a little. Chlo said that's fine. She's old enough now."

"Goddamn, Angel. That's not good. You should be able to…"

She waved off his concern. "It's _okay_. I'm okay. Just a lot going on lately, that's all. Would you feed her, please?"

Juice nodded numbly, his mind reeling from what she'd just told him. "Yeah, 'course," he said, trying to give her a smile.

"Juice," she said, catching his attention as he walked away. "This has nothing to do with you, you know?"

He nodded, though he knew she was wrong. This had everything to do with him. If it wasn't for him, they wouldn't have been at the clubhouse that night. She wouldn't be so stressed out all of the time. They'd be happy and healthy and safe. Safer then they'd ever be with him there. He needed to get them out and soon. He tried to give her a smile again, succeeding a little more this time. "Yeah," he said softly. " 'course not."

"I mean, if anyone is at fault, it'd be me," she said, laughing it off like it was nothing, but he saw the guilt written all over her face.

Juice's eyes darkened as he looked at her. "No, baby. This isn't your fault," he said, cupping the side of her face with a hand, his thumb dragging over her cheek. He caught her lips in a sweet kiss, trailing softer kisses across her cheek. He pulled her in closer, his hands rubbing up and down her back. "You just gotta relax, Mama."

She leaned into him, nuzzling her nose against his neck and breathing in his scent. She put her lips to his neck, kissing it softly. Her arms slid around his bare torso, hands rubbing up the planes of his back. He groaned as she applied just the slightest bit of pressure on his muscles. "Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to relax," she murmured, dotting kisses across his clavicle.

"What if you and Monk left for a few days, baby?" he asked, trying to stay focused as her hands massaged his back. At his question, her hands stopped moving and her whole body tensed up. That was not a good sign. "Got away from all this shit and relaxed."

She leaned back in his arms, her brows furrowed in confusion. "With you?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. Just you two. It'll be like a mother-daughter getaway. Just a few months."

She pulled away from him then, physically stepping away. "_Months_, Juice? Are you serious?"

"You have maternity leave still, don't you?" he asked shifting awkwardly. "You can work somethin' out with Skeeter. Get the cash to your Ma and aunt somehow. I just...think it'd be good for you, for Eves, if you just...went away."

She scowled at him as she put the egg white omellette she made for him on a plate and handed it to him. "Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed, grabbing the baby bottle and heading towards Evie. She picked up the baby and kissed her forehead. "Daddy's being silly, Monk. Saying he wants us to leave."

"It's not forever, Angel," he reminded her, sitting down at the table and digging into his omelette. "Just until all of this craziness stops. Jax is getting us out of guns and then I'll come get you and we'll all be safe."

"You want me to go into hiding?"

"Not hiding just...maybe somewhere where there's no charter. Just to be safe."

She stared at him in utter disbelief. "Juice, we're safe where we are. There's no safer place for us then surrounded by SAMCRO and its members. You don't think that if the Irish wanted to hurt us, they'd find us?"

Juice shook his head. "Not if you didn't want to be found."

"Bullshit. You of all people know how easy it is to find someone," she said, rolling her eyes at him. She met his gaze, surprised by the fear she found in his eyes, the desperation. "We're not going anywhere, Juice. Not anytime soon at least."

He hung his head in defeat, knowing she would fight against him at every turn. There was no way for him to convince her that she needed to leave. Her mind was already set, and he knew nothing would change it. Not at that moment anyway. He'd find another way to convince her; he usually did. At that moment, he didn't want to push the issue. He had to leave soon and didn't want to leave her in the middle of a fight. "Okay, baby."

Angela knew this wasn't the end of this discussion. Juice was giving in now, but his head was probably going through ideas of how to get his way. He'd tell her one thing and do another. Most of the time, he ended up actually getting his way. That's what scared her the most. "So...what are your plans for today?" she asked, sitting next to him with Evie still in her arms.

"Gotta head over to Jax's in a bit. Chibs said you should come, Tara's already there," he said around a mouthful of food.

"Mm, I'll pass on that one," she said, smiling at Evie as she unlatched from the bottle. She set it on the table and shifted her over her shoulder so she could burp her. "Need to go to work. Make sure Rigs is okay with Boner. Then I was gonna check in with Kenny and El. Make sure they're okay."

"You can go after," he suggested.

She raised an eyebrow at him, curious as to why he wanted her to go so badly. "I'm beginning to think that was less of a suggestion and more of an order."

He shook his head slowly as he swallowed. He'd never order her to do anything. Their relationship didn't work like that. If he really wanted her to go, and he told her it was important, she'd go. There was no need to order her around. As long as there was logic behind it, she usually had no problem doing what he told her to. "No orders here, baby. Just…wanted to have you guys close 'fore I left."

"Before you left…" she repeated, confused. "Goin' somewhere, dude?"

Juice grimaced; he'd forgotten to tell her. Scratching at the back of his neck, he sighed. "Yeah. Headin' up North for the day to sit down with the other west coast charters."

Angela frowned a bit as she nodded. "Oh okay," she said setting the bottle down and shifting Evie so she could burp her. "You really want me to go?"

He could tell she didn't want to, and he couldn't really blame her. "Nah, you're good, baby," he said, wiping his face as he sat back in his chair. He watched Angela as she rubbed her hand over Evie's back, murmuring things to her daughter before pressing her lips to her temple. Juice's heart ached with love for his two girls. He couldn't imagine being without them, but he would never forgive himself if anything ever happened to them. "You know I love you, right? That everything I do is for you and Monk?"

Her dark eyes met his, a small smile crossing her face. "Yeah. I know," she told him. His burner went off, a loud, annoying sound. "You gotta go?"

Juice sighed and nodded, pushing away from the table. He dropped a kiss to Evie's head before tugging on Angela's hair. She leaned her head back, giving him access to her lips. He laid a soft kiss on them, nuzzling his nose against hers once he pulled away. He kissed her once more, savoring the taste of her lips for a moment. "I'll be home tonight."

"Mm-kay," she said on a soft sigh. When he went to walk away, she grabbed his wrist to catch his attention. Getting to her feet, she met his gaze and held it. "I love you, Juice," she told him, her hand rubbing over Evie's back. "So much."

Juice gave her a small smile, setting his hand on her hip. He dipped his head to kiss her again, sliding his arm around her lower back to draw her and Evie in closer. It was a soft, loving kiss meant to convey the way he felt about her. Her kiss warmed the depths of his soul, relaxing him. He felt at peace right there with his girls held close to him.

His burner was still ringing. A constant, irritating sound. In that moment, he hated his club. Hated the way it was slowly destroying everything he loved. The way it was slowly destroying _him_. He could feel himself changing with every passing day, and he hated himself for it. He was inflicting this awful pain on his family. He was going to be the reason they got hurt. He didn't want them to leave, but he knew how selfish it was for him to let them stay. Letting them stay would mean they were in danger, and if they were hurt because of his own selfishness, he'd never forgive himself.

He kissed her, his thumb brushing over her cheek. "Gotta go get ready," he said, drinking in her features once more before putting his lips to hers and heading to the bedroom.

Angela stared after him, rocking Evie against her as she sighed. "He's going to be okay, baby girl. We just need to be strong for him, okay? He'll be okay. We're going to stay right here with daddy. We're safe here," she said, wondering if she was trying to assure her daughter or herself.

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><p>Chloe woke up the next morning, surprised that Happy was still asleep next to her. They weren't cuddled together by any means. He was laying on his stomach, one heavy arm draped over her torso, his hand curled around her hip, but that was the extent of it. She took the opportunity to look over the pieces on his arm, smiling at one of the Chinese symbols. She didn't know much Chinese, but that character was familiar to her. It was the symbol for 'angel'.<p>

"This one for Ang?" she asked, knowing he was awake. She'd felt his eyes on her for a while.

He smirked and nodded. There were a few tributes to his family inked on his body. She'd found Angela's. The other four were more obscure; they were just for him to know about. "Took her forever to find it."

"Seriously? You didn't tell her?"

He shook his head, his fingers lifting off her hip and dragging over her bare stomach as he shifted to his side, propping his head up on his elbow. "Got it while I was inside the first time. She asked what it meant. Told her to figure it out. Kid must've spent weeks goin' through books lookin' for it."

"You wanted her to learn something," she stated knowingly. "And I'm willing to bet, that's where she got inspiration for that fish tattoo, huh?"

" 's a good piece for her," he said on a nod.

Chloe traced her fingers over his muscular arms. "The piece on her back's not bad either. That hard for you? Marking her with Juice's…symbol like that?"

"No," he answered honestly. "Was proud she didn't want the crow."

"Crow?"

Happy wasn't surprised she didn't know about the Old Lady crow or what it meant; she was pretty out of the loop when it came to club stuff. "Old lady tat. They all got 'em. Gemma, Lyla, Tara…"

"_Tara_ has a tattoo?"

He nodded, a smirk on his lips. "Tramp stamp. Same tat as Gem has on her chest."

Chloe laughed loudly at the idea of it. "I would _never_ have guessed that those two would have _matching_ tattoos and that _Angela_ almost got one too!"

"Was worried she'd want one. I'd a done it too. Hated it, but woulda done it for her," he admitted, his fingers drawing random shapes on her stomach.

"Really?"

" 's no reason not to. Ideas solid, design's not bad. Just…"

"Not original enough for your girl," Chloe filled in with a nod of understanding. She was silent a moment, her fingers tracing the designs on his arms as he continued to draw invisible designs on her stomach. "I'm worried about her."

Happy lifted himself up onto his elbows so he could see her better, and she instantly missed the weight of his arm across her stomach. "Why?"

"You're not?"

He nodded quickly. "Just want to know why you are."

Chloe scrunched up her nose as she thought of how to explain it to him. "She's just…she keeps it all in. Y'know? I get the feeling she has all of these doubts and fears and she won't tell me because she thinks I won't understand. And yeah, I probably won't since apparently there's some type of learning curve on this whole club thing, but I wish she'd try and explain. Just so she can stop bottling shit up."

Happy nodded in agreement. Ever since Kozik died, she had no outlet. No one "safe" to vent to. He'd tried a few times to get her to talk, but her fear of him doing something to Juice always prevented her from telling him the whole story. She was right to fear that too. If he caught wind that the idiot had hurt her again, he'd rip his balls off. "Been that way for awhile," he said on a sigh. "Won't talk to me. Guy she used to vent to…ain't around anymore."

"Kozik, right?"

"Yeah," he rasped, hanging his head as he thought of his fallen brother. "Good guy. Listened to her shit. Balanced her out. I tried, but she…"

"Doesn't want to sic the Tacoma Killer on her fiancée," Chloe finished with a smirk. "She talk to your Mom or Aunt at all?"

Happy actually chuckled at that idea. "Nah. Doesn't want to worry Ma and her Ma doesn't…they don't talk like that."

She nodded, letting out a long breath. "I'll keep trying. See if she'll open up."

" 'preciate it," he said on a nod.

"Why are you worried?" she asked, wondering if he'd answer her. Sometimes he opened up to her, others he didn't. She never knew with him.

He hesitated a bit, his jaw clenching for a moment as if he was considering how much to say. "Not worried just...guilty, I guess. 's my fault she came here, my fault she's with that idiot. 's all on me. Shoulda just let her stay in Tacoma."

"Why'd you move her out anyway?"

"Ma got sick. Wanted her to be closer to her," he answered with a shrug.

Chloe nodded, reaching out a hand to brush it over his cheek. His words warmed her heart. She had a hard time believing he was a killer when he talked about his family like that. His whole face softened when he talked about him. "You shouldn't feel guilty. You should feel...happy," she told him, laughing lightly. "You have given her _everything, _Hap. Without you, she wouldn't have met the man she loves, she wouldn't have her _daughter_. She wouldn't be the person she is. You made her great. That was all you, dude."

He smirked, shrugging off her compliments. Clearing his throat, he decided to change the subject before they got any deeper into his feelings. "How you doin'? Lot of shit to wrap your head around."

She smirked right back at him. She had a feeling he'd change the subject. Angela did the same thing when they got too close to something touchy-feely. " 'm fine. Honestly, I'm a little less worried now that I know your little nickname. Killers usually don't get killed," she said with a smirk. "Not easily that is."

Happy tilted his head to the side, his dark eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "You got a fucked up way of thinkin'."

Chloe laughed, sitting up slightly so she was closer to him. "And you don't?" she shot back. That earned her a rare smile from the killer. She reached out a hand and brushed it over his scruffy cheek again since he didn't seem to mind it when she did it before. She was starting to learn the do's and do not's of Happy Lowman. So far, she'd learned not to initiate any kind affection in public. In front of others, he was the boss. Behind close doors, he didn't mind as much. "Happy's your real name, isn't it?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. She was the first person to actually guess it. The rest of them asked for his real name, theorized over what type of Latin sounding name it could be. No one would ever guess that his Mama was just a hippie who named him Happy. "The kid tell you?"

"Nope," she answered, shaking her head. "That one I guessed myself."

"Clever girl."

Chloe laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "Was that a _Jurassic Park_ reference, Lowman? Are you calling me a dinosaur?"

"Yeah. A real old lady," he muttered, smirking at her. It took both of them a second before they realized the inference. "Shit. Didn't mean…"

She laughed again, rubbing her hand over his head. "I am under no illusions that I'm your Old Lady nor do I want to be part of that crazy club. You don't have to worry about that shit with me, Hap. I honestly don't care. I'm with you. Title's not necessary."

He nodded, leaning forward to kiss her. It was surprising to him how easily it was to be affectionate with her. Most of the time, it was impulsive. She'd do or say something, and he'd instinctively lean in to kiss her or touch her. "Good."

Chloe pulled away from him with a small smile. "What're your plans for today, bad boy?"

"Club shit," he said, groaning as he flipped onto his back. "Headin' up North for a bit."

"Juice goin'?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbow next to him. At his nod, she sighed. "Maybe try and get in his head a bit. 'm worried about him too." He gave her a dark, almost jealous look at which she rolled her eyes. "What he does, how he _feels_ affects Angela. If he's planning on doing something stupid, then you should stop him 'fore it goes too far."

He sighed, nodding in agreement. "Do my best."

Chloe smiled, patting his chest before getting up out of bed. "C'mon, Lowman. Let's go get you cleaned up before you gotta go. I'll scrub your back for ya. Make those tattoos shine."

Happy smirked, getting up with a grunt and following after her. He watched her ass as she walked in front of him. "You gonna let me ink ya soon?"

She turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. "We'll see."

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><p><span><strong>D<strong>isclaimer 2: I don't own Jurassic Park. But that movie is awesome.

**A little bit of both couples for ya! ;) As always, let me know what you think! Love hearing from y'all!**

**~Love Ink**


	94. Old Ghosts

**So...I met David LaBrava today...and it was amazing! He's the coolest dude! He assured me that this season is going to be "very bloody" which sounded terrifyingly awesome coming from him. :) **

**Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: Guest **(Don't worry, I don't plan on killing off anyone anytime soon...), **stordec23, kacee **(I don't know about showing the "carefree" side of Happy. I started writing his character before we saw that side of him, so I didn't really incorporate his softer side. Maybe it'll come out more with Evie. ;)), **Guest 2** (You're too kind! No such thing as rambling! The longer, the better as far as reviews go!),** eleonora, Guest 3, Guest 4, Guest 5** (Not sure about the ending yet...we shall see...), **and son shine **(S7 has been insane! I've got a lot of ideas for it...) **This chapter takes place during season 6, episode 6: "Salvage". I went a little bit away from the canon, so your thoughts would be greatly appreciated! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, and Evie. :)**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 94: Old Ghosts_

_By Love Ink_

Juice took a long toke of his joint as he stared out at the scenery in front of him. They'd pulled off at some random truck stop along the way to Eden for a piss break. It was rare he smoked when he knew he'd be riding, but his nerves were all over the place and he needed something to take the edge off or he'd end up laying his bike down on the road. He heard the click of a lighter and looked over to see Happy at his side. The Tacoma killer looked pensive for a moment as he took a long drag of his cigarette. "How's she doin'?" he asked after a moment.

He didn't have to ask who he was talking about. They didn't have much in common besides Angela and the club. "She's scared, stressed," he said, flicking of the ash off his joint before rubbing his forehead with his thumb in a nervous gesture. "She's not…producing enough milk for Evie. The stress 'n' everything is uh…its really gettin' to her, I guess."

Happy grimaced at his bluntness and then sighed. "She'll get over it."

He shook his head quickly. "Hap, this club shit is fucking with my family now. I got to…I gotta get them outta here before they get hurt."

"She ain't just gonna leave."

He looked down at his feet and sighed. "I know," he said, kicking at the ground. "Brought it up earlier this morning. She didn't take to well to it."

Happy smirked, he could only imagine his cousin' reaction. "You ain't the only reason she stays."

"Hap, I'd pay anything to get all of them outta here, your Ma, hers, Chlo…" he admitted. He didn't know why he included the nurse in there. Somehow, she managed to sneak into their little family, and he couldn't imagine it without her there. "They're not safe here."

"You think they'd be safer somewhere else? You give me a place, and I'll take her. Won't have a damn choice," he offered, completely serious. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Juice considered the idea for a brief moment. "I don't know," he said finally. "I don't know where to…to put them so that they'll be safe."

"You know what'll make her leave, right?"

He hung his head and nodded. Of course he did. If he hurt her, cheated on her, she'd leave. She'd almost done it before after she'd caught him with Carla. The pain he felt at that memory was a reminder of why he didn't want to do it again. He didn't want to hurt her. Didn't want the kind of pain that came with being without her and knowing she didn't want him anymore. The idea of losing her, even temporarily made that familiar lost feeling start to grow inside of him. It was an empty, desperate feeling that he didn't know how to handle. He didn't know how to survive without her at his side. He didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want her in danger either. "I can't hurt her again, Hap. I won't. I know it'd work, and she'd leave, but I'd never get her back that way. And she…she's all I have. I can't lose her forever."

Happy felt a surge of pride in his brother as he looked over at him. He'd thought that Juice would take the cowardly route and try to manipulate her out of Charming. "You got another idea?"

He scowled. "There's gotta be a better way, man."

"You figure one out, lemme know," Happy said, stubbing out his cigarette. He patted a heavy hand on his shoulder before turning to head back to his bike.

Juice threw down his blunt, crushing it under his boot. With a deep sigh, he headed back to his bike, determined to find another way to get his girls out of Charming and keep them safe without losing them forever.

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><p>Angela sat at her desk in the funeral home, contemplating the way Juice had been before he left. He'd had that look in his eyes again. That sad puppy look that broke her heart. He was worried about them, sad, scared, everything all wrapped up into one. Juice didn't deal with his emotions well on his own, and the fact that he wouldn't talk to her made her nervous as hell. She knew he didn't want to worry her by unburdening himself, but he didn't seem to notice that by not saying anything, he was making her worry more. She drummed her nails on the desk, itching for a distraction from her thoughts. Evie was asleep in her bassinet and Rigor was passed out on his little bed in the corner. Bones and Kenny were out digging a grave and Skeeter was sleeping off a massive hangover leaving her completely alone. She briefly considered waking up her daughter just to have something to do. The buzzer over the front door rang, signaling that someone had walked in. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she been holding and stood, happy to finally have something to distract her.<p>

When she entered the main entryway, she found a well-dressed woman with a brown leather briefcase in her hand. She had a feeling the woman was not a client; she didn't have the right look to her. That, and most clients called ahead of time to set up an appointment. "Hello," she greeted. "How can I help you?"

The woman turned and looked her up and down, assessing each inch of her as if looking for something. "Angela Ruiz, I presume?" the woman questioned, holding out her hand. Angela nodded and the woman gave her a polite smile. "Tyne Patterson. District Attorney."

Angela fought the urge to recoil at the name. She'd heard it mentioned time and time again with the Aquino school shooting. The woman was trying to use the Sons as a scapegoat for it. She'd heard that she'd pressed Tara for information but never would've guessed she'd be next. How the hell did she even show up on this woman's radar? Putting on a calm face, she shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Patterson. How can I help you?" she asked, grimacing when she heard Evie start to fuss over the baby monitor that was clipped to her hip. "Oh. Sorry, my daughter…"

"Ah, yes, Ms. Evangeline Ortiz. Daughter of one, Juan Carlos Ortiz. Correct?"

And there it was. Evie's birth certificate tied her to Juice, finally giving them a concrete, legal tie. Why hadn't she thought of that? Why hadn't _he_ thought of that? Surely the woman didn't think she'd just waltz in there and start asking questions about the Sons and get anywhere. She had to have some type of leverage. They always did. She was willing to bet the RICO case Juice almost played a part in might have something to do with it. Maybe she didn't know the club knew and was going to use his safety as a way to get her to talk. "Right," she replied on a breath. "Would you mind…relocating to my office? I get the feeling you aren't here because a loved one passed away."

"No, Ms. Ruiz, I'm not," Patterson replied, gesturing in front of her.

After giving Evie her pacifier, Angela took a seat at her desk, waiting for Patterson to take a seat across from her before asking, "So what can I do for you, Ms. Patterson?"

"I'm here to ask about Melville Kozik," she answered nonchalantly.

Bile rose up in Angela's throat at the name, but she made sure to keep her face a mask of calm. How could she possibly know about Mel? He'd been dead and gone for almost a year. Leaning back in her chair, she put on a confused face. "What about him?"

"Someone has filed a missing person report for him," she explained, never once taking her eyes off the younger woman's face. "Seems he disappeared into thin air. His last known whereabouts were right here in Charming after the death of his brother, Herman Kozik, who died in a solo bike crash, correct?"

Oh the strings she'd had to pull to get that death certification. Luckily, she knew a paramedic who was willing to sign off on a death certificate for a price. It'd cost her more than she would've liked, but she'd done it. Had made sure Kozik was legally dead because she couldn't stand the idea of not giving him a final resting place. "Yes ma'am."

"And I'm correct in assuming Melville was here?"

Angela held her gaze, knowing to look away would be a sign of weakness. This wasn't the first time she'd been questioned by the feds; she knew their tricks. "Yes, of course. He was his brother."

"And what was your relationship with Melville?"

"Koz…Herman," she corrected with a grimace. She could talk about "Herman" and "Melville" easily. Using their formal names made it easier for her to talk about them. "Herman" and "Melville" weren't Kozi and Mel, they were men she didn't know. "Herman and I were very close friends. I met Melville through him. We were both going to college in Tacoma at the time, so we became friends."

"Are you aware of Melville's obsession with you?" she asked bluntly, opening her briefcase and pulling out a folder. She slid it over to her. "E-mails between the brothers. Mostly about you, about how Melville wanted to win you back and Herman trying to dissuade him from trying. His apartment had pictures of the two of you all over the place, and rumor has it, he'd gotten a spot to continue his residency at a hospital in Sacramento to be closer to you."

Angela stared at the rather large folder, intrigued by its contents. A part of her wanted to read them, another part knew just how painful they'd be. "No, I was not aware of that," she lied. She'd found out the hard way that he was obsessed with her. Discreetly, she rubbed her foot against the bullet wound scar on her other leg. "Herman never mentioned it."

"But you two did date?"

"Herman and I?" she asked, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"No, you and Melville."

"Yes ma'am. For about a month about four, five _years_ ago. It ended amicably, and we stayed friends. I was not aware of his obsession as I do not make a habit of reading other peoples' private correspondence," she replied as formally as she possibly could. "What are you aiming for, Ms. Patterson?"

If Patterson heard the question, she didn't dignify it with an answer. "Now I've been told you are engaged to Juan Carlos Ortiz, a member of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club."

"So?"

"Can't imagine he was too happy with Melville's visit, with his obsession."

"He wouldn't be. If either of us had known about it," she acknowledged with a nod. "Ma'am, I'm sorry to cut you off, but I think I know what you're going for here. I don't know where Melville is, and if you're implying that Juan Carlos and the Sons had anything to do with his disappearance, you are barking up the wrong tree."

Patterson didn't seem surprised that she'd put two and two together. "When was the last time you saw Mr. Kozik?"

"At his brother's grave. The day of Herman's funeral," she answered softly. "He'd come onto me a few nights before and apologized for it...to both of us. He understood that we weren't going to get back together, told me he declined the Sacramento position, and left. I don't know where he went. I never heard from him again."

"Did Juan Carlos and Melville ever meet?"

"Yes, they were both at the funeral."

"And how would you describe that meeting?"

"Cordial. Both men were on their best behavior," she answered honestly. She knew what Patterson wanted now. The woman thought she'd anger her by inferring that Juice had killed Mel. Anger her enough to get her to turn on the club. It was bullshit. A desperate ploy that would never work. Stahl had already tried the same thing years before with Esai. These feds were all the same. She had a feeling the DA was doing the same thing to Nero and Tara. "I have no reason to believe Juan Carlos or any of his brothers were behind Melville's disappearance. I didn't even know he was gone."

Patterson raised an eyebrow. "Well then if I were you, I'd look into Mr. Ortiz's whereabouts on the night of his disappearance. Jealousy can make a man do crazy things."

"And if I were you, I'd stop trying to pin major crimes on innocent people to try and get the information you need for that shooting. It's not going to lead you anywhere, and someone is going to get hurt."

A look of shock quickly passed over Patterson's face before she got control of it. Clearly, she didn't think she'd connect the dots so easily. She stood quickly and gave Angela a nod. "Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Ruiz. I'll leave these here for you to browse. Both brothers speak very highly of you in them."

"You're welcome and…thanks. Please, if you hear anything about Melville, let me know. You have me a bit…worried about him," she said, trying to manage a nervous smile.

"I'll keep you posted," Patterson replied, her hands curled around the back of the chair, her lips pressed together in annoyance; obviously she thought she was going to get her way. "Stay close, Ms. Ruiz. Wouldn't look good for you to go disappearing now."

Angela gave her a confused look and gestured towards the crib. "Wasn't planning on it. My baby girl's not up for travelling yet. Thanks for stopping by."

She held her breath as Patterson walked out, waiting until she heard the front door close before letting it out slowly, her mind reeling. Her hands shook as she dug through her purse for her burner. Juice had given her the number for his burner for the day, and she dialed it hastily. He didn't answer, and she waited for the message machine, her heart beating fast in her chest. "Hey you," she greeted, trying to keep her voice steady. She hesitated a bit before clearing her throat. "Y'know what? Never mind. I'll talk to you when you get home. Just…be safe, baby. I'll see you soon."

Snapping the phone shut, she sat there for a moment, staring at the folder in front of her. She knew she shouldn't open it. That it would just open old wounds, but she pulled it towards her anyway. As if she knew what her mother was about to do, Evie started crying.

Angela pushed the folder away and went to the bassinet. "Hey there, Evie-doll," she cooed to her baby as she picked her up. She pressed a kiss to her chubby cheek before cradling her in her arms. "You got great timing, Monk. You know that? Savin' Mama a lot of heartbreak today. Yes, you are, gorgeous girl."

* * *

><p>Happy cut his eyes over to Juice as Jax talked, studying the man that sat across the table from him. The idiot had almost killed himself with that motorcycle jumping stunt. He was trying to take his own life to save his family, and that bullshit didn't fly well with him. Losing Juice would absolutely kill Angela. He'd seen the way she was after Kozik had died, he could only imagine how lost she would be without Juice. That was a loss he knew he wouldn't be able to pull her back from, and he didn't want Evie to be affected by that kind of damage. He'd seen what his aunt had gone through when his Uncle had died, how she'd pushed Angela away. He didn't want to see Angela go through that, hell, he didn't want to see Evie be put through that. The brat deserved better than that. As soon as they were done with the meeting, Happy pulled Juice aside, waiting until they were alone before pinning him against the side of the cabin. "The fuck was that?" he growled at the younger man. "This your way of gettin' em out? Killin' yourself?"<p>

Juice pushed him off of him. "No!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "No, of _course_ not. I wouldn't…I wouldn't do that."

Happy could see the lie in his eyes. The idiot didn't know that he knew he'd tried to hang himself just the year before. He'd known exactly what Juice was playing at when he got up on that fucking cop bike. Killing himself would be the easy way out, the coward's way out. No wonder he told the cop he knew a coward when he saw one; the idiot was a coward. Probably like looking in a mirror. "Then calm the fuck down," he said pushing him back.

"Yeah, yeah," he said nodding quickly. He rolled his shoulders, taking in a deep breath. "I got this. I'm fine."

"Don't do her any good for you to die. You saw how she was with Kozik," he stated, opening up a bit more to him than usual for his cousin's sake. "Only gonna be worse if it's you. That shit ain't gonna be good for your kid."

Juice clenched his jaw; clearly, he hadn't thought of it that way. "I know," he said softly.

"Then stop fuckin' up," he said, a threat hidden in his words. He pushed him once more before walking away.

* * *

><p>Juice was trying to stay calm. If Happy realized what he was trying to do, it wouldn't be long before the rest of his club did too. Jax had told him he had nothing to prove, and though he didn't believe it, he was going to act like he did. No more outbursts. He had to keep it under control. He hung back when they walked into the garage where they'd taken his bike, determined to keep it all in. That was, until he saw his bike up on risers, halfway stripped already. His saddlebags were open, the contents spilled all over the place. Evie's sonogram was crumpled on the floor amongst other pictures he had in there. The picture of Angela in her bikini laying across his bike was taped up on a wall nearby, a dirty fingerprint on the corner. That's when his calm flew out the window and blind rage took over.<p>

He grabbed the dirty mechanic, throwing him against a car. Rage filled him at the idea that the greaseball mechanic had not only seen the picture but had liked it enough to tape it to the wall. To use his Old Lady as some type of…porn star to get off on. His hands wrapped around the guy's throat with every intent to kill him. Angela was better than that. She was _his_. Her body was meant for his eyes only and would be until the day he died.

As soon as Chibs pulled him off, he headed straight for his stuff. He tore the picture of Angela off of the wall, gingerly smoothing out the edges and rubbing the grease stain off on his pants before tucking it into his cut pocket. He had another, more private picture of her already in that pocket. That one he kept with him always. Turning around, he locked eyes with Chibs. The Scot gave him a brief nod of approval, his arm outstretched, the picture of Evie in his hands. "They headed over to the garage," he explained, nodding in the direction the rest of his brothers had disappeared in. "Keep those girls close."

Juice nodded, grabbing the picture and tucking it in with the other ones. He wasn't sure if Chibs meant the pictures or the girls in them. A part of him wanted to ask Chibs' opinion about what he should do with Angela. How he should get her out of Charming. Chibs' family was in a different country. Safe from all the madness that was going on there. If anyone was going to understand, it would be Chibs. He decided against it, though. His face was still battered and bruised from the last "chat" they had. He wasn't ready to open up to his brother again. Not after what it'd gotten him the time before.

* * *

><p>Juice parked his new bike in the garage, flexing and extending his hands that were sore from the events of the day. His whole back was hurting from his little stunt in Eden. He was hoping Angela would be up for giving him a massage; he could really use one. He was surprised to find the house dark and quiet, the only light coming from the living room. Peeking into Evie's room, he found her crib empty, checking their room, he found it the same. For a moment, he panicked. Had Angela left? He knew he'd said that was what he wanted, but had she actually done it?<p>

He walked slowly into the living room, his heart breaking at what he found there. Angela was sitting on the couch, her head in her hands, papers strewn about the couch and coffee table. He could hear her sniffling as he neared. "Angel?" he said, catching her attention. What was she crying about? Where was Evie? She looked up at him, her dark eyes rimmed with red. He crossed the room to her quickly, taking a seat on the couch next to her. "Baby, what's wrong? Where's Monk?"

"Monk's with Chlo," she answered softly, wiping at her eyes and sniffling a bit. "This is…um…this District Attorney came by the funeral home today. Tyne Patterson? Askin'…she was asking questions about Mel."

"What?" he breathed, sliding his arm around her shoulders and moving in closer to her.

She swallowed hard, sucking in a deep breath and trying to calm down. "Someone put out a missing person's report 'n' they found these…these fuckin' e-mails between him and Koz and me and him and him and some of his friends. She…she left them with me. Trying to make me feel guilty. Trying to…I think she wanted to pin it on you and use it as some kind of leverage for information on the Sons so she could tie you guys to the Aquino shooting."

"Jesus Christ, baby," he said, rubbing soothing circles on her shoulders. He pressed a kiss to her temple, unsure of what else to do. Though what had happened was huge, he still thought her reaction was a little...strange. Angela didn't break down like this over being questioned by the feds. Something more had to have happened. There was something she hadn't told him yet. He looked at the papers on the coffee table and pulled one closer to him. It had Mel's e-mail address at the top along with Kozik's. There was a picture inlaid into the message of the three of them. "These the e-mails?"

"Yeah," she answered, her voice rough. She wiped at her eyes and handed him a piece of a more official looking paper. "The report too."

He picked it up, skimming through the details before he found it. He understood her reaction now. Why she was so crushed by all of it. The person who reported him missing was his ex-girlfriend...his ex-girlfriend who needed money to support their child. Mel had a kid. Right underneath the report was another e-mail with a picture of a toddler with blonde hair and blue eyes. His eyes lifted from the picture and met Angela's. Tears filled her eyes again as she nodded. Fathers and father-figures were a soft spot for her since she lost hers so young. Now, she'd just learned that she'd single-handedly taken a father away from his son. He didn't know what to say, how to say it. "Angel..."

"He's cute, huh? They call him MJ 'cause the idiot named him Melville after himself," she said, a pained gasp escaping her hold. "Melville Junior. And he...he's so young, he won't...he'll never remember Melly. 'cause I...I.."

"Stop," he interjected, waiting until she met his gaze before continuing, "He almost killed you, Angel. Almost killed Evie. You didn't have a choice."

She hung her head, shaking it slowly. "We always have a choice," she murmured miserably.

Juice pulled back the hair that was hanging in front of her face, blocking her from view. "_You_ didn't. He'd shot you," he said, watching every word sink in. "Shot you, tried to...to...and then he stabbed you. If you didn't kill him, he was going to kill you _and _Evie. That kid is better off without his psycho old man. Kid's mom is looking for child support, right? Means he wasn't around. That he'd abandoned them and had to _send_ them money. He wasn't a dad. He was a bank!"_  
><em>

"Because of me!" she exclaimed, moving away from him and getting to her feet. "I took this boy's father away from him not once but _twice_! He's going to grow up alone because of me! I didn't have to kill him. I could've just run away. Taken the gun and run and you guys were there and..."

He stood up and stepped in front of her, grabbing her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him. He'd seen Happy do this before and knew it worked. "Baby, breathe," he ordered, holding her gaze. "Come on. In and out."

Angela took a deep breath in and let it out. Her hands clung to the front of his cut, and she leaned her head into him. A soft sob escaped her hold as her shoulders began to shake. "I'm a monster," she breathed, the words barely above a whisper.

Juice wrapped his arms around her, dipping his head so his lips were even to her ear. "No, you're not, Angel. You're not," he murmured, kissing her cheek. He felt a lump form in his throat at how distraught she was. It physically hurt him to see how much anguish she was in, and he had no idea how to make it better. How to ease her pain. He knew better than anyone the guilt that came with taking someone's life. He tried to remember what she'd said to him about Miles and Darveny, but he couldn't come up with something that fit. Her case was different, her relationship with Mel was different. He didn't have a clue what to tell her. "You're not a monster, baby. You're...you are the strongest woman I've ever known, and I love you. I love you so much."

He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt and squeezed her tight, dropping a kiss to her hair. "Tell me how to make it better, baby," he whispered in her ear. "Please. Just tell me how to make it better."

When she didn't reply, he pulled away a bit. His eyes meeting her for a brief moment. The utter anguish in her dark eyes made him feel useless. He wondered if this was what she felt on those nights he came home a mess. God, he hoped not. He hated the idea of putting her through that kind of pain. He had to be strong for her now, just as she always was for him. He brushed away an errant tear before dipping his head to kiss her softly.

He hadn't been expecting her to kiss him back, but she did. Her responding kiss was passionate, almost desperate as her arms encircled his neck, her fingers raking over his neck. She sucked his lower lip into her mouth, biting down on it, hard. He pulled away, meeting her gaze. Her eyes were filled with grief, but the way she was touching him, indicated something else. "Baby?" he asked.

"Please," she breathed, standing on her toes to connect their lips again. "Make me feel better, Juice. Please."

Juice remembered the day Kozik had died. The way she'd cried for hours and then had come on to him. She'd told him later it was because she'd needed to feel something besides the pain. Needed him to quiet her mind, make her feel alive again. He nodded slowly, grabbing her thighs and lifting her up off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him hard. He walked backwards until his thighs hit the couch. He sunk down on the plush leather sofa with her in her lap, his lips still on hers. He tangled his hands into her hair, pulling her away from him. Carefully, he moved her so she was lying down on the couch underneath him. He pressed his lips to her neck as he pulled open the button down flannel she was wearing. He moved his lips away from her mouth, kissing his way down her neck. Her hands skimmed over his head as he moved lower, lathing his tongue over her koi fish tattoo as his fingers worked open the button on her jeans. His name left her lips, a soft plea a he mouthed the lacy waist of her panties. He stopped to look at her. "I love you," he told her, meaning every word as he helped her out of her jeans. "I'ma take care of ya, Angel. I got you."

* * *

><p>Happy rode up to Chloe's house, exhausted from the whole trip. He kicked over the fake rock on the porch, stooping to type in the code that unlocked it. Picking up the key, he opened the door and strode into the house. Hades ran to him, his front paws coming to rest on his thighs, Rigor trailing after him. "Hey guys," he said, rubbing h is head over each of their heads in turn. "Where're your mothers?"<p>

Hades headed back out through the dog door, but Rigor stayed by him, his dark eyes stared up at him as he whined a little. Happy raised an eyebrow at him. "C'mon, Rigs. Let's go see your Mama," he said, confident that Angela was there. If her dog was, she had to be. Rounding the corner, he was surprised to find her sitting on the bed with a baby in her arms, a bottle in her hand. Angela was nowhere to be found. "The kid here?"

"Nope. Just the dog and the brat," Chloe answered, her hazel eyes watching as he shrugged out of his cut and hung it up neatly in her closet.

He took a seat on the edge of the bed, leaning over to look at his niece. She really was a cute kid. Dark eyes, dark hair, tanned skin, long eyelashes. He ran his finger over the sole of one of her tiny feet, smirking when her little toes wriggled in response. "What're they doin' here?"

"I don't really know. Angela dropped them off. Said she needed to be alone. She seemed a little...on edge," she answered honestly. When he didn't move, she raised an eyebrow in question. "You're not going to go after her?"

"Thinkin' about it," he muttered, still playing with Evie's foot. It was so small compared to his big hand. He could remember when Angela's foot was that tiny. "How bad?"

"Hap, she brought her two kids here. 's not good."

He pushed himself up off the bed with a grunt. Leaning over, he dropped a kiss to Chloe's forehead before grabbing Evie's toe again. "Take care of the brat."

"Take care of the kid," she sassed back, wrinkling her nose when he flicked it. "You comin' back tonight?"

Hap considered the question for a moment, his dark eyes taking in the sight of Chloe with a baby in her arms. He knew it was Evie but still. The sight of her with the baby asking if she was going to come home made him a little nervous. Was she starting to want things he didn't? As if she knew what he was thinking, she rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Don't flatter yourself, Lowman. I'm not playing house. I just want to know where to put the bassinet. If you're comin' back, I'll put her in the guest room."

He relaxed at the comment, smirking at her. "Keep the brat in here," he answered on a shrug. "You just gotta keep it down."

Chloe's scowled at him, though he could tell she was trying to keep from smiling. "And who said you were gettin' any tonight?"

He held her gaze, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood his full height. Her hazel eyes drifted from his face to his biceps as she bit the corner of her lip. "That look right there," he replied, shrugging his cut back on. "Later, lady."

"Bye, dude!" she shouted after him. He chuckled as he headed down the stairs, pausing only to give Rigor some love before going to his bike.

* * *

><p>It didn't take him long to get to their place. They didn't live very far away from Chloe, something that pleased Happy. It made checking up on his little cousin that much easier. Once there, he didn't bother knocking on the door and just let himself in.<p>

He found Juice shirtless, sitting alone on the couch, a stack of papers in his hand. "Hey," he said, catching his attention. "What's going on?"

Juice lifted his head and sighed, hanging it back down and rubbing a hand over his hair. "DA went to Dubrowski's asking Ang about Mel. Gave her the full report. Old e-mails between her and Mel, Mel and some buddies, Mel and Koz. Think she was trying to scare her into pursuing where he is or some shit. Make her feel guilty. Make her look into it. Thought we did it behind her back."

Happy let out a long breath. "Shit," he muttered, running a hand over his head. "Where is she?"

"Bedroom. Gave her something to help her sleep."

He looked impressed for a brief moment before nodding. "Good. She needs it."

"Yeah," he agreed on a nervous laugh. "He…did you know he had a kid?"

He nodded slowly., running his hand over his face as he put two and two together. "Shit. She found out?" he asked, knowing that was what had put her over the edge. She had to have been a mess. Judging by the scratched the criss-crossed Juice's back and the dark bite mark on his neck, the idiot had comforted her the best way he knew how. As twisted as it was, Happy was thankful for that. He couldn't imagine her having to go through that kind of shit without some kind of distraction. He was just glad she hadn't tried to drown herself in alcohol. "Yeah, I knew. Had the kid a few years back. Koz thought it'd be best to keep her out of it. 's what Mel wanted anyway. Claimed the kid wasn't his."

"He was payin' child support," he pointed out. "Not like a guy who thought the kid wasn't his."

"It was his all right," Happy clarified on a sigh. "He didn't want her to know. Thought it'd lessen his chances of gettin' her back."

Juice lifted his head now, glaring at Happy as if he were Mel himself. "He was never gonna get her back. She's mine. She'll _always_ be mine."

Happy fought against the urge to smirk at the dark, possessive look in Juice's eyes when he said it. It was moments like that when he realized how good a fit Juice was for his little cousin. How much he liked them together. Juice would protect her at all costs, and he was all for that. "She okay?"

He considered the question for a moment, his eyes falling on the stack of papers. "No. Not after all this shit," he said gesturing towards them. "Doesn't help that Koz kept it all from her. Best not to tell her you knew. It'll hurt her even more. You shoulda seen her, Hap. She was...I don't even know how to explain it. Kept saying she's a monster, and I'm doin' my best to tell her she's not, but...I don't know how to convince her."

"Was a hard kill for her. She ain't used to that shit," he mused with a frown. "Still thinkin' of making her leave?"

Juice scowled at that, shaking his head. "I can't. Not when she needs me. Love her too much to push her away like that."

"Wouldn't look good to the feds either," Happy pointed out.

He nodded in agreement. He was quiet for a moment, reaching out to grab a picture of Angela and Mel. "What'd you do with him?"

"Acid bath. Ain't nobody gonna find him. Burned the rest of the place down. Had faulty wiring anyway. Car was stripped, burned all the upholstery with her blood, his blood," he explained, going through each part of what had happened. "Went to rest stop bathroom, bleached the shit outta it. She's got the bullet we got outta her calf. Dunno what she did with it. No evidence 'sides that."

He let out a breath of relief. "Thank God," he murmured, relaxing back onto the couch. "How's Evie?"

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "Fine. Chlo's got her and the dog taken care of."

"Think she can handle her for the rest of the night?" he asked, guilt written all over his face. "She...she's not okay, and I know she loves Evie but I think..."

"I know. I got the brat. You take care a her," he said nodding towards the hallway that led to the bedroom.

Juice nodded. "Always, brother."

Happy reached out a hand and clapped it on his shoulder before he got to his feet. "I'll bring the brat and the dog over tomorrow mornin' with Chloe."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "With Chlo, huh? Havin' fun playing house?"

"Don't worry about it," he ground out, his tone annoyed. "Worry about her."

Juice let out a long breath. "I am. But...Chlo, huh?"

Happy flipped him off over his shoulder as he headed towards the door. Juice waited until he heard the door closed before getting up and going back to the bedroom. He undressed and glanced over the bed. She was lying on her stomach, dead to the world, the tattoos on her back in full view marking her as his. He'd given her the same "vitamins" Tig had once given him to hold on to. When he'd taken them, he'd woken up hours later on Main Street in nothing but a diaper with a sign stapled to his chest. He smiled at the memory, rubbing his hand idly over where the staples had been. He still remembered the smile she'd given him when she pulled up next to him in the van. The way her eyes lit up and shined as she laughed.

She hadn't been his then, but he'd wanted her. God, he'd wanted her so bad, he'd sat in on an embalming just to be near her. He never would've believed she'd be at his side so many years later. That she'd stick through him through a prison sentence, cheating, and more than his fair share of stupid moments. He didn't know what he would've done without her.

He knew then that he would never be able to let go of her. Without her, he'd be lost, untethered. He needed her to keep him grounded, to keep his mind from buzzing. And the crazy thing was, she needed him too.

Reaching out, he traced a finger over one of the tattoos on her back before brushing her hair out of her face. "I love you, Angel," he whispered, moving to kiss her forehead. "I'm not gonna leave you. Ever. It's you and me, baby. You and me and Monk and Rigs. Forever."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm super unsure about this chapter so if you'd give me some feedback, that'd be awesome! :) <strong>

**~Love Ink**


	95. Not All Right

**OH MY GOSH! Tonight's episode was INSANE! I am dying here! Next Tuesday canNOT come soon enough! **

**Anyways, thanks so much to those who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23 _and _Haloe Lover_**(Awesome name, by the way!).

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe.**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 95: Not All Right_

_By Love Ink_

Happy woke up to the sound of Evie's screaming. He groaned, looking over at Chloe. The brat had been waking up every couple of hours, and he'd let Chloe tend to her every time. This time, Chloe didn't even stir. He felt bad for pretending to be asleep the times before, so he got out of bed with a grunt. He walked over to the bassinet, picking up the crying baby. "Hey brat," he greeted, rubbing a hand over her back. "Hungry?"

He carried her down the stairs and towards the kitchen. There were a few bottles already made in the fridge. Grabbing one, he put it in the bottle warmer and leaned against the counter waiting for the contraption to do its job. Rigor padded his way over, going to sit at Happy's feet. He reached out his free hand and scratched the dog's head. "You follow her around everywhere, huh? Good dog. Take care of my girls."

Rigor cocked his head to the side as if he understood. Happy smirked and grabbed the bottle out of the warmer before heading to the couch. He propped Evie up against one arm and put the bottle to her lips. "There ya go, princess," he said, relaxing back against the couch. She looked at him with those big dark eyes, the same color as her mother's, same color as his. It was strange seeing some of his cousin's features on her daughter. There was a lot of Juice there too, of course, but he saw more of Angela in her. Maybe it was because he'd known her at that age, had fed her just as he was feeding her daughter at the moment. He shook his head at that thought." 'm too old for this shit," he muttered to no one in particular.

Chloe's laugh surprised him. He lifted his head to see her leaning against the rail of the stairs. At his glare, she stepped off the bottom step and walked towards him. "You made her a bottle?" she asked, sitting down on the couch next to him.

" 's not hard. Used to do it for her mom all the time," he replied on a shrug.

Chloe smiled, leaning into his side and playing with Evie's soft hair. "That weird for you?"

Happy shook his head slowly. "Nah. Always knew she'd have a kid. Just hoped I'd be around to meet it."

"You think they'll have more? Maybe a little boy with a Juice Hawk?"" she asked, leaning forward to stroke Rigor's head. Hades trotted over, setting his head next to Chloe's thigh, obviously jealous of the attention the other dog had gotten. She cooed to her dog, kissing his head and making sure he knew she loved him best.

He smirked at that thought. If they were a normal couple, outside of the club, he had no doubt that Angela and Juice would have another one, maybe another two, but they weren't a normal couple. Juice had ratted, killed a brother, tried to kill himself, and his transgressions had gone unanswered for. Jax and Chibs didn't think he knew about what the idiot had done, but he did. He'd pieced it together himself. The only thing stopping him from taking it to the table was the fact that losing Juice would destroy Angela. If Jax and Chibs were willing to give the idiot another chance, Happy was not going to disagree. "Maybe. This something you want?"

"Nope. I'm too old for this shit," she echoed, winking at him.

Happy chuckled, turning his head to kiss her temple. He'd recently found out that she was just five years younger than him, something that had shocked him originally; she certainly didn't look or act her age. "Good," he said, content with the fact that they were both on the same page.

She raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "You see Ang yesterday?"

"She was asleep when I got there. The idiot drugged her," he replied on a frown.

"He _what_?" she exclaimed, sitting up in shock. "And you're _okay_ with this?"

He nodded slowly. "She needed sleep. Wasn't gonna get it any other way."

Chloe looked as if she was struggling to comprehend the concept. "Is she okay? What the hell happened to her?"

Happy wondered how much to tell her. He knew he had to say something; she wasn't just going to let it go. "She found out an old friend is missin'. They think he's dead."

Her hazel eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Feds want to pin it on the idiot. It's messin' with her head," he explained, not exactly telling the truth but not exactly lying either.

"Can they _do _that?"

Happy shook his head. "Feds got nothin'. They're after us, tryin' to spook her into talkin'," he said, handing Evie over to Chloe. She took her easily, kissing her chubby cheek as she settled her against her chest to burp her. He didn't want kids, but he had to admit, he didn't hate the sight of Chloe with a baby in her arms. She was a natural caregiver. It was made her such a great nurse. What made her the complete opposite of him. Whoever said opposites attract wasn't kidding. He was a killer, used to taking people out of this world. She was a nurse, used to keeping people in it. He knew it was selfish to bring her into this club life, but he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. The worry in her eyes put him on edge. What if she decided to leave him before he was ready to let her go? Clearing his throat, he tried his best to ease her worry. "They won't come after you. You don't know enough."

"Um…was that ever a possibility?" she asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

Happy stood up with a grunt, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't think it was, but he didn't think they'd go after Angela either. The feds were desperate to find someone that would give them the evidence they needed to finally pin the Aquino shooting on the Sons. "You hungry?" he questioned, changing the subject.

"You cook?" she countered, surprised in her tone.

He smirked at her and shook his head. "No. But I can pick somethin' up."

She stared at him, open mouthed before managing a nod. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Uh…coffee would be good."

"That's not food. You gotta eat."

"Right," she said, clearly flustered. "Uh…how about a breakfast burrito."

Happy nodded, putting on his boots and grabbing his keys off the counter. He stopped once he got to the door and looked back at her. "The brat's gotta be changed."

Chloe's eyes narrowed at him. "You asshole!" she shouted as he closed the door.

He chuckled to himself as he got onto his bike. He hadn't been lying when he said he was done changing diapers, and he knew it would piss Chloe off to leave that task for her. He loved pissing her off, it was one of his favorite hobbies. She was sexy as hell when she was mad.

* * *

><p>Juice was sitting on the couch playing one of his video games and losing miserably. His heart just wasn't in it. All he could think about was Angela. About the pain he'd seen written all over her face. She'd been hurting so badly, he'd slipped drugs into her coffee, something he knew was going to get him in trouble with her, but he didn't care. She'd been stressed before all that Mel bullshit, now with the added stress of the feds being on her back, she needed the kind of peace that sleep brought. He was a different story, though. He hadn't been able to sleep at all. His mind had been too loud for that. There was just too much going on. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Angela shuffling down the hallway, her hair a mess, his black hoodie sliding off of her shoulders. "Hi," she rasped, rubbing at her eyes.<p>

He paused his game, setting down the controlling and holding out an arm to her. "Hey baby," he said, smiling when she sunk down onto the couch next to him with a groan. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head. "You okay?"

"Ugh," she grunted, her head on his shoulder. He grabbed the bottle of juice he'd been sipping on for breakfast off of the side table and handed it to her. He knew first hand how thirsty those pills made you. She wrinkled her nose at it and pushed it away. "It's green."

He chuckled, opening the bottle and pushing it back in her face. "Drink it."

Angela brought it to her nose, sniffing it before taking a sip. After approving of the taste, she finished off the bottle. "Not bad," she said, snuggling in closer to him. "You drugged me."

"I did," he said on a nod, playing with her hair. He was relieved that she didn't seem to be too upset about it. "You needed it."

"Mmm," she hummed in agreement. "What'd you give me? Don't think I've ever slept that well."

"Some of Tig's vitamins," he said, smirking as he watched the recognition flash across her face.

"The _diaper_ vitamins?" she asked, her dark eyes lighting up in amusement.

Juice chuckled and nodded. "Same ones."

She draped her bare legs over his lap, lifting the bottom of the sweatshirt to show off the curve of her ass. "No diaper here," she stated, tugging it back down.

"Couldn't find one in your size," he explained, brushing his hand over the smooth skin of her leg. "You okay, baby?"

Angela was quiet for a moment, her eyes falling on the coffee table. The papers were all in neat piles again. The pictures stacked just as neatly next to them. Juice's OCD had obviously gotten the better of him, and he'd organized it all the night before. She picked up one of the papers. "You read these?"

Juice nodded slowly, studying her face for any sign of what she was thinking. "Some of 'em. Mostly the ones between you and Mel. Figured you wouldn't mind," he said softly. "Do you…"

"Nope. Nothin' to hide here. Lot of 'em are about you anyway," she answered on a tired sigh.

He'd noticed. She'd practically written a timeline of their whole relationship in those e-mails, starting from the "diaper incident" and how weird she'd thought it was that the "handsome guy with the panty dropping smile" had wanted to see her embalm someone. He got to read about her falling in love with him, got to get inside her head. It was an amazing reminder of just how much she loved him and of why he loved her so much. "You really love me, don't you?"

Angela leaned forward and put the empty juice bottle on the table before turning to him. "If you don't know by now, then you really are an idiot," she said, getting up off of the couch. "I'm going to take a shower."

He watched her leave, his eyes on her round ass that was just barely covered by his sweatshirt. After tossing the empty bottle in the recycling, he made his way to their bathroom. The shower was running, the sound of it paired with the steam that filled the room was relaxing. He lifted himself up onto the counter, leaning against the mirror as he stared at the white shower curtain that blocked his view of his Old Lady. "I know you love me, Angel," he stated, enjoying the smell of her body wash as it filled the room. They often talked like this. He'd sit on the counter while she showered, spilling his guts out to her. For some reason, it was easier to talk to her without seeing that worried expression on her face. It made him feel less guilty for unloading all of his shit on her. If it was something particularly bad, she'd slide open the curtain, hold out her hand, and invite him in. "Sometimes I just find it hard to believe."

She pulled back the curtain to pop her head out, her dark hair covered in soap suds. "Believe it, baby," she said before closing it again. "How was your little meeting yesterday?"

Juice tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He'd been so wrapped up in Angela's problems, he'd forgotten all about what had happened the day before. "It sucked. A lot. Got my bike taken by some dirty cops. They impounded it, stripped it, had your picture taped up on their wall. It was fuckin' ridiculous."

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed. "Did you get your bike back? Did you get that _picture_ back?"

He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him. "Beat the shit out of the guy for the picture. It's in my cut now, with the other one. We'll go pick up the bike later, but I got another one for now," he said, thinking of the glitzy bike in their garage. "It's…a little uh…flashier than the other one."

"Flashier?"

"Yeah. Jax called it Liberace's bike," he told her. Angela's responding laugh made him smile. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he stared at the shower curtain. He could make out her shadowy shape and watched her move for a moment before clearing his throat. "Spent all day yesterday thinking about us. About gettin' you and Eves out of Charming before you guys got hurt. I…I'm worried about you. Your whole stress level shit 'n' the way it's affecting you and Eves and she's so little…it's terrifyin'. Kept goin' over how to make you guys leave."

She stopped moving for a moment and sighed. "I can't leave, Juice. Patterson mentioned it specifically. Said to 'stay close'. That evil woman."

Juice's ears perked up at that, his brows furrowing together in confusion. "You…you were thinking about it?"

"I saw it coming. Saw those wheels turning in your head," she stated on another sigh. "I _know_ you, Juice. When it comes to me and Eves, you get something in your head, you move hell and earth to make sure it happens. I realized that when you called _Hap_ to make me go to lockdown that first time."

He smirked at that. It'd been a ballsy move, and Hap hadn't been too pleased with it when he'd woken him up at three in the morning that day, but it had worked. "I don't want you to leave anymore," he said, standing when he heard her turn off the water. He opened up a towel for her, wrapping it around her once she stepped out. He stepped back, watching the tattoo on her back move as she leaned over to dry off her legs. "I don't think I can handle being alone again. I know that's selfish but...I need you. You make everything make sense. Shit doesn't sync when you're not around."

Angela looked up at him, straightening up and wrapping the towel around her torso. "I thought I was a virus," she teased on a smirk. "They tend to mess up sync-stuff, don't they?"

Juice grimaced at that, ruing the times he'd called her that; she'd was never going to let that one go. "You're a good virus, baby. One that helps."

"Oh yeah? How many of those exist?" she asked, stepping by him to grab her brush.

"Just one. You," he said, moving behind her and slipping his arms around her waist. He moved her hair off of her back and dotted kisses across her shoulders. "My favorite virus."

She laughed, brushing her hair out. "'m not going anywhere, Juice."

His eyes met hers in the mirror, and he saw how serious she was. He loved her for that loyalty. Despite the fact that Patterson had told her to stay, he knew she'd have fought him tooth and nail if he'd tried to get her to leave. "I know. You can't, 'member? You're stuck with me," he said, trying to make light of the situation. He saw her try to smile before it faded, replaced by a frown. "You okay?"

Closing her eyes, she leaned back into him. "This Mel thing has me thrown. I don't know what to make of it…how to…how to wrap my head around what I did. I thought I'd gotten over it but…"

" 's not something you just get over," he said, knowing it from experience.

She shook her head slowly, setting her hands over his. "Guess not," she muttered, looking down at their entwined hands for a moment before lifting her hands and turning to face him. "He has a kid. What…how do I reconcile that? I made the poor kid a bastard."

"Slow down, Angel. The kid _has_ a dad. A step dad. His mother and the step dad have been married for over a year now. Kid calls the guy, 'daddy' and everything. That asshole was nothing but a paycheck. The kid isn't a bastard. He's perfectly happy."

Angela gave him a curious look. "You can get all of that from the computer?"

"Marriage records, petition for adoption, and some of the e-mails," he replied on a shrug as he curled a strand of her wet hair around her finger. "I _am_ the intelligence officer, remember?"

"Adoption? But she wanted child support…"

"Yeah, they were waiting for that payment to go through one last time to finalize it. Hadn't sent Mel the papers yet. Think that's why they were lookin' for him. Needed him to pay and then sign off his rights."

"Wow," she breathed, trying to process it. She had to admit, hearing that Mel's son had a strong father figure eased her guilt just a little. Leaning forward, she put her forehead to his collarbone with a groan. "I'm a terrible person."

He slid his fingers into her hair, using it to pull her head back. "I'm worse," he said, touching his forehead to hers.

Angela smiled sadly at him. "No, you're not," she murmured, connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. She heard the front door open paired with Evie's crying and smiled. "You know who's truly terrible?"

"Our daughter?" he supplied on a chuckle.

She nodded, kissing him again. "She's the _worst_," she joked, laying her head on his shoulder and kissing his neck.

He slid his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "But also the best."

"The _very_ best," she agreed, kissing over his collar bone, her fingers tracing over the tattoo of her name on his chest. "So are you."

"You _do_ know your cousin's in the living room, right?" he asked, closing his eyes as she moved her arms around him and massaged his back in slow circles. He felt her nod against his skin and sighed. "I love you, Angel."

She smiled as his hand found her ass, giving it a quick squeeze. "I love you too," she said softly. Evie's cries grew louder which meant Happy was coming closer. She pushed him away. "Go tend to your child, poppa."

He pulled away, biting his lip as he looked her over. "Ooh. _I love it when you call me big poppa_," he sang to the tune of the Notorious B.I.G. song.

She grabbed a hair tie, sling-shotting it at him. "Goof!"

Juice chuckled, winking at her as he headed out of the room. He stopped to pull on a pair of pants and a t-shirt knowing that if Chloe was with him, Hap wouldn't appreciate him walking out in just his boxers.

He walked back out, fighting the urge to laugh at the sight of Happy standing with Evie in his arms, the little baby screaming at the top of her lungs. Happy was muttering something to her while he swayed with her. If it wasn't Happy, Juice would've thought he was dancing her to sleep, but it _was_ the Tacoma Killer, and the Tacoma killer did not dance. Chloe was already sitting on the couch, her elbow propped up on the arm of it, head in her hand, eyes closed in sleep. Both of them looked like they hadn't slept all night, and if he knew his daughter at all, they probably hadn't.

"Wow. She slept that well, huh?" Juice asked, getting both of their attentions.

Happy quickly crossed the room to him, practically shoving Evie at him. "The brat cries more than the kid did."

Juice held Evie close to him and the girl instantly quieted. "Hey Monk," he murmured, kissing her head. "How you doin'? You have fun with Uncle Hap and your fairy godmother?"

"Mmm," Chloe grunted tiredly. "She's cute as fuck but damn…"

"Girl's got lungs," Happy finished, sitting down heavily on the couch beside Chloe. "How's she?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Not good," he answered with a shake of his head. "She won't _say_ that of course, but…she's not okay."

"She decent?"

"Might be. She just got out of the shower. Just knock before…" he trailed off as Happy brushed by him, not bothering to hear the end of the sentence. Shaking his head, Juice looked back at Chloe. "Should've known that was how it was gonna end."

* * *

><p>Angela stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, noting the dark circles under her eyes. She didn't look any different, but she hadn't the day she'd killed Mel either. She felt different, though. Darker, harder. In her eyes, she saw her cousin's deadly stare, saw the same darkness that lingered in his gaze. For some reason, that similarity comforted her more than anything. She'd always looked up to her older cousin, had always strived to emulate his strength. He was a killer, but he still lived his life the same as everyone else. If he could do it, she sure as hell could.<p>

"You all right?" his rough voice came from the doorway.

She'd expected him to come in without knocking so she'd put on a pair of basketball shorts and Juice's hoodie. "How do you do it, Hap?" she asked, avoiding the question, still staring at her reflection. "Just kill people and not…not have this _awful_ weight on your shoulders?"

"You were fine before."

She shook her head slowly. "I don't think I was," she admitted. "I was pregnant and Juice and I had all this shit going on, so I didn't really have time to think about it. I just kind of…buried it. Getting those e-mails, reading how much I meant to him...that sucked."

Happy's dark eyes looked her over as if he was contemplating something. "Weight's not gonna go away. You killed someone you knew. That shit is hard. Ain't gonna just disappear."

Angela sighed at that, frowning at herself in the mirror. "How do I raise my daughter knowing that I killed someone? Someone's father at that? What kind of a mother am I?"

"A fuckin' bad ass one," he answered proudly.

She smiled a little at that, raking a hand through her damp hair. "I don't know what to do with all this shit, Hap," she told him sadly. "The worst thing is…I'm fuckin' pissed at Koz. How could he not tell me? I told him _everything_. And now he's gone, and I learn that he kept this stupid secret from me, and I'm so mad at him and I can't…I can't yell at him, I can't call him on it. I can't do anything."

"I knew," he offered as if he wanted her to transfer that anger to him. She appreciated the sentiment but knew better than to take that bait.

"I figured, but that's not the same!" she exclaimed, giving him a half-hearted glare. "You keep shit from me all the time! I'm used to that! Koz didn't. I mean, club shit, sure, but not this stuff. Not Mel stuff."

Happy found himself cursing the damn landmine that blew up his brother. He didn't know how to handle this shit. Didn't have the right words to make it better. Neither did Juice, apparently because she seemed to have kept it all in and was just now letting it all out. "He was his brother. Mel wanted it a secret, so Koz kept it a secret. Know there's shit you told Koz that you didn't tell me," he pointed out. "Told him you were knocked up first."

She raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by the comment. "That bugged you, huh?"

"Wasn't a great feelin'," he admitted on a shrug.

Angela sighed again, pulling her hair over her shoulder and starting to braid it. "He was there when I…connected the dots. I didn't tell you 'cause you'd kill Juice, and I definitely didn't want that to happen…"

"I get it," he interjected, cutting off what was sure to be a long ramble. "You can talk to me, kid. 's not always gonna mean a beat down for the idiot."

She shifted uncomfortably, looking down at her hands for a moment as a lump rose to her throat. "Hap, I'm scared," she admitted softly.

Happy looked confused for a moment. "Why?"

"Everything that's happening, and this...this stupid investigation, and Evie's so little and Koz is a liar and I'm a murderer and…" her eyes filled with tears, and she stopped her ramble to suck in a deep breath. "There's so much going on. I'm scared for…for Evie, for Juice. I can't lose them."

"Ain't gonna happen, kid," he promised, reaching out to wipe away a stray tear. "The brat ain't goin' anywhere."

Angela was keenly aware of the fact that Happy made no mention of Juice's safety. "And him?"

Happy's eyes darkened for a brief moment as he shook his head. "He's done a lotta shit."

"No," she breathed, anger taking the place of the previous fear she had. "He's done nothing wrong."

"He's a rat."

"He's not! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"He stole the coke, killed a brother," he pointed out. "The hell did he do it for, kid?"

Angela knew exactly why he'd done it, knew that all the shit Juice had done had all been for nothing because the RICO case had been dropped and Juice's record had been expunged. If it hadn't been for Roosevelt, the club would have no idea what had happened. "I don't know," she ground out, trying to push passed him.

He grabbed her arm, holding her back. "Don't lie to me."

"Let me go."

"No. You know somethin', you fuckin' tell me. This ain't just about you."

"This is about my _family_. _My_ Old Man. I don't have to tell you shit," she spat obstinately. "Now, let. Me. Go."

He let her go but blocked her from leaving. Grabbing her chin, he forced her to look at him. "I'm your family. _I'm_ the one that's been there since you were born. _I'm_ the one that'll still be there after everythin' goes down. Tell me what the fuck is going on," he growled at her. Evie's cries were heard from the living room, but Angela didn't look away from her cousin's gaze. Happy could hear Juice's loud footsteps coming down the hall. He let go of her chin and stepped back. "This ain't over."

Angela didn't acknowledge the threat. She walked by him, hitting his shoulder with hers on the way out, a final insult. She mustered the best smile she could for Juice and Evie as they rounded the corner. "There's my baby girl!" she exclaimed, taking the crying baby from Juice. "Are you hungry, Monk? Let's get you some food, huh?"

"You think you can…uhhh…" Juice stuttered, nodding to her chest.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Soon as my cousin leaves, I'll give it a try," she said, glaring at Happy.

Happy raised an eyebrow at the challenge. It was the best excuse to get him to leave without having to answer his question. "Ain't nothin' I haven't seen."

Juice looked between them, confused. "Uhh…"

As if to save the day, Hap's burner went off. He dug it out of his pocket, glaring at Angela as he walked out of the bedroom. She glared at the reaper on his back, fighting the urge to flip him off. "Asshole," she muttered under her breath.

"Well that was…different," Juice said, taking a seat on the bed. He smiled when she sat down between his legs, leaning her back into his chest.

She unzipped her hoodie and offered Evie her breast, letting out a sigh of relief when Evie started suckling. "There you go, baby girl. Mama's got the goods for you."

Juice nuzzled the sweatshirt off of her shoulder with his nose before lightly kissing along her shoulder. "What happened with Hap?"

Her shoulders tensed, her grip on her daughter shifting a bit. "Oh. Uh. We just…don't see eye to eye on shit. He's an ass."

"He was really worried about you, y'know?" he told her, his hand slipping under her shirt and stroking over her koi fish tattoo. "Came here late last night to make sure you were all right."

"Yeah, he's a real sweetheart," she drawled sarcastically. "Juice, how many of your brothers know about your whole situation?"

Now, it was Juice's turn to tense. "Chibs, Bobby, and Jax," he rattled off, his stomach already churning. "Why? What did Hap say? What'd you tell him?"

"He knows about Miles, about the coke, and about…the tree. None of which I told him about," she added the last part quickly. "He's not dumb, Juice, he figured it all out. He was pressing me on it and got pissed when I wouldn't tell him anything more."

He let out a long breath, pressing his forehead to her shoulder. "Jesus Christ, Angel. I never meant to come between you two."

Angela fought the urge to laugh. She was telling him that Happy, the one Son that was most loyal to the club, that was most likely to kill him for what he'd done, knew everything, and he was more worried about the fact that he'd come between her and her cousin. "You didn't. This is nothing. I dated a Mayan, remember?"

"Don't remind me," he said on a groan. "You have terrible taste in men."

She laughed this time, shifting Evie when she finished feeding. Juice reached out to grab a burping cloth and draped it over her shoulder. He made faces at his baby as she burped her. "Says the father of my child."

Juice kissed Evie's forehead breathing in the lavender scent of her hair. "You talk to Alvarez lately?" he asked nonchalantly.

Angela tensed again. She's spoken to Diana Alvarez once or twice the week before but only to ask her about baby stuff and thank her for the generous present she'd sent for Evie. "Not Marcus. I uh…talked to Dia a few times. She sent Evie presents and some of Tessa's hand me downs," she answered honestly.

"Tessa is…"

"Alvarez's daughter," she replied on a sigh. She could hear the soft thunk of Juice's head hitting the backboard as he groaned in response, no doubt rolling his eyes at her. "Juice, Dia and Marcus were the only family I had for four _years_. _Years!_ During which my mom ignored me, my aunt was disappointed in me, and my cousin was in prison."

Juice was quiet for a long time, processing it. "Okay."

"Okay?" she asked, handing him Evie as she got to her feet. He handed her back as soon as she was standing.

"Angel, I don't know where we are with the Mayans anymore. 's long as you're not runnin' information," he started. She opened her mouth to contest, but he quickly cut her off, "_Which_ I know you're not, I don't give a shit. Probably a good idea to keep that relationship strong. Shit goes sideways with me and the Sons, at least they'll be there to protect you and Eves."

That was surprising. She was definitely not expecting this reaction from him. "What is going to go sideways, Juice? You're worrying me."

Juice moved to sit on the side of the bed, letting his head fall into his hands. "I don't know," he said, rubbing his hand over his mohawk. "I've made a lot of mistakes."

"Jax gave you a pardon, made you kill that girl, and Chibs beat the shit out of you, what more do they want from you? Your first born?"

The ghost of a smile crossed his face as he shrugged a shoulder miserably. "I don't know, baby," he muttered before lifting his head to meet her gaze. "Something just doesn't feel right."

* * *

><p><strong>Setting some stuff up for later on... ;) <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! Your reviews always inspire me! **

**~Love Ink**


	96. Keeping Secrets

**Gah! Sorry this one took me awhile! Got wrapped up in the World Series (GO GIANTS!)! Posting during game 7 because I'm nervous as hell and writing distracts me. ;) **

**Thank you, thank you, _thank you_ to every one who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23_, _DarkChild20_**_ (Glad you're still reading! I think Hap's just referring to the fact that he watched Angela grow up. He changed her diapers. He's probably seen a lot more of her than he would ever like to ;)), **Haloe Lover **(Thank you so much for both of your reviews! I tried my best to get it done by Monday for you, but work got in the way! Sorry! I honestly don't know how many chapters there will be! I think I'm going to keep the actual canon episodes all in one story, and if people are interested in reading more after the canon storylines are over, I'll put it in a new, separate story. I'll see if I can work in some jealous Hap...), **kerri**__(Please don't jump off a bridge! Good idea for that little moment between Marcus and Angela. You might just see it worked in.;)), **Guest 1, eleonora** (Sparks are definitely expected between the cousins. They can't always get along), and** Guest 2 **(Haven't given up on you! Just making sure the chapter's perfect before its posted!)_

**This chapter takes place during Season 6, Episode 7: "Sweet and Vaded". **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Angela, Chloe, Bones, and Evie.**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 96: Keeping Secrets_

_By Love Ink_

Chloe studied Happy from where she sat in the passenger's seat of her car. He was coiled up like a spring, every muscle in his body tensed. Something had happened when he'd gone to talk to Angela. Something that had royally pissed him off. "You okay there, dude?" she ventured, already knowing she wasn't going to get anything from him.

"Fine," he muttered, rolling his shoulders.

"You mad at her or him?"

Happy raised an eyebrow and clenched his jaw as if contemplating how to answer her question. After a moment, he let out a long breath. "Her."

That was surprising to her. Happy didn't get mad at Angela often. Annoyed yes, but not mad. "If I ask why, you gonna tell me?"

"You askin' why?"

"Maybe."

He was quiet again which was usually a good sign, it meant he was thinking of a good way to tell her. A good way to explain without mentioning incriminating club information. She didn't mind; the less she knew about the club the better. He sighed, his shoulders relaxing a bit as he said, "She's keepin' shit from me."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows in confusion; this wasn't anything new. They'd talked over and over again about the way she kept things from them, and he'd never gotten pissed about it. "And this is new because..."

" 's club shit. Shit she's got no right to keep from me."

"Let me guess, it's got something to do with Juice," she said on a sigh. At his surprised look, she shrugged. "I'm not a total idiot, Hap. She doesn't keep a lot from you. When she does, its all Juice-centric. She's protecting him."

Happy's jaw ticked again as he shook his head. "Whatever."

That was his way of ending the conversation, but Chloe wasn't ready to let it go. "She's not choosing him over you, y'know."

"Drop it, Braun," he muttered, a warning in his voice.

He rarely used her last name when he was addressing her which was a clear sign he was now pissed at her. "She loves you, Hap. That's an impossible choice. Don't make her do it by pushing her on this. She'll push you away to make it easier for herself," she told him. Happy didn't reply to that. He simply pulled the car into the driveway, got out, and headed towards his bike. Chloe got out of the car, leaning against the closed door, arms crossed over her chest. "You still with me, Lowman?"

Happy's dark eyes looked her over for a moment, considering. He beckoned her over with a jerk of his head and slowly she made her way down the drive. Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss then started up his bike.

She took a step back, watching him ride away. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out on a long exhale. She'd never understand Happy Lowman.

* * *

><p>Bones groaned as he let his head fall onto the top of Skeeter's desk where he was sitting. "Ugh this is so <em>boring<em>," he moaned. "Where are all the dead people?"

"Out living their lives," Angela replied on a laugh. Business was incredibly slow which worried her; when things were this slow, it usually meant something big was coming. She felt sick at the thought of it. "Is the morgue clean?"

"Spotless."

"Caskets dusted?"

"Check," he answered on a sigh, rubbing his hand over his head. "The paperwork is all done, the fridge is clean, the floors all mopped, surfaces disinfected. I literally did everything I could possibly think of…twice."

Angela stood, leaning over the stroller to check on Evie who looked incredibly cute with her little pink Reaper bow on her head. "C'mon, let's go get some lunch," she said before whistling to Rigor.

Bones pumped a fist in the air, practically jumping to his feet. "Yes! Food! Good! You drivin'?"

"Yes sir," she said, pushing Evie towards the door. "C'mon. Sandwich time."

After gorging themselves on the giant sandwiches over at the local deli, Angela and Bones decided to take a stroll down Main Street. Bones stopped across the street from the dress shop, staring in through the windows for a moment. Angela raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't Ellie work there?"

Bones looked away, a blush coloring his cheeks. "Uh…I don't…yeah…no…maybe."

She laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "She's sixteen," she reminded him. It made her feel like a total hypocrite, though. She'd been fourteen when she got together with Esai, though their age gap was two years, not the three that separated Ellie and Bones.

He scowled at that. "I know. I'm not…I just think she's cool. She's a good friend."

"Uh-huh," she said, doubt in her voice. "Just go. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

Bones blinked at her for a moment before nodding. "Uh yeah, sure. Are you comin' or…"

"Relax, Boner. I'm not going to embarrass you. I'll go check out the new ice cream place," she said, pushing him towards the stroller. "Go! Say hi! Find a cute dress for me!"

"Ang, that's a fancy, prom-slash-wedding dress store," Bones said as if he was considering doing what she'd said. "Unless you and Juice set a date…"

Angela pushed him towards the store. "Shut up and go!" she exclaimed. He chuckled, dodging her hand when she went to rub his head. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he strolled across the street. She laughed at him, shaking her head as she headed down the block with Evie's stroller. She caught Juice cleaning the windows of the ice cream parlor the Sons were currently using as a new clubhouse. She wolf whistled at him, catching his attention. Putting the brakes on the stroller, she reached out and swatted his ass as she walked by. "Hey there, handsome."

Juice grinned at her, grabbing her arm and pulling her into his chest. "Hey gorgeous," he replied before catching her lips in a long, lazy kiss.

She pulled away, smiling up at him. "Mmm, give me another one," she requested. He leaned over to kiss her again, slipping his tongue into her mouth while he raked his free hand through her hair. The guilt she'd felt weighing on her shoulders the night before lightened as she melted into him, her arms sliding around his waist.

A loud, slow clap came from the doorway. Juice pulled away slowly, giving her one more, quick peck. "Love you, Angel," he murmured, stroking his thumb over her cheek.

He didn't seem to care which one of his brothers was applauding them, and to be honest, neither did she; they'd all seen worse. Hell, they'd put on better displays of affection during some of the parties at the clubhouse. She smiled back at him, reaching up a hand to wipe her lipgloss off of his lips. "You too, goof," she replied before finally breaking away from his gaze to look over his shoulder. She was surprised to find Bobby Elvis there, leaning against the front doorway. "Well look what the cat dragged in!"

Bobby smiled at her, opening his arms and giving her one hell of a bear hug. "Good to see you, Angie," he said, kissing her temple. "You're looking beautiful, as always."

Angela grinned at him. "You're not looking too bad yourself," she said with a wink. "How have you been?"

"Good, good," he answered, shrugging a shoulder. "Heard there's a new addition to the Ortiz fam."

She looked over her shoulder to where Juice had already taken Evie out of her stroller. His cut was hanging off of one shoulder so that Evie was resting against his shirt instead. "She's a daddy's girl," she told Bobby.

Bobby chuckled, setting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it. "I can see that. She's beautiful, darlin'," he complimented before going over to Juice. "Lemme see that baby."

Jax appeared in the doorway, pushing dust and dirt from inside with a push broom. He nodded his greeting to her. "Hey there, Angie. How's it goin'?" he asked, his blue eyes following a couple that was shooting all four of them icy glares.

She tensed a little bit at the question. Ever since he'd made Juice kill that innocent woman, she'd found it hard to talk to Jax. She'd always seen him as a loyal father and husband, willing to do anything for his family over his club. His recent choices were starting to tarnish that view. "Oh um…can't complain," she replied awkwardly. "How are you?"

"Feelin' a little cold," he said, nodding to yet another couple that were glaring at them.

"Y'know, I'm feelin' that too," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rat stepped out, nodding a greeting to her while he told Jax that they were almost ready. Jax nodded in response before clearing his throat. "Let's go, guys."

Angela walked over to Juice, smiling as he kissed Evie's nose and tucked her back into her stroller, moving the ugly bulldog Kozik had won her so long ago next to her. He straightened up and gave her a smile. "Got fun plans for today?" he asked.

She sighed and nodded. "Monk's got a check up at St. Thomas later today, so Chlo and I might do dinner over there if you're busy."

"Monk's got a check up?" he asked, a concerned look on his face. "Should I be there?"

Angela shook her head. "Nah. Just getting her ears checked."

Juice frowned, leaning over the stroller and running the tip of his finger over the slope of his baby girl's nose. "Her ears are fine. Huh Evie? You're okay," he said, his voice softer and sweeter than usual as it always was when he talked to her. He looked back at Angela and cleared his throat, speaking in his normal tone when he stated, "Dunno what we're doin' tonight."

"Keep me posted," she told him, catching his lips in a quick kiss. "I'm gonna go pull Boner from the dress store. Make sure he's not driving El crazy."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "That's still goin' on?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder and grinned proudly. "We'll see. He's clueless and awkward and she's just clueless. It's really fun to watch them dance around each other, actually."

He chuckled, grabbing her chin in his hand and placing a smacking kiss on her lips. "Have fun. Love you," he told her before leaning over to kiss Evie too. "You too, Monk. Don't think Daddy forgot ya."

"We love you too, goof," she said, walking away from him. He smacked her ass as she walked by, winking at her when she turned to glare at him before he disappeared into the shop. She shook her head as she pushed the stroller across the street talking to Evie as she went. "Your Daddy's silly, Evie-doll. But I love him. Yes I do."

* * *

><p>Angela held Evie on her lap while Chloe used the otoscope to check the baby's ears. She was aware of the way Chloe seemed to be more focused on watching her then checking up on Evie, but she didn't say anything about it. It was only a matter of time before she said something about what happened the night before. Evie was squirming a bit as Chloe inspected her ears, but she wasn't crying which made Angela damn proud. "So?" she asked, playing with Evie's tiny hand to keep her distracted. "What's the verdict?"<p>

"Her ears are a-okay," Chloe said, straightening up. "Sticker or lollipop for Mama?"

"Lollipop, please," she answered with a bright smile.

She handed her a bright red lollipop. "Here ya go, sucker."

"Shut up," Angela said, putting the lollipop in her mouth. She pulled a face at the gross taste. "This is nasty."

"It's sugar free, organic, and kosher," she explained, laughing when Angela quickly got up to throw it away. Turning to clean up her little station, she decided to breach the subject of what had happened the night before. "So about last night…"

"Don't worry about it, Chlo. I'm fine," she said, cutting her off.

She frowned, throwing the trash into the bin more forcefully than was warranted. Clearly, she was frustrated. "And there they are. Those four words I've been hearing a lot of lately. You and Hap don't think I should worry about anything. But guess what? I do. Because I _care_. I am your _friend_, and I want to help you, so stop telling me what I should worry about and let me worry about you because you need someone to vent to, damn it!"

Angela blinked at her, surprised by her little diatribe. Sighing, she shifted Evie on her lap and shrugged a shoulder. "There's nothing to vent. I don't know what Hap told you, but I…my friend's missing and they think it was Juice's fault and it wasn't."

"So you had one night of being miserable, and you're over it?"

"Life goes on," Angela said on a heavy sigh. She held Evie up so that they're faces were even. "Huh, Evie doll? No use in worrying about it now."

Chloe rolled her eyes at her friend. She doubted she was truly over it, but she'd gotten a hell of a lot more out of her than she expected. "And things with Juice?"

She put Evie back in her stroller with another sigh. "We're totally fine. He'd been acting weird for awhile because he was debating on how to make us leave Charming. He thought we'd be safer away from home. Away from him."

"That's kind of…sweet," she commented on a small smile. Angela gave her a dark look that quickly sent her backpedaling. "I mean, that's…nope, I can't even be on your side for that one. It's a sweet sentiment, but he's not going to actually kick you guys out, is he?"

"No. He said he realized he couldn't live without us. That as selfish as it was, he wanted us close because he needs us."

"He's not as dumb as he looks," she said, smiling warmly at them. "And he really, really loves you."

"I know," Angela replied on a shrug. She checked her phone and frowned at the text message on the screen. "Looks like we're both flyin' solo tonight. Juice and that asshole I share less than half of my genes with are off on club business."

Chloe scowled, shaking her head at her friend. "He's not an asshole. He's just pissed because he thinks you're picking Juice over him by not tellin' him things he thinks he deserves to know."

Angela stared at her in utter disbelief. How could she possibly know that? There was no way she could be _that_ intuitive unless... "How do you...holy cow! Did he _tell_ you that?" she exclaimed.

She shrugged in response. "He explained the situation, I analyzed it."

"I'm not picking one over the other," she assured Chloe, her voice soft and sad. "I could never do that."

Chloe looked her over for a brief moment as if considering what to say. "You kinda did, Ang," she stated, scratching nervously at her elbow. "Keeping things from Hap to protect Juice..."

Angela clenched her jaw, trying to reign in the anger she was feeling towards her best friend. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "You don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice rougher than usual. She stood and put Evie in her stroller as quickly as she could, ready to bolt before she started yelling at her friend.

"Ang, you have to see it for what it is," Chloe pressed, trying her best to stop her from leaving. Angela already had her hand on the door handle, opening it slightly. "You're being loyal to Juice, and that's fine. He's the father of your kid, but Hap's family. You can't-"

She slammed the door closed and whipped around. "Shut up! Just shut up!" she snapped, her dark eyes alight with an angry fire. In her head, she could see Donna's dead body on her table, Tara's broken hand, Juice almost hanging himself, him killing Darveny, all of these awful things were a result of secrets being told. Of people who couldn't keep their mouths shut. "I didn't choose Juice over Hap! I am protecting Hap just as much as I am Juice! Don't you get it? The secrets that the club has...that _I_ have are secrets for a _reason_. They're dangerous! I know shit about Hap that I would _never_ tell Juice and that doesn't mean that I'm choosing one over the other! It just means I know how to keep my secrets fucking _secret_! That's the way you survive in this world, you keep shit to yourself otherwise shit falls to pieces and people get hurt!"

"I'm sorry, Ang. I just thought-"

Angela shook her head, taking in a deep breath. She didn't get it. She didn't understand the inner workings of the club or the relationships between the guys and their Old Ladies. A part of her hoped that she wouldn't. That Hap successfully kept her out of all things Sons related so she'd never have to carry the weight of the sins of the club on her shoulders. "I gotta go...feed Evie or somethin'," she muttered, heading out the door and making sure to close it behind her. Once outside, she walked down a few halls, trying to find a place she could be alone. She found a small, empty waiting room and sat down heavily in one of the chairs, hanging her head down as she tried reign in her anger and frustration that were bubbling up inside of her like a volcano about to erupt. It became too much, though, and she lashed out, kicking her leg against the table in front of her. The loud sound it made woke Evie up with a start.

As her cries filled the air, Angela raked her hands through her hair, tugging at it lightly. Breathing in, she stood and mustered up a smile for her daughter. "Sorry, Monk. Didn't mean to wake ya," she cooed, picking her up into her arms. Her crying quieted quickly as she rocked her back and forth. "There's just too much goin' on, baby girl. Mama and Daddy have crazy families."

As if to prove her point, the sound of loud footsteps followed by a door being slammed came from down the hallway. Evie's face started to scrunch up, her hands curling into fists, ready to start crying. Quickly, Angela grabbed her pacifier and offered it to her while she stepped out into the hallway. She could hear two voices shouting at each other from just a few feet down the hall. Slowly, she walked towards the muffled shouting. More loud voices came from down the hall as Margaret and Unser rounded the corner, running towards the shouting; Wendy was following them at a slower speed. Angela walked closer to them, meeting them in the hallway. She wasn't surprised to see the fighting was coming from Tara's office. "What's..."

A loud, pain-filled scream cut her off. Unser ignored her and opened the door. "What the hell?" he asked.

Angela could not believe what she was seeing. Tara was on the floor bleeding and sobbing, accusing Gemma of having kicked her in the stomach. Margaret readily agreed with her, saying that they all had seen it. Gemma looked from Unser to Wendy, denying everything.

Before Gemma could see her, Angela took a step back into the hallway, pressing herself against the wall as security ran by her. She held Evie closer to her chest, her lips pressed to her head as she tried to process what had just happened.

Gemma had kicked Tara in the stomach making her miscarriage...or at least, that's what it looked like. Angela had a hard time wrapping her head around that. Gemma was fiercely protective over her son and grandchildren...why would she do something like that to her unborn grandchild? It was out of character for the Queen of SAMCRO.

She heard security walking down the hallway and looked up. Gemma's eyes locked on her own and held for a moment. In them, Angela could see the truth. Gemma hadn't kicked Tara. There was no remorse on her face, she looked...numb as if she couldn't believe what had just happened. If that was the case, had Tara made herself miscarry?

But that didn't fit either. How could a woman who was so desperate to save her sons kill her unborn child? Walking Evie back into the waiting room she'd been sitting in before, she tried to remember what Tara's plan had been while she put Evie down in her stroller. Tara had wanted to give custody of the boys to Wendy so that if she went back to jail, Wendy would be in charge of them. She'd even gone so far as to legally prove Jax and Gemma were unfit guardians. Hell, Tara had asked her of all people to be a reliable witness to the acts she'd given to Lowen to prove it. That day had been so bizarre in so many ways. She'd gone over to mend fences with the doctor only to leave angrier than before...

Then it hit her. The day she'd gone over, she'd been pretty pregnant and had used the bathroom...the bathroom with the broken toilet that Tara had expressly told her not to flush. Angela felt sick to her stomach as she put together the pieces. Tara had used her urine for her own pregnancy test. She'd falsified that damn test! "Holy shit," she murmured to herself. She tilted her head against the wall behind her and let out an incredulous laugh. "What the hell is _wrong_ with these people?"

"Where do ya want me to start?" a voice answered her back.

Angela rolled her head to the side, surprised to find Wendy standing in the doorway. "Hey," she greeted on a nod. "That was some fucked up shit."

"No kidding," Wendy agreed on a sigh. She walked over, taking a quick peek into the stroller before sitting down next to her. "What would possess her to do that?"

"What? Kick a pregnant lady or fake a miscarriage?"

Wendy let the question hang in the air for a moment, a guilty look on her face, before she cleared her throat and answered, "Tara's just trying to save her kids. _My_ kid."

Angela snorted at the stupid excuse. "Manipulation is the wrong way to do it," she stated as she stood. "Gemma is not an idiot. She's going to find a way to get back to those boys, and when she does, all hell is going to break loose. You better hope you're not caught in the crossfire especially if you ever want to be a part of Abel's life again."

"And you? She saw you there. You don't think she'll think you were involved? That she'll come after you?"

She laughed at the woman's gall. "I wasn't. She knows that because Tara asked me if I'd take custody of the boys first, and I said no. Gemma asked about it, and I was honest with her. She knows where I stand with Tara. She knows why that bridge is smoldering."

"Better be careful what side you're choosing, Ang. Gemma's not innocent in this either," Wendy warned, a serious look on her face. "You tell Gemma about Tara, and Tara could end up really hurt."

Angela smirked at her. "Believe me, I know. I'm not picking sides. I am staying as far away from this as I can. I can keep a secret. Can you?" she asked rhetorically. She could see how guilty Wendy felt about what had just happened. It was only a matter of time before the ex-junkie cracked and went running straight to Gemma for forgiveness. Because when the shit finally hit the fan, it was Gemma that would come out smelling like roses. What Tara did was unforgivable, and if Jax found out about it, everything she'd done would be for naught. Jax loved his kids, believing that he'd lost his daughter was going to hurt him, but finding out that his wife deceived him about it to get him to cut Gemma off, was going to hurt worse.

She looked down at Evie, who's dark brown eyes were wide as they stared right back at her. For a moment, she was thankful that her own drama was nowhere near as bad as what was going on in the Teller family. "Believe it or not, the Ortiz family is the most normal of the SAMCRO bunch, kiddo," she told her daughter. "You lucked out fallin' in with us. Don't let anybody ever tell you differently."

* * *

><p><strong>Starting to delve into the craziness of Season 6!<strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! Your reviews are what keep me inspired to write more! **

**~Love Ink**


	97. Forever and Ever

**Gah! Sorry for the long wait! This one took FOREVER! But hopefully you'll think its worth the wait! ;) **

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Guest 1, Redkazi, Alisabeth, _and _Guest 2_ (**_I'm not a big fan of Jax right now either! Stay tuned for how this ends...I'm not even sure yet. lol_**).**

**Shout out to TeamBlaus4EVER for helping me sort out some ideas! She has two _awesome_ Juice fics that I highly recommend! **

**How INSANE was the last episode?! Despite what's going on with poor Juice, I think it was the best one yet! **

**This chapter takes place between season 6, episode 7 and episode 8.**

I listened to "XO" by John Mayer (he redid Beyonce's song and its beautiful) on _repeat_ while writing this, if you're curious. ;)

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, Bones, and Chloe (that gang's all here for this one!).**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 97: Forever and Ever_

_By Love Ink_

Juice swung his leg off of his bike and headed up the walk, his bag slung over his shoulder. After spending the whole afternoon and night with a pissed off Happy, he was more than a little excited to be home. He didn't know what had happened between Angela and her cousin, but the Tacoma Killer was in a mood the whole trip up North. At least Connor had been good company. The Irishman talked about his family, about how he was willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe. He was a good guy at heart; Juice had a feeling they could trust him a hell of a lot more than Galen.

He opened the door to the house, smiling when Rigor bounded over to him. "Hey boy," he greeted, crouching to scratch his dog behind the ear. He looked over to the couch and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Bones and Kenny passed out on either end of it, game controllers in their hands. Chuckling quietly, he toed off his boots before heading down the hallway to the bedrooms. He stopped by Evie's room, peeking in to find Ellie asleep on the futon they had in there, a book in her hand, while Evie was sound asleep in her bassinet. He had no idea what had happened at his house the night before, but it looked like everyone had a good time.

Closing the door, he padded his way to his own bedroom. The door was open just a crack as it always was when Angela was waiting for him to come home. He slipped inside, smiling when he found her curled around his pillow, totally asleep. He hung his cut up on the wall, tucking his gun and knife into his drawer. They'd installed a lock into it for when Evie was older, so that she couldn't get to them. After stripping down to his boxers, he tugged on the pillow. Angela groaned, opening one eye and smiling sleepily when she saw him. "Hey you," she murmured, reluctantly letting go of the pillow.

He leaned over and captured her lips in a quick kiss. "Hey baby," he said fluffing up his pillow and stretching out beside her. She snuggled in closer to him, her head on his chest, ear pressed to his heart. He stroked his hand through her hair, curling a strand around his finger. "Quite the crew you got out there."

"My ragtag troupe of body guards," she mused with a smile.

Juice smirked at the idea of that. "Pretty sure Rigs is the most dangerous of 'em all. I taught Bones how to shoot, but I think he'd be too scared to actually do it. Kenny on the other hand, might actually be able to. 'specially if he takes after his dad."

Angela's smile faded a bit as her thoughts drifted back to Opie. "Ope would be proud of him. Ken's been…amazing around the funeral home. And El got a job just to help Lyla out and without having to ask Gemma for one at the garage. She wanted to do it all on her own. The two of them are so smart and independent. I didn't know Ope well, but I think he'd be proud as hell."

"He would be," he agreed, brushing a stray hair from her cheek. He hated thinking about Opie. About the life his brother led before he died. Prison, losing Donna, losing Piney, losing his life…all for what? For the club? Had it been worth it? Juice saw the way it had affected his kids and was worried the same fate would befall his own little girl. He was going to fight tooth and nail to live for her, for his angels. "Tough day?" he asked to change the subject.

"You don't know the half of it," she said on a tired sigh. "Allegedly, Gemma punched Tara in the stomach. Caused her to miscarry."

Juice tensed at her side. "Holy shit," he breathed, his thoughts once again going to his daughter. "And you were there?"

Angela shook her head slowly. "I heard it, saw the aftermath. Dunno how much of it was actually true though. Can't see Gemma doing that," she said on another sigh. "How was your trip with Hap?"

He wrinkled his nose as he thought of how awful that car ride with him had been. "Let's just say, he wasn't too happy. Seems fighting with you makes him really grumpy actually."

She smirked, turning her head to kiss his pec, just over the 'A' of her name. "Sorry," she sighed, her finger tracing the outline of his abs. "Want me to make it up to you?"

"With a house full of kids?" he asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Evie's taken care of," she said, kissing his chest as she slid a leg over his hips, "and once the boys are up, that TV is going to go on," she continued, nibbling at his neck as his hands curled around her hips, "and that X-box is going to be _loud_."

"Mmm. Missed you, baby," he murmured, his thumbs dipping under the waist of her panties. She sat back up, pulling her shirt over her head. He bit his lip as he looked over his sexy Old Lady. He sat up, banding an arm behind her back and pulling her into him as close as possible and just holding her, his face pressed into her neck. All of sudden that familiar fear came over him. The fear of losing her, of losing his family, of all the good shit he had unravelling like it had for Opie. That karma would somehow come back and bite him in the ass for all the shit he'd done. "Tell me its all gonna work out," he murmured into her skin. He tilted his head back, looking up at her. She smoothed her hands down the sides of his head and he closed his eyes at the feel of her touch. "Tell me we're going to make it."

Angela cupped the sides of his face and kissed him, soft and deep. She pulled away, her thumbs running over his cheeks. "I don't know if its all gonna work out. I don't know where we're gonna be in a few days, in a few months, _years,_ but I _do_ know who's gonna be at my side. You're it for me, Juice. You're my family. You and Evie and Rigs. And that rag tag group of teenagers we have sleeping in our living room," she said around a laugh. "I don't know if it's all going to work out, but I _do_ know _we're_ gonna make it. That's pretty much all I know right now."

Juice swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "I just don't wanna be alone again, Angel. I can't…"

"I'll _never_ let that happen, Juice," she promised him. "You will _always_ have me."

"Forever and ever?" he asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

A slow smile spread across her face as she nodded. "Yeah, goof. Forever and ever."

He let out a sigh of relief, letting his head fall into her chest, his nose nuzzling between her breasts. An idea hit him just then. It was a crazy one, but the second it came to him, he decided it had to happen. "Let's get married," he murmured into her skin. "Let's just do it. What're we waiting for?"

"You want to elope?" she asked, laughing slightly.

Juice nodded, his face still buried in her cleavage. He kissed her sternum before looking up at her. "Unless you want the whole big wedding party thing. That could be fun too."

Angela cringed at the idea of being the center of attention for a whole day. It was not her cup of tea. "Fun for who?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "Where are you thinking?"

"We could go up to Reno," he suggested, nuzzling her neck with his nose. "Find a chapel."

She closed her eyes as he started to nibble at her neck. "Mmm. Have Elvis marry us?"

Juice thought about Bobby and his old Elvis impersonation and smirked. "Maybe," he said, laying his ear against her chest to listen to her heartbeat. "You need a dress."

"I think I have one," she said, excitement in her voice. She pushed him away gently, laughing when he just held her tighter, his face going between her breasts again. "Juice! If we're gonna do this, I have to make sure I have a dress!"

He let her go and laid back down in bed, pouting a little bit. "Whatever happened to making it up to me?" he asked, watching in disappointment as she pulled a shirt over her head.

"I'm marrying you. What could make you happier than that?" she teased, pulling her hair out of the neck of the shirt. She walked over to the closet, sliding open the door and staring into it. "I know I have the right dress somewhere."

"A white one?" he asked, his eyes on her round ass.

Angela hummed to herself as she went through her clothes. "Ivory," she corrected, unzipping one of her dress bags. "Found it! Check it out!"

He slapped a hand over his eyes just before she turned around. "Dude, I'm not supposed to see it! Bad luck!"

"Dude?" she asked around a laugh. "Pretty sure you're not supposed to call your wife, 'dude'."

"You're not my wife yet!" he reminded her, his hand still over his eyes. "Can I look now?"

He peeked through his fingers when he heard her zip the bag back up just in time to see her naked back and ass. The tattoos on her back moved smoothly with her muscles as she tied up her hair into a bun. He tossed back the covers, ready to attack her then, but she slipped into the bathroom, closing the door quickly, the lock sliding into place. "I'm going to take a shower," she called through the door. "You, go online and find us a chapel!"

He let out a frustrated sigh as he sat back on the bed and pulled his computer into his lap. It was only five in the morning. He'd had the option of staying up in Reno with Hap, but had turned it down in favor of going home to be with his girls. He was thankful he'd done it. Now, they had more than enough time to make the drive up to Reno and get hitched before the club started calling. He was deep in making an online reservation when Angela came out of the shower. "Hey baby?"

"Hmm?" she asked as she started drying out her hair with a towel.

"Want me to call Hap? You need someone to walk you down the aisle and he's already up there with the Nevada charter."

Angela tensed for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah. Boner can do it."

Juice raised his eyebrows in surprise. Sure, the two cousins had had a fight, but he never thought she wouldn't want him to be at their wedding. "You sure?"

"I don't want him there, Juice," she said stubbornly. "Bones was there when Eves was born, I think he can handle walking me down the aisle."

"I know he can handle it, but Happy is…"

"An asshole," she interjected with a scowl. "Juice, please just…let it go. I want to marry you. Nothing else matters."

Juice sighed, running a hand over his head as he nodded. "Whatever you say, baby," he surrendered. This was a fight he wasn't going to win anytime soon, and he really didn't want her to be mad at him on their wedding day. He patted the bed next to him. "Come back to bed. It's five in the mornin'. Chapels don't open 'til nine."

"I gotta wake up the kids and make breakfast," she said, sitting by his hip.

"The kids? When did we adopt three teenagers?" he asked on a chuckle.

Angela gave him a warm smile. "Not really sure. I gave 'em food after midnight and now the little Gremlins won't leave," she joked on a shrug. "Guess we're stuck with 'em."

"Lucky us," he said sarcastically. He curled a hand around her neck, pulling her down for a kiss just as there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Ang?" a soft voice called from the other side of the door, accompanied by Evie's crying.

She pulled away, a slow smile spreading across her face. "There's our girl."

"I got her," he said, standing up with a grunt. He leaned over and gave her a long kiss on the lips, then pulled on his jeans with a jump before opening the door. "Hey El."

Ellie looked over his shirtless form with her mouth slightly open. Only pulled out of her gawking when Angela laughed, reminding her of where she was and what she was doing. "Oh um…Evie was…she's…" Ellie stuttered, her face quickly turning red. "Crying."

Juice grinned at her which only served to deepen the young teenager's blush. "What's goin' on, Monk?" he asked taking Evie. She squirmed around in his arms, still fussing a bit. "C'mon, Evie-baby. Calm down for daddy, huh? He hasn't seen you all day."

Angela put a hand on Juice's back and kissed Evie's head. "How 'bout you go get her a bottle? Me and El have some wedding discussions."

Ellie's hazel eyes grew wide. "Wedding stuff?"

She winked at her, pushing Juice out the door of the bedroom. "Take the human alarm clock to wake up the boys," she told him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Roger that!" he said, nuzzling his nose against Evie's head. "Let's go wake up your Uncles, Monk. Get their lazy asses out of bed."

* * *

><p>Happy sped down the highway, dead set on getting to the chapel in time. Juice had called him hours before to tell him what was going on, and at first, he was set on not going. If Angela was holding a grudge against him, that was fine. He could hold a grudge too. He'd sat at the table, watching the hours tick by while he took apart and cleaned his gun. When he stepped out for a smoke, he'd pulled out the Zippo with the smiley face that she'd gotten for him and suddenly, he wanted to be there. He didn't give a shit how mad she was at him, she was his girl. <em>He'd<em> raised her, _he_ deserved to be the one to give her away. So there he went, speeding down the highway and praying he got there before someone else walked his little girl down the aisle.

He found the chapel easily enough; Juice's biked was parked in front of it. As he pulled to a stop beside the Dyna, Chloe's car whipped around the corner. He smirked, watching her struggle to parallel park for a moment before before he swung his leg off of his bike and went over to help direct her into the spot.

She threw it into park and practically jumped out of the car, a bouquet of lilies in her hand. "Did I make it in time? Am I late? Jesus Christ! She calls me on the _way to the fucking _chapel at seven in the fucking morning because she forgot to buy flowers. Flowers! That's the only reason she wants me here! Do you _know _how hard it was to move around my shifts to get here?"

Happy smirked, slinging an arm around her shoulders when she was close enough and pulling her into his side. "Least she called. Idiot called me."

She tilted her head back to look up at him. "She didn't invite you herself?" she asked in disbelief. He shrugged a shoulder indifferently, and she scowled. "That's so messed up. You…you _raised_ her! You were the one who…you've helped her through everything!"

He tugged on her hair lovingly. "Don't need you stickin' up for me, killer. I got this. Be there for her. She needs ya."

"I know, I know. It's just _wrong_. You don't deserve that shit," she said on a frown. "She's acting like a four year old."

Leaning over, he kissed her temple before dropping his arm from her shoulders. "Don't worry about it."

"God, if I had a dollar for every time one of you said that to me…" she trailed off when he started chuckling. It was rare to get Happy to chuckle or laugh. She smiled up at him, setting a hand on his arm and squeezing. "You ready to walk her down the aisle?"

He breathed in deeply, hitching up his pants as he did so. "Don't really got a choice."

They walked in together, spotting Bones, Kenny, Ellie, and Juice easily. Kenny and Bones were in matching black dress shirts, also sleeping. Juice was pacing back and forth nervously, Evie held tightly against him. He stopped when he saw them, his eyes big with surprise "You're here! Good! I stalled like crazy! Slipped the planner a ten to tell her they were booked for the past couple of appointments. She didn't really care. She's just worried the club is gonna call and then…"

"Where is she?" Happy interrupted, not patient enough to deal with his rambling.

"She and El are in the dressing room," he answered, messing with the dark blue tie that was badly tied around his neck.

Chloe handed Happy the bouquet in her hands before going to fix Juice's tie. "Go ahead, Hap. Take her the flowers. She'll love them."

Juice nodded in agreement. "Lilies are her favorite."

"I know," Happy said on a scowl. He handed the flowers back to Chloe. He wasn't about to give them to Angela, that was Chloe's job, she'd gone through the trouble of getting them after all. "When's the appointment?"

"In twenty-six minutes," Juice supplied. He could've told him how many seconds too, but he had a feeling Happy didn't give a shit.

Happy nodded, following the signs to the bride's dressing room. The place was cheesy as hell and had him wishing that his mom and aunt were there to freak out about it. He'd thought about calling them just out of spite. As he approached the dressing room, he could hear Angela and Ellie laughing about something. He smiled at the sound of her laugh. Knocking on the door, he wasn't surprised when the eldest Winston kid answered. Her hazel eyes widening in fear at the sight of him. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, signaling for her to get out. She nodded, practically running out the door.

"El?" Angela's voice came from behind a folding screen. She stepped out and stopped short, a look of complete surprise on his face. "Hap?"

Happy wasn't an emotional kind of guy. He didn't tear up easily but seeing his little girl in the lacy off white dress, made a lump form in his throat. She looked so beautiful, so grown up. Where was the little girl that would chase after him begging for him to draw on her? "Hey kid," he rasped, swallowing hard.

She ran across the room to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her easily and held on tightly. "You came," she whispered, her own words coming out choked.

He ran a hand over her back, left bare by the open cut of her dress. "Wouldn't've missed it," he said, setting her down on her feet. "Idiot called. Asked me to come," he stated, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

Angela was continually surprised by Juice and the little things he did for her. She should've been pissed that he'd gone behind her back, but she honestly could not have been happier to have Happy there. It had felt wrong without him. "Thank you."

"Guess I need to give you away," he said on a frown.

She couldn't explain the feeling of loss that overcame her when she heard him say that. "Don't say it like that. I'm not going anywhere."

"Feels like it."

"Hap…I…," a tear escaped her hold, and she brushed it away. "I love you. You know that, right? This isn't me choosing him over you."

"I know."

Angela felt stupid for crying, but she couldn't help it. She could feel something changing between her and her cousin, and she didn't like it. "Hap…"

" 'm always gonna be here for you, though. That ain't gonna change. You'll always be my number one girl," he assured her, setting a hand on her shoulder. It was something he'd told her often when she was growing up. He'd had girls go in and out of his life, but he'd always made sure his little girl knew she came first.

"I can share with Chlo," she said, wiping at her eyes. "She can be number one and a half. Just like you and Juice can share."

Happy chuckled, pulling her in for a hug. "Just remember I loved you first," he murmured, kissing her temple.

"I know. Love you, Hap," she said, her words muffled by his cut. She pulled away and looked at him, letting out an embarrassed laugh. "Damn you for making me cry. My make-up is probably fucked up."

He shook his head, feeling sadder than he thought he would as he looked her over again. "Nah. You look good, kid," he said, patting her cheek.

She hit his hand away with a scowl. "You're okay with this, right? With me marrying Juice?"

Happy took in a deep breath as he shrugged. "He make you happy?"

"Yes."

"Then okay," he said on a nod. "Your Dad 'n' Koz would be good with it too...for what it's worth."

Fresh tears leaked out of her eyes as she thought of them. "I know," she said on a sniffle. "Wish they could be here."

"Me too, kid. Me too," he said, kissing her forehead. "Your Ma and mine are gonna kill you though."

Angela laughed and shook her head. "I called them, actually. Told 'em we were eloping. Ma was mad at first but your Ma laughed and said she didn't expect anything else from me. That calmed my mom down. I promised both of them we'd take a lot of pictures for them."

He chuckled, proud of her for actually going through and calling them. "Good."

Chloe burst into the room then, waving the bouquet in her hands. "You look gorgeous, Ang," she said, pulling her friend in for a hug. She handed her a simple bouquet of all white lilies. At her surprised look, she winked. "You wanted flowers, I got you flowers."

Angela smiled in response, bringing the flowers to her nose and taking a deep whiff. "Thank you, Chlo," she said, just a little misty eyed. "They're beautiful."

Seeing Chloe make his cousin smile gave Hap that familiar urge to kiss her. He fought it back though. It was one thing to do it while they were alone, it was quite another to do it in front of Angela. "Good work, killer."

"That nickname gonna stick now? Thought _you_ were the killer," Chloe sassed back, hands on her hips.

"Nah. 's all you, killer," he shot back, repeating the nickname.

Angela raised an eyebrow as she looked between them. "You two are cute. You can kiss her, y'know," she stated, a knowing smile on her face. "Don't matter to me."

Happy moved quickly, wrapping his arm around Angela's neck and pulling her into a headlock. She slapped at his arms, cursing as she struggled against him. Once he was sure she couldn't look up, he leaned over and caught Chloe's lips in a quick kiss.

Chloe gave him a smirk in return. "You're gonna mess up her hair," she pointed out.

"She don't give a shit," Happy said, moving his leg aside when Angela almost jammed the heel of her high heeled shoe into his calf. "Huh, kid?"

"Let me go! I'm the _bride_, damn it!" she said, still struggling against him.

Happy let her go, chuckling as she flipped him off and straightened out her dress. It was an ivory colored number, short and lacy. When she turned around, he noticed that the dress was almost completely open in the back and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail which meant the tribal lines on her back were on display for all to see. He held her shoulder for a brief moment, preventing her from turning around. "Healed up nicely," he said, inspecting his own work.

"Of course, it did. You did 'em," she said before looping her arm through his and grabbing Chloe to loop her arm through hers. "C'mon, let's go! Time for me to get married!"

* * *

><p>Angela felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she approached the closed double doors. Chloe had gone in ahead of them leaving just her and Happy. She sucked in a deep breath, looking up at her cousin. She squeezed his arm, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You ready?"<p>

"No," he rasped, using his other hand to squeeze hers. "You're sure about this? Not to late to run."

"Hap, I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

"Okay," he said on a nod. "Let's do it then."

He opened the door of the chapel, and Angela felt her heart rise up to her throat. There Juice stood at the end of the aisle wearing his nice black dress shirt, black jeans, and a dark blue tie. He wasn't wearing his cut; he hadn't wanted to. He'd wanted this union to be between him and her, not his club. He looked different without the heavy leather vest, but she had to admit, she always preferred him without it. She could appreciate his beautiful body better without that bulky article of clothing. That huge smile that she loved spread across his face when he saw her. Her heart skipped a beat; she hadn't seen that full smile in what felt like months.

She smiled back at him, tugging harder on Happy's arm to make him walk faster. The short walk felt way too long. At the end of the aisle, Happy let go of her arm and extended his hand for Juice to shake. "Take care of her," he told Juice as he pulled him in for a hug.

Juice pulled away with a nod. "Always, brother."

Happy gave him a long, hard look and nodded again in approval. Angela felt herself tear up as he kissed her cheek and whispered, "Love you, kid."

"Love you too, Hap," she whispered in reply.

Her eyes met Juice's as he extended a hand to her. Her hand was steady as she put it in his, weaving her fingers into the spaces between his. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly, a smile slowly spreading across her face that matched the one on his. She was aware of the minister talking, but she wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. She was too engrossed in studying every part of Juice's smiling face. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners, the fading bruises on his cheeks, and that smile. That gorgeous smile that she was almost positive her daughter had too. God, she loved him.

"I believe you two have written your own vows?" the judge asked, interrupting her study. She nodded slowly, unable to articulate words. She was in disbelief. This was happening. In a few short minutes, she was going to be Mrs. Ortiz. "Juan Carlos, if you'd like to go first…"

Juice nodded and cleared his throat. "I…I'm not good with words or talkin', so I'm gonna keep this short. Angel, the day I met you, I had no clue that we'd be standin' here five years later. I…I spent my whole life tryin' to find a family, a place to fit in with people that would love and care about me. And I found that in you," he said, his voice cracking just a bit. "You're my best friend, Angel. You always have been. You've loved me through…God, through everything. At my worst, at my best, you've been there through it all which is…incredible. You are the best thing I never knew I needed, but I do. I need you. So much. I love you, Angel. I don't want you ever to forget that. I _love _you_._ And I promise to take care of you and our beautiful daughter, to be there whenever you need me, and to love you for the rest of my life, no matter how short it ends up being."

Angela felt tears pricking the corner of her eyes and swallowed hard to keep the lump in her throat away so she could talk. "I love you, Juan Carlos Ortiz," she stated, smiling a bit as she did so. "I know you don't always believe me when I say that, but I do. I always said I'd never ever be with a Son, but when I met you, I didn't see the Reaper. I saw you. You're goofy and sweet and smart as hell. You're there for me when I'm a complete mess. You make me smile, you make me laugh, and you make me happy to be alive. I told you jokingly before that you give me wings, but its true. You do. And I am so grateful to you for always being there for me, for Eves. You're an amazing father and the best friend I've ever had. I promise to be devoted and loyal to you, to love you despite the way you drive me crazy some times, and to take care of you. I'm excited to get old and gray with you, Juice. And it _will_ happen. I promise. You're not going anywhere, goof. And neither am I."

Juice let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. She had no idea how much her words meant to him. He squeezed her hands, shifting anxiously. God, he wanted to kiss her. He looked at the minister, waiting for him to say it. To say those words that meant it was over, that she was his for the rest of his life. Instead, the minister called for them to sign the marriage certificate. His hand shook as he took the pen in his hand. " 'til death, baby," he said, signing his name on the line.

She grinned back at him as she took the pen from his hands and signed the line next to him. " 'til death," she agreed, straightening up and handing the pen to Happy to sign. He handed it over to Chloe who signed it with a flourish.

The judge grinned as he tucked the pen back into his pocket. "By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Juice didn't need to be told twice. He pulled her into him, banding his arm around her torso as her hands lifted to frame his face. They locked eyes for a brief moment, and then he put his lips to hers in a soft, loving kiss. She slid a hand to the back of his neck as she deepened the kiss. The loud claps of their friends and family made him break away. "I love you, Angel," he whispered, kissing her again. "Forever and ever."

She laughed, touching her forehead to his. "Love you, too, goof."

* * *

><p>Happy watched Angela and Juice as they took pictures by the river. Ellie had her own fancy camera out and was snapping the same pictures at different angles. The ceremony had been sweet and short, perfect in his opinion. There'd been something missing, though; no rings had been exchanged. That irked him. Angela wore Juice's engagement ring plus the tattoos on her back that she showed off as often as she could. She was his. Anyone could see that. Juice, however, didn't have anything to show that he belonged to someone save for the tattoo of her name on his chest. A tattoo that was usually covered by his clothes. That didn't sit well with Happy. If Juice got to put his mark on her, it was only fair that she had something visible to claim him.<p>

"You're thinking too hard. You got steam comin' out of your ears," Chloe teased, elbowing Happy's side.

He smirked at her. "They don't got rings."

"She's got a gorgeous diamond ring, Hap."

"_He_ doesn't have shit. No one knows he's hers."

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. "Then tattoo her name on his damn forehead! In tribal script. So it matches," she joked. That sparked an idea in his head. With a smirk, he walked away leaving her staring dumbfounded at his back. "Hap! I was kidding!" she called as she chased after him.

* * *

><p>Juice stared at Happy, slightly confused about what the hell they were doing. The Tacoma killer had insisted that they have an "after party" at the small cabin one of his associates had there. He didn't know what Happy meant by "associates", but if the taxidermy animals that filled the place was a clear indication that this guy was <em>weird<em>.

Weirder still was that he insisted Chloe and the kids stay in the living room while he made him and Angela follow him down some shady stairs and down a dark hall into some kind of workroom where whoever owned that cabin made the preserved animals that decorated it. "Jesus Christ," Juice muttered, staring at the stuffed beaver that sat on one of the counters, a pair of spectacles on its face.

"Hap, where the fuck are we?" Angela asked, holding tightly to Juice's hand. "If this is your idea of a honeymoon present…"

He scowled at her, shaking his head as he set his pack on the table. "You ain't stayin' here. This is Meaty Pete's place."

"Meaty Pete?" Juice repeated on under his breath.

"Is that the guy that used to send you all of the weird jerky?" she asked, seemingly more relaxed now that she knew where they were.

Happy nodded, pulling out a fairly large black plastic suitcase. "Good shit," he said, opening up the case to reveal his tattoo machine.

Angela stared at it in confusion as he set it up. She looked at Juice, to see if he knew what was going on, but he looked just as lost. Happy took her by the shoulders and forced her to sit on one side of the table while he nodded for Juice to do the same on the other. "Hap…"

"Left hand, on the table," he ordered Juice as he pulled out a thin tipped Sharpie. Juice did what he asked without hesitating. Happy handed Angela the pen. "Rings get lost. Ink is forever. The shit you two just did, ain't a joke. No gettin' out of it 'less you're dead or I cut off you're fuckin' finger."

Juice grinned and nodded, an excited look in his eyes despite Happy's rather graphic warning. "Sounds good. Do it."

"Mark him," Happy told his cousin, nodding to Juice's hand.

She blinked at him, trying to process it all. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You got a ring. He don't. So, mark him. He's your man, everyone should know that."

Angela glanced hesitantly at Juice, the tip of the pen wavering over his finger. "Juice?"

"Go 'head, baby," he urged on a nod. "Like this idea better than getting a ring. That way I don't have to worry about losing it."

"Okay," she sand, still unsure about it. Taking in a deep breath, she carefully drew her first initial in the exact same way she'd done it when she signed their marriage certificate. She'd always tried to make her A's look vaguely like a star, so it was a decent looking tattoo and it fit perfectly on his ring finger. She finished and looked up at Happy who had the machine all ready to go, ink in the reserve and everything. She went to stand up, so he could take her spot, but he shoved her back down and handed her the machine. She stared at it for a moment and then met her cousin's glance, her eyes wide with surprise. "You want _me _to do it? Seriously? I'm not a tattoo artist," she said, pushing the machine away.

Happy didn't budge. "You know how to do it."

"Hap, I did _one_ line of one of your tattoos, and you flipped! Don't you remember?"

He shrugged his shoulder. She'd been nineteen, and they'd been at the shop she'd grown up helping at. Jim, the head tattoo artist there, was finishing up one of the tattoos on his back and, unbeknownst to Happy at the time, had given Angela the tattoo machine. She's dug the needle in too deep to his skin and blew out the line. Hap almost killed Jim for that. "You'll be fine."

"Go ahead, baby. I trust you," Juice piped in knowing that if Happy was all right with it, it had to be okay.

Angela stared warily at the machine in Happy's hand before taking in a deep breath. "Are you sure, Juice? This…this is going to last forever."

"My point," Happy put in.

"He's right," Juice said giving her an encouraging smile. "C'mon, wifey. Put a ring on it."

That made her laugh which eased her nerves a bit. Taking the machine from Happy she let him move her fingers into the right grip. She pressed down on the foot pedal, relaxing at the sound the machine made. It brought her back to when she was little and spent her days messing around with Happy at the old tattoo shop. She leaned over the table and gave Juice a quick kiss before putting the needles to his skin.

Juice watched as she carefully moved over the lines she had drawn while Happy coached her from over her shoulder. Watching her entranced him. Her hair was falling into her face, her pink tongue peeking out from between her lips as she concentrated. She was his. Forever. He'd never be alone again. As if sensing his thoughts, she lifted her head to meet his gaze. "What?"

"You're beautiful. You know that?"

Angela rolled her eyes, looking around the room for Hap, surprised to find he wasn't there. "Goof," she murmured, smiling when he leaned over the table to catch her lips in quick kiss. "Sit down. I have to finish this."

"Couldn't help it," he said, shrugging as he sat back down.

She grinned at him, tucking a stray hand behind her ear before starting the machine again. "Goof," she repeated, finishing off the tattoo. She wiped away the excess ink and met his gaze again. "All done."

"How's it look?" he asked, his eyes on her instead of the tattoo.

"It doesn't look half bad," she replied on a laugh. "Does it hurt?"

"Nope," he lied. It didn't hurt nearly half as bad as his other tattoos had. He wiggled his fingers a bit as he studied it. "I like it."

Angela grabbed his hand and the tattoo balm, carefully spreading it over the fresh tattoo. "You're mine now," she said, her thumb gently brushing over the ink. "Got my mark on you _twice_. So you're doubly mine."

"Baby, I've been yours for a long time. Its just official now," he said on a laugh while she put a bandaid on it.

She uncapped the Sharpie and handed it to him. "Your turn."

Juice's eyes widened as he watched her start to take off her engagement ring. His hand shot out, stopping her. "That doesn't come off. Ever," he explained, his voice rougher than normal. That protective note taking over. "Okay?"

Angela smiled at him, leaning over the table to kiss him. "Yes sir," she said, handing him the Sharpie. "Now draw."

He uncapped it and slowly drew a 'J' on the small space above her ring. He made it a little prettier than usual, the top and bottom of the 'J' curling just a little bit. They switched seats so he was in charge of the machine now.

Angela watched him fill up the reservoir with ink like a seasoned pro, his fingers already finding the right position on the grip. "You know how to tattoo?" she said in utter disbelief. He surprised her more and more every day.

He smirked at her and nodded. "Hap taught me in county. Wanted someone he could trust to touch up some of his stuff. We had nothin' better to do while stuck in that cell," he explained on a shrug. He looked up to find her eyes, big and dark watching him, that familiar look in them that told him she wanted him. She wanted him badly. He winked at her. "Not yet, baby. Let do this first."

She sucked in a breath, trying to cool herself down. She didn't know why she found the idea of Juice with a tattoo machine so incredibly sexy, but she did. He started the machine, and she watched, entranced as the muscles in his arm rippled as he put the needles to her skin. His nose was wrinkled as he concentrated, every move he made was deliberate and confident. Angela had a feeling if one little line was off, it would drive him crazy. If he didn't get it perfectly, his OCD would get the best of him and they'd likely be there for hours while he tried to fix it.

He turned off the machine when he was done, taking her small hand in his and inspecting his work. She raised an eyebrow as he turned her hand this way and that, his eyes scrutinizing it at every angle.

"So?" she asked nervously.

He pressed a kiss to her knuckles and grinned at her. "Looks good, Mrs. Ortiz."

Angela grinned back at him, walking around the table and taking a seat on his lap. Her arms slid around his neck, pulling his head down for a long, sweet kiss. "Love you, Juice," she whispered, kissing him again.

"Forever and ever?" he asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

She nodded, kissing his cheek. " 'til the end of time."

"Cheeseball," he teased, tilting his head back to study her face. He was still in disbelief about it all. How'd he get so fucking lucky?

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he smiled, holding onto her tightly while he stood up. She squealed a little, clinging on to him as he carried her out of the room and down the hall, kicking open different doors as he went. "Whatcha lookin' for?"

He gave her a naughty grin. "A room with a bed and without these creepy ass animals so we can make this really, _really _official."

* * *

><p><strong>They finally got hitched! Woot! Hope you liked it! <strong>

**As always, you're thoughts, ideas, etc. are very much appreciated! Please let me know what you think in a review!**

**If y'all are curious about Angela's dress, I'm going to post a link to it on my profile. If not, then ignore that statement. ;) **

**~ Love Ink**


	98. Possibilities

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Lucy, stordec23, Guest 1, Guest 2, Guest 3_**_,_**_ Guest 4, and Erin!_**

**This takes place during season 6, episode 8: "_Los Fantasmas"_ _but _I changed it a little because, well, you'll see... ;) **_  
><em>

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Angela, Evie, and Bones**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 98: Possibilities _

_By Love Ink_

Juice saw his life flash before his eyes as the car came barreling towards him. He dove out of the way, watching in shock as it sped by and rammed into Gomes. Blood flew through the air, painting the street and the front of the car. He stared at the body lying on the ground for a moment, realizing it could've easily been him. He thanked whatever God had made him move fast enough to avoid that fate. He'd just had a baby, just married the woman of his dreams, he wasn't ready to give all of that up. He wanted more time, needed more time. There were things he wanted now, things he saw for his future that he'd never considered in the past. As soon as they could afford it, he was going to buy a big house and knock his wife up again, make his family bigger. But now was not that time to think about that stuff. Not with his brothers shouting at him. He ran towards the group that was currently surrounding the fallen Byz Lat, trying to ignore the brain matter that was spattered on the ground. There was no way that guy was going to be okay.

He tried not to pay too much attention to what he was doing as he helped Tig wrap what was left of the poor guy in a tarp and put him in the trunk of Fiasco's lowrider. Briefly, he wondered if the Sons would've treated him any better if he'd been in Gomes' place. How would they have reacted? Would they even care? Chibs probably wouldn't give a shit, but he hoped that Happy would at least make sure he got taken care of properly. If not for his sake then for Angela's.

"Juice, call Angie," Jax ordered, pulling him out of his morbid thoughts. "Tell her we got a drop off."

He tensed at the order, hating the fact that it wasn't a suggestion and that he didn't ask if Angela would be okay with it, just assumed she would be because the King always got his way. "Jax, I don't know if she'll-"

"She'll do it for you. Call her," he insisted, handing him his burner. "Then tell Fiasco where to drop him off."

Juice sighed and nodded, taking the phone from him. He punched in the sequence of numbers he knew by heart, pressing the phone to his ear and shifting nervously as it rang. He hated having to put this on her. Hated that Jax knew she would say 'yes' if he were the one to call her. It was just another way he was using him to get what he wanted, and it made Juice feel guilty as hell.

"Angela Ortiz, how can I help you?" Her voice cut through his thoughts, soft and solemn. It was the respectful tone she only used when talking to clients at the funeral home.

His breath caught in his throat at the name. He still couldn't believe she was his. That his name was now hers. Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat. "You got no idea how good that sounds, baby," he told her on a smile. His worries waned as her rough laugh filled his ears, relaxing him just a little.

"I've been testing it out all day. It's a big hit," Angela replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "What can I do for you, Mr. Ortiz?"

Juice sighed as he looked over to where the Biz Lats were cleaning the blood off of the bumper of the lowrider. "We kind of...need your oven."

There was a soft gasp on the other end, and he instantly wished he'd phrased it differently so as not to startle her. "Holy crap! What happened?" she asked, worry apparent in her voicce.

"We're all whole. It's…one of our allies got runned down. It's…its bad. There's brains like…everywhere," he whispered, looking back at the mess on the street. "You don't gotta fix him though. Think he might be beyond that even with your magic hands."

Angela sighed softly. "Bring him over after hours. I'll take care of him. Should I expect his buddies to come pick him up?"

"Think they might come and watch for a bit. Seem like the type," he answered, kicking at the ground. "They'll be comin' up in a lowrider. Guy's name is Fiasco."

"Mayan?"

"Biz Lat," he corrected, running a hand over his head. "I can go over and keep you company if you want. Make sure they behave."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. I'll make sure Eves is busy, and I'll take care of them. You okay over there? You sound weird."

Juice smirked, wondering how she could possibly know how shaken up he was after his near death experience. He'd done his best to sound as normal as possible. "Yeah. All good," he assured her. Tig twirled his finger in the air, signaling for him to wrap up the call, and he sighed. "Gotta go, Angel. I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you, too, Juice. Be safe over there."

He stared at the blood stain on the pavement and was reminded again of how violent the life he led was. Of how easily everything he had could be taken away from him. He shuddered slightly, swallowing hard as he said, "Always."

* * *

><p>Angela shifted uncomfortably on Gemma's front step as she waited for the front door to open. She'd been out for a jog with Evie and Rigs and decided to check in on the older woman. She'd seen the look on her face the day before, the abject horror and sadness. Someone had to give her some kind of sympathy, the poor woman needed it. The look of surprise on Gemma's face told Angela she hadn't been expecting anyone to check on her. Her hazel eyes raked over her suspiciously for a brief moment as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What're you doin' here?" she asked.<p>

"Came to see if you were okay," Angela answered, suddenly regretting going there. Gemma didn't need her help. She was a big girl; she didn't need to be checked on.

"Oh," she said, taking a step back. She looked over the stroller, noticing the mud on its thick tires. "That stroller's not comin' in here and take that dog 'round back. I'll put some coffee on."

Angela nodded, going to grab Evie out of the stroller when Gemma shooed her away and picked her up instead. The older woman pressed a kiss to the baby girl's head, breathing in deeply for a brief moment as if she were savoring the baby smell. If it was anyone else, it would've been creepy, but Angela had a feeling Gemma was missing her grandsons and holding Evie was the only way she was going to get her baby fix in. "C'mon, Rigs," she said, whistling as she walked over to the back gate and let Rigor in that way.

She took her time walking through Gemma's backyard, enjoying the beautiful rose garden she had and the other pretty flowers. She didn't know when she had the time to take care of it.

Gemma opened the back door and let her into the kitchen. "So why are you really here, undertaker?" she asked again. "You were at the hospital yesterday. You saw what I did."

"I didn't see anything," she replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table with a tired sigh. "Heard lots of shit, but I didn't see you kick her. Nobody did."

"You don't think I did it?"

She tilted her head to the side, wondering how best to answer that without having to tell Gemma that she _knew_ she didn't do it. The tiny bit of evidence she had wasn't easy to prove. She could accuse Tara of stealing her piss until the cows came home, but she couldn't prove it. Giving Gemma that kind of ammo was not a smart move. "Did you?"

"God no!" Gemma exclaimed on a scowl. "I would never…I _love_ my grandchildren. I'd do anything for them. Bitch set me up. Don't think she was ever pregnant. This was her way of turning Jax against me so she can take the boys."

"Smart plan."

"You're not surprised," she said suspiciously.

"Well, _you_ would never kill your unborn grandchild and _Tara_ would never purposefully kill her own child, so something's off."

"Your Mommy's a smart one, Evie," Gemma cooed to the baby in her arms. "Fresh pot of coffee if you want a cup."

Angela smirked at the comment. "I'm good, thanks." For some reason, the smell of the coffee had her feeling a little sick to her stomach, actually. Which was strange; she usually _loved_ the smell of coffee. "Refill would be nice though," she said, holding up the glass water bottle she took running with her.

Gemma gestured for her to use the fridge. "Fancy water bottle."

"Juice doesn't trust the plastic ones say they're poisonous," she explained on a shrug. She sat down again, fiddling with the cap awkwardly, unsure of what else to say to the woman.

She reached out a hand to grab her left one, her manicured finger rubbing over her engagement ring as she looked at her new tattoo. "New tat?"

Angela nodded, suddenly nervous. "Yeah, we...kind of...eloped this morning. Didn't have time to get rings but Hap had his tattoo machine so..."

Gemma smirked, shaking her head. "What's with this generation and eloping? Please tell me you found somewhere better than a whorehouse."

"Little chapel in Reno," she answered on a nod. "I would've said something, but you were..."

"In jail?" she finished on a chuckle. "Yeah, I get it. Good for you two. I always liked you for him."

Angela snorted dubiously. She _still_ wasn't sure if she had Gemma's full approval, and she'd known the woman for five years now. "You're full of shit, but thanks for trying."

"Know we got off to a rocky start, but I _do_ think you're good for him. The poor boy needs someone to love him. Glad its you and not some dumbass sweetbutt. Least you won't take advantage of him."

She smiled at that; it rang truer than the previous comment. "Thanks, I guess."

"Maybe you should go visit Tara. Build that trust up a bit. That way if she's got any more tricks up her sleeve, we know about 'em."

Angela almost choked on her water. "Are you kidding me? _No_! I'm not some pawn in your little game, Gem. I came over to see if you were okay because I was actually worried about you. Me going over to Tara's is only going to end in the end of a friendship when I call her on how wrong what she did was."

"You gotta pick a side eventually," she pointed out, handing Evie over to her. "This ain't gonna end pretty."

Angela stood up, ready to leave before Gemma started plotting her revenge on Tara. "Look, Gem, I care about both of you. I don't need to pick a side. What she did was wrong, yes, but you've also been trying to use Wendy to get to her for a while now. No one is innocent here," she said honestly.

"Don't pull the little Switzerland act with me, Angie. You ain't neutral. I know the little wheels in that head of yours are spinning and you're tryin' to choose which side best suits you. Best helps Juice. I'm tellin' you now, Jax finds out about what Tara did, anyone who helped her is goin' down with that ship."

She held Evie just a little bit closer to her chest. "Is that a threat?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Gemma.

"No. It's a _fact_."

"I didn't help her. You know that. She offered me custody, I said no. She asked for me to be a reliable witness, I said no," she explained, her voice stronger than she felt. "Do _not_ pull me into this. I have enough problems to deal with, thank you very much."

A look of respect crossed over Gemma's face as she nodded. "All right, sweetheart." She took a step forward, patting Angela's cheek with a hand before leaning forward to kiss her other cheek. "Thanks for stoppin' by, undertaker. Means a lot."

"Yeah," Angela said, sucking in a deep breath. "I'm gonna head out."

She grabbed Rigor and clipped Evie safely in her stroller before taking off down the street. She knew Tara's house was just a block in front, but decided to run that way anyway since it was the quickest route to her house. On her way past, she almost ran right into Lowen. The two women locked eyes for a brief moment, just long enough that Angela could see the worry and fear in Lowen's.

With a nod, Angela ran by her without stopping to look back. She hoped for Lowen's sake that Gemma didn't see the lawyer's car in front of Tara's house. She had a feeling that when the shit hit the fan, Lowen was going to be the first one caught in the crossfire.

* * *

><p>Angela was leaning against the crematorium when the low rider drove up. She couldn't help but smile a little at the car; it was the same type that many of her friends in high school drove. If they weren't driving low riders, they had motorcycles with ape-hangers. Stepping away from the building, she watched the men get out of the car, raising an eyebrow as one flashed her a grin of silver teeth. "You the undertaker?" he asked, nodding to her.<p>

She sighed and nodded. "That's me," she replied, walking towards him. She held out her hand to shake his. "Angela Ortiz. You must be Fiasco."

"Yeah. This is Rico," he replied gesturing to his buddy before turning to look at the car. "My uh…my homeboy was rundown. Sons said you could…take care a him for us."

Angela gave him a sad smile; she could tell he was genuinely distraught over the loss of his friend. "Yeah, of course. I'm sorry for your loss," she said softly. "Um…you two want to carry him into the crematorium for me? I got a box ready for him and then we'll start the cremation."

His eyes flicked over her body, and she suddenly wished she was wearing more than just a tank top and jeans. "You ain't what I was expecting."

She smirked at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I get that a lot."

He nodded, whistling to Rico. The two of them grabbed a body wrapped in a tarp from the trunk and headed into the crematorium. She put gloves on to help them unwrap him and grimaced at the damage done to the poor guy. Fiasco sighed softly. "_Que descanses en paz, hermano_," he murmured, before closing the box. (_Rest in peace, brother)_

Angela opened the door to the cremator and gestured for them to lift it in. "If you want to keep the ashes, it takes about an hour, hour and a half. You can come back then," she told them after closing the door.

"Nah, we'll stay," he said nodding towards the oven. "Respect 'n' all. That okay?"

"Yeah, 'course," she replied, moving to sit on the steps by the door. If it were the Sons, she'd leave them be, but she didn't trust these two men enough to do that.

She was aware of Rico's dark eyes on her and did her best to ignore it until he opened up his mouth, and he and Fiasco started talking shit in Spanish. She clenched her fists tightly as she listened to them objectify her, talk about her body, and all of the nasty things they wanted to do to it. Her skin crawled as they kept it up, all in front of the cremator where their dead friend was burning. She braided her hair in an effort to distract herself from their lewd comments, but it only made it worse. According to the two gangsters, a braid made for a good pull toy during doggy style and hers was the perfect length. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Enough was enough.

Reaching behind her, she pulled her gun out of the waist of her pants. Racking the slide and loading a bullet into the chamber with an audible click. She smirked as they both turned to look at her, their eyes wide with shock. "_Tienen suerte que estoy haciendo un favor para los Sons sino, yo te pegaría un tiro justo en los cojones__. _You should _never _talkabout a woman like that regardless of whether or not they can understand you _especially_ if she's doing you a favor," she said, her voice deathly calm as she lifted the gun lazily in their direction. "_Ese horno, puede entrar dos cuerpos más, fácilmente__." (You're lucky that I'm doing a favor for the Sons, otherwise I'd shoot you in the balls…that oven can fit two more bodies, easily.)_

"_Discúlpanos_," Fiasco said, his head bowed in embarrassment. (_Forgive us.)_

"Yeah, we didn't know you spoke Spanish," Rico piped in.

Angela raised an eyebrow. Did he not just hear what she said? She'd said it in English! She was about to reply but Fiasco cut her off. He shoved his friend out of the small room, cursing at him the whole time. When they were finally alone, he turned back to her. "_Eso no importa. _I know that. My Mama raised me better," he stated simply. "You're helpin' us out. We were bein' disrespectful. _Disculpame_. Needed a distraction from all this shit 'n' you were there looking _hermosa_ so we used you. Sorry." (_That doesn't matter…forgive me…beautiful.)_

"Yeah," she muttered in response, unloading the gun and setting it down beside her hip.

"You do this for the Sons a lot?" he asked, trying to make conversation. She shrugged a shoulder in response. He looked her over again, a new found respect in his eyes. "Why? What's in it for you?"

"I appreciate the fact that you didn't jump to the idea that I was screwin' one of them," she said on a chuckle.

Fiasco shrugged a shoulder. "After that whole little speech, figured it wasn't a good idea to ask."

Angela smirked, playing with her engagement ring for a brief moment. "Wasn't my idea. The owner of this place had a relationship with them long before I got here," she explained honestly. She stood, going to peer in the window of the cremator to see how it was progressing. "My _primo_'s one and so is my husband so, technically, if you'd asked, you would've been right."

"Juice, huh?" he asked on a chuckle. "Nice guy."

She rolled her shoulders, realizing that he must've seen the tattoos on her back to jump to that conclusion. Good. That's what they were there for. "Yeah, I like him," she said on a shrug.

He bobbed his head in response, his eyes on the cremator. "I remember you, y'know. Took me a minute 'cause you ain't got the lip liner and the hair 'n' shit, but I remember you."

Angela raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "From what?"

"Grew up in Oaktown. You were like two years above me in school for like ever. Manolo Perez was my best friend. You were always hangin' 'round with Lucy and Rosa. Esai's girl, right?"

She laughed and nodded, that felt like another lifetime. "You were one of the little shits that was always runnin' around with Lolo?"

Fiasco chuckled as he nodded enthusiastically. "That was me."

"Huh, small world," she said, shaking her head. "Where's Lolo anyways? Haven't heard from him or Lucy in forever."

"Ah, Lolo caught a bullet a while back and Luce moved to Hollywood for some movie producer."

Angela sighed sadly. Unfortunately, it didn't come to her as a surprise that Lo had been killed. A good half of the crew she'd grown up with had met their end way before their time. "Shit. Was he a Mayan?"

"Nah, me 'n' Lo were more into the Lowriders than the ape hangers. Don't trust anything with two wheels," he explained on a shrug. "Byz Lats were more our style."

"Makes sense."

Fiasco nodded in agreement before clearing his throat. "Dangerous, this life," he commented, shaking his head. "That car, it came gunnin' for us. Like, full speed right at your man 'n' he jumped out the way but my boy there, he wasn't fast enough. I seen people shot before, stabbed, but this shit…his head busted open like that? I ain't ever seen anythin' like it."

Angela felt sick to her stomach at the idea that a car had come speeding straight at Juice. If he hadn't jumped out of the way, it would've hit him and she'd have lost her husband on the same day he'd become her husband. "Shit," she murmured, raking her hands through her hair.

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding his head exaggeratedly. "Was a good guy too."

"They always are."

They sat in silence for awhile before a motorcycle came roaring up. She would recognize the sound of that engine anywhere. She glanced at Fiasco and found him staring straight into the little window of the cremator, a single tear trailing down his cheek. She cleared her throat to catch his attention before nodding to the door.

"Go 'head. Won't touch nothin'," he rasped, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the table behind him.

Angela patted his arm lovingly before heading out the door. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, enjoying the cool breeze that blew across her face. Her stomach was feeling a little queasy for some reason, but she chalked that up to the room being so damn hot. Tears sprung to her eyes when she finally saw Juice standing by his bike, pulling his gloves off. Her mind just kept circling back to the thought that it easily could've been him they brought over to burn. It almost had been.

She ran at him, practically launching herself at him when she was close enough. He caught her easily, his arms sliding around her waist, holding her tightly as she clung to him. She buried her face into his neck, tears falling before she could stop them. He must've felt them because he tugged gently on her braid, making her pull away. "Baby, what's goin' on? What happened?" he asked, his hands framing her face, thumbs wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

"God, sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me," she said on a light laugh. "I just…Fiasco said the car almost hit you 'n' then I saw you and I couldn't help but think if you hadn't been fast enough-"

"Hey," he interjected, smiling slightly. "What do ya always say about 'what ifs'?"

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I know, I _know_. I'm being ridiculous."

He pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss before pulling her in again, squeezing her tightly. "Nah. You're my wife. You worry. 's all good, baby."

Angela sighed heavily, relaxing into his embrace. "Do you know how pissed I would be if after all this shit we've gone through, you went and got yourself hit by a _car _the _day_ we _finally _got married?"

Juice chuckled. "Yeah, that would suck. But I didn't. Made it through the whole day almost," he told her, twirling the end of her braid around his finger. He kissed her forehead, squeezing her once before letting her go. "Can't get rid of me that easy."

She smirked, taking his hand in her own, her thumb rubbing over the band of the ring she'd given him. They walked together towards the crematorium, their hands swinging between them. Juice opened the door for her and followed her in, nodding his greeting to Fiasco. She checked the oven and sighed. "All done. Why don't you two…head out? I'll bring the ashes out to you in a sec."

Fiasco nodded and headed out, Juice following behind him slowly before closing the doors behind him. "She's gotta put 'em in the cremulator to grind 'em to powder," he explained. "Shouldn't take long."

"Good girl you got there," Fiasco told him. "You're a lucky man."

Juice stared at the doors, watching as they opened and she slipped out. "I know."

Angela raised an eyebrow at them as if she knew they were talking about her. She handed the bag of ashes over to Fiasco. "Sorry I don't have something fancier. Kinda…did this one without telling the boss. He might get a little mad if one of his urns disappear."

"Nah, it's all good, mama," Fiasco said on a shrug. "_Gracias_. _Discúlpame por lo que paso antes. No soy así usualmente__."(Thank you. Forgive me for what happened earlier. I'm not usually like that.)_

"_Estamos bien.__No voy a decir nada a mi esposo pero no lo hagas otra vez__,_" she said, hugging him cordially. "Pass that on to your buddy too." _(We're good. I won't say anything to my husband, but don't do it again_.)

"Will do," he said, smirking as he headed back to the lowrider where Rico was sleeping in the passenger's seat.

Juice looked from Fiasco to Angela in utter confusion. God, he wished he understood Spanish. He'd bought some tapes to learn, but he was lazy about it. Angela had tried to teach him, but hearing her speak in Spanish always turned him on and they never got very far in their lessons. "What was that?" he asked, sliding his arm around her waist while he watched the lowrider pull out.

"Don't worry about it," she replied, stepping away from him and grabbing his hand to tug him towards the funeral home. "C'mon, hubby. Let's go get our baby girl and go home."

"We get home and you're givin' me a Spanish lesson," he told her, squeezing her hand.

Her eyes grew dark with lust as she looked up at him; she knew what a Spanish lesson meant. "_Me encantaría ensenarte, Juan Carlos__,"_ she said, rolling the 'r' in his name a little more exaggeratedly than was needed. Juice gently pushed her against the wall of the funeral home as he slanted his lips across hers in a hungry kiss. She kissed him back just as eagerly, her hands slipping underneath his cut and shirt to settle on his back.

"Seriously?" a voice called from the top of the steps. Juice broke away from the kiss, sending a glare up to Bones who was standing there with his hands on his hips and Evie strapped to his chest in her baby bjorn. Ellie's head was poking out of the doorway, a giggle escaping her lips. Bones' nose was wrinkled in disgust as he looked down at them. "Can't leave you two alone for a minute. Eve's you're going to have a brother right away at the rate your parents go at it."

Juice made some sarcastic comment in return, but Angela didn't hear it. She was too busy thinking about what Bones had said. She'd been feeling a little off since they'd gotten back from the wedding. Sick to her stomach, her hormones bouncing off of the walls, the smell of coffee making her sick. There was no way she could be pregnant already. Evie was barely a month old. It was impossible. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she watched Juice jog up the stairs to take his daughter back from Bones. Her mind was buzzing with the possibility of having another one. "You all right, baby?" Juice asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

Angela nodded slowly. She wasn't sure what to say, what to expect. The club was in a state of turmoil. The clubhouse blew up, the DA was on their asses, Tara had gone insane, and they'd just been publicly blamed for the Aquino shooting. Having another kid, being _pregnant_ at a time like this was not a smart move. Her stomach churned, but she did her best to smile at him. "Fine. Just tired. Ready to go home and sleep with my husband."

He grinned at her like he'd won the lottery, holding out his hand. "Let's go, Mama. Get this baby to bed so we can do some lessons."

* * *

><p><strong>I promise I have a plan for this, and it'll make sense. ;)<strong>

**In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I just want to repeat how thankful I am to everyone who has stuck with me through this long story especially for those who have taken the time to review too! Y'all are what keep me writing! Thank you so much! And Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! :) **

**As always, your thoughts, ideas, etc. are greatly appreciated and inspire me to write faster!**

**~Love Ink**


	99. Positive

**This chapter is a hell of a lot lighter than yesterday's episode with a lot more fluff because I wanted Juice to be happy for a sec (or more than a sec, I haven't written the next chapter yet). I'm coming to terms with what happened yesterday and accepting it...just barely. No spoilers here, of course.**

**Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with me through this roller coaster! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Guest 1, Haloe Lover_**_ (Got a few Hap/Chlo moments in here for ya), **Guest 2, Dark Child20 **(Haaa...yeah. In her defense, its not that she doesn't want another kid, she's just scared because its so soon.), **Mary **(Gracias desde los Estados Unidos!), **and Guest 3 **(Season 7 is going to be very, very hard to write. Stay tuned.)_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe...**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 99: Positive_

_By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the little white stick in her hand feeling like the world was closing in on her. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the cold, tiled floor of the bathroom. She moved her hands into the hair on either side of her head, tugging lightly as she hung her head. "It can't be," she breathed, on the edge of tears. Tilting her head back against the wall, she eyed the other pregnancy tests that were all lined up neatly in their little cups on the counter. All of them were positive. Every single damn one. "Fuck."

She looked over at Evie who was staring at her with those big dark eyes from her seat in the little carrier. "Well, Evie-doll, how do you feel about having an Irish twin?" she asked the baby as if she would answer. Evie farted making Angela laugh. "That good, huh?"

"Ang?" Chloe's voice called out from the living room. She'd called her after the first positive test when she was totally panicking and had told her to come over as soon as possible.

"Back here!" Angela shouted in response, not moving from her seat on the floor. After the eighth pregnancy test, she wasn't panicking anymore. She was terrified.

She listened to Chloe's footsteps get closer and closer. "You have to stop leaving these vague come ASAP messages, Ang. You're lucky I have vacation time or else—holy _shit!" _she exclaimed, her hazel eyes wide as the stared at the counter. "Are these…shit, these are _positive_."

"All eight of 'em," she replied miserably. "Please tell me there's a scientific explanation for it."

"Yeah, you're pregnant."

"Other than that," she said on a groan.

Chloe shook her head slowly. "No, no there's not," she said before frowning. "Shit, Ang, do you understand how bad this is?"

Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. "I mean, it's not ideal, of course. There's a lot of shit going on with the club and Eves is still a baby, but I don't think its_that_ bad. Juice always said he wanted a big family anyway," she attempted, knowing that it had to be bad if Chloe was freaking out.

"Fuck the club bullshit! I'm talking about how bad it is for your _health_! Your body is _not_ ready to take on another baby," she explained, worry written all over her face.

Fear swirled around in the pit of Angela's stomach as she pressed her hand to it thinking about the life that was just starting to form inside of it. "What does that mean?"

"Means we have to go to the hospital. _Now_."

"No. Chlo, I'm fine. It been like a week or something. You can just walk me through it."

"No, you're not," she said softly. "Ang, I'm out of my depth here. I can't help you with this."

Angela felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "Shit," she croaked, raking a hand through her hair. She stood up, wiping her hands on her thighs. She slowly cleaned up the pregnancy tests, tossing them all back into the bag from the pharmacy. "He can't see these."

Chloe gave her a confused look. "You're not going to tell Juice?"

"Not yet."

"Ang…"

She looked back at her friend, tears in her eyes. "Let me…let me wrap my head around this first and then-then I'll tell him, okay?"

"You need his support. You can't do this alone."

Angela nodded in agreement. "I know. That's why you're here."

* * *

><p>"Happy came back today," Chloe said, called through the curtain as Angela changed back into her clothes after her doctor's appointment. "Came back late last night actually. Scared the shit outta me. Thought someone had broken into my house. Grabbed my bat to beat the shit outta whoever it was, and he just laughed. I was threatening him with a bat, and he thought it was hilarious."<p>

Angela appreciated her friend's attempt to distract her, but she really wished she'd just shut up. The doctor had just confirmed what they'd already known. She was pregnant. A few weeks along. A high risk pregnancy because her uterus hadn't fully healed from her last pregnancy, he'd explained. Then, he'd given her a list of things to avoid, vitamins to take, cautioned her to keep her anxiety and stress to a minimum…as if that were even possible. The grim look on his face as he told her that these pregnancies usually didn't hold was what convinced her that telling Juice right away was a bad idea. If a miscarriage was as common as the doctor made it seem, she did not want to get Juice all excited only to crush him later; he already had too much to deal with. She'd keep it to herself until they were out of the woods.

"So I'm reading this sheet here," Chloe started, changing the subject when Angela didn't reply to her earlier comment, "and it says in big, _bold_ letters that you can_not_ have sex."

She pushed back the curtain, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I know."

"But I'm sure Juice won't mind if its to protect his kid, right?"

Angela knew she was baiting her. Trying to get her to give in and say she was right about telling Juice. "Sex isn't all we do."

"You guys couldn't wait six _weeks_. How are you going to do it for nine _months_ without him knowing?"

"I'm going to tell him eventually. I just want to wait until its…until its…"

She frowned and nodded. "There's no safe period in a high risk pregnancy, Ang. Miscarriages and preterm births are always going to be a possibility. That's, in part, why its high risk."

"I don't want to hurt him with this," she admitted softly. She leaned over Evie's stroller, touching her daughter's chubby cheek. "Daddy will find out eventually. Just not yet. Huh, Evie?"

"You're gonna hurt him either way," Chloe told her.

Angela ignored her, tickling Evie's little foot. The baby cooed back at her, shaking her little hand in the air. "Fuck, you're cute," Angela said on a laugh. "Your little brother's gonna be cute too."

Chloe grimaced a bit at that. "Ang…"

"Not getting attached. I know. I just…like the idea of it, okay?" she said on a shrug.

They walked out of the room together. Chloe pulled Angela into a tight hug. "Just be careful," she said on a sigh. "I gotta get back to work. See you around?"

"My aunt's doin' a dinner tonight to celebrate me finally being an honest woman," she told her with a smirk. "She wanted me to invite you."

"I know. She called me," she admitted with a heavy sigh. Angela raised her eyebrow, trying to say something when Chloe cut her off, "I gave her my number to call if she needs anything med-wise or if she has any questions your mother can't answer."

Angela grinned as if she'd won the lottery. "Welcome to the family, Chlo. You're never getting away from us now," she teased. "Does Hap know?"

Chloe nodded. "He said I should go so I don't offend your aunt."

"Oh wow. _Hap_ approves too? Shit, you're in deep with the Ortiz-Ruiz-Lowman clan."

She rolled her eyes, but a blush had risen to her cheeks. "Shut up, Ang. Go tell Juice the good news. He deserves to know."

Angela waved away her suggestion, walking away quickly to avoid talking about it anymore. "Your aunt is crazy, Monk," she told her baby as she pushed the stroller down the hall. She stopped dead in her tracks when Tara appeared just a few feet away.

They regarded each other silently for awhile as if deciding what to say. Tara cleared her throat and took a few steps towards her. "Lowen just showed me the list of character references for my trial. Noticed you were on there."

"Yeah," Angela said on a nod. Lowen had asked her if she'd be okay with that long before Tara had faked her own miscarriage. At that point in time, Angela had thought that, despite Tara's faults, she had excellent character. Now, she wasn't so sure.

"Thanks. Means a lot," she said on a nod. She peered into the stroller and smiled at Evie. "Hi, baby girl," she cooed to her, touching her sock clad foot. "She's getting so big. Were you here for a check up?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. She's…healthy and happy," she lied easily. A part of her wished she still trusted Tara. Wished that she could ask her about the baby in her belly. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened with you and Gem," she managed to say though it made her feel dirty.

Tara studied Angela's face for a moment before shaking her head. "You're not really sorry, though. I'm guessing you doubt-" Tara cut herself off quickly as an attending passed by. She took a step closer to Angela, her voice going soft, "I did what I had to do. I need to get my boys out of here before something happens to them."

Angela held up a hand to get her to stop talking. "Please Tara, _please,_ don't confirm it. Not if you're planning on using me as a character reference," she asked. "I want to help you, but I got enough shit going on without adding perjury to it."

She gave her a grateful smile. "You should think about getting out before she gets old enough to remember all of this violence."

She fought against the urge to roll her eyes. Lately, their conversations always came back to that. "Yeah, maybe," she agreed just because she knew it would end the topic. There was no way she was going to leave Juice now. Not like this. "I gotta…get to work. Nice seein' you, T."

Tara nodded slowly. "You too," she replied before leaning in close and stroking a finger over Evie's cheek. "You too, sweetheart. Stay safe."

Angela watched Tara walked away for a moment before turning the stroller and heading in the opposite direction. She leaned over the handle of the stroller. "We're not goin' anywhere, Eves. We're staying here with Daddy and the new little Goomba in my tummy."

* * *

><p>Angela was sitting on the porch swing of her mom and aunt's place, swinging back and forth lazily with Evie asleep on her chest. Her aunt was inside cooking up a storm with Chloe. They'd both shooed her out of the kitchen as soon as Evie started fussing, so she headed to her favorite place to sit and relax.<p>

She tensed as her mother's maroon Honda pulled into the drive. It was an instinctive reaction; her mother coming home had never meant anything good for her. Graciela mostly ignored her, and when she did pay attention to her, it was to chastise her about something stupid. She held Evie closer to her chest, her hand smoothing over her daughter's back as she silently vowed to never treat her like that.

Graciela looked tired as she walked up the steps in her eggplant colored scrubs. Her dark eyes fell on Angela, and she sighed. "_Hola_, _Angelita_," she greeted, shocking her daughter by taking a seat on the other end of the swing. "How's my beautiful granddaughter?"

"She's good," Angela replied, dropping a kiss to Evie's head. "Want to hold her?"

She nodded reaching out her arms and taking hold of the baby. "She's beautiful, _mija_. Just like you were," she complimented, touching Evie's cheek. She was quiet for a moment, just looking at her granddaughter and then looking at her daughter. "I wasn't good to you, _mija_. I know that."

She scowled at that, scoffing just a little. "Ma…"

"No. I know I wasn't," she interrupted. "I didn't…I wanted to wait to have babies. I wanted to have enough money and be stable. _Pero tu papa_, he wanted a baby. He was always asking, '_Nena_, when can are we going to have a baby?', and I would tell him not until I graduate or not until I get into nursing school or out of nursing school and then it was wait until we have a house. And he waited. He waited until I didn't have an excuse anymore_. _And so I gave him you. _Y tu papa…era el mejor padre en el mundo_. He loved you so much, _mija_. He took care of you, fed you, made sure you were happy, _y yo_? I worked. Yes, we did things as a family _pero yo estaba contenta haciendo mis cosas mientras el te cuidaba_. And that's was how I liked it. That was how it worked, _Angelita_." (_But your dad...little girl...and your dad, he was the best father in the world...and me?...but I was happy doing my things while he took care of you.)_

Angela wiped away a stray tear at the mention of her father as she nodded. "And then he got sick and you just gave up."

She nodded in agreement; there was no denying it. "Your father was the love of my life. Losing him was like losing my whole world, _mija_. Imagine how you would feel losing Juan Carlos," she explained softly. "That's a loss you don't come back from. And I didn't handle it well. I pulled away from everyone _pero _most of all you _porque_ you look like _him_. You have his smile, and you…you were always smiling and every time you smiled at me, I saw him, and I couldn't handle it. It broke my heart."

She reached out a hand to squeeze Angela's as she continued. "What I did was wrong, Angela. I know that. I pushed you away because I missed him. Lena kept warning me that there'd come a time that you wouldn't come back and she was right. You were just eight years old, and you'd fallen down outside and I was there watching you with Lena and you ran straight by me to her. You wouldn't let me touch you."

"I thought you hated me," Angela admitted softly.

"I didn't. I loved you then, and I love you now. I just didn't know how to show it," Graciela replied, her own tears in her eyes. "And I'm sorry for that, _mija_. I wish I could've been there for you. _Pero_, I want to be there now. For you. For Eva. I want to make it up to you."

Angela wiped at her eyes, feeling like she understood her mother for the first time. It wasn't the best explanation in the world, but at least she knew now that she didn't hate her when she was younger. That she didn't resent her or blame her for her father's death, all of the ideas she had grown up thinking were wrong. Her mother was just a weak woman who didn't know how to deal with her own grief. She was thankful then that she'd had such strong people come in and out of her life to teach her to be strong. First Elena and Happy, then Marcus and Diana Alvarez, then Kozik, and even Juice, all of them helped her find her own strength and never once made her feel weak. She'd been incredibly lucky.

"You don't need to be sorry, Mama," she told her, treading carefully in what could be potentially dangerous waters. How could she tell her own mother that she was glad she wasn't the one to raise her; that she was better off the way it'd happened? "Just be a kick ass _Abuela_, and we're square." (_Grandma.)_

Graciela smiled at her daughter, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "I love you so much, _mija_."

"I know, Ma," she replied on a nod as she wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Love you too."

* * *

><p>Chloe was standing at the kitchen stove, stirring the sauce in the pot while Elena used the restroom. She could feel a set of eyes on her back and knew, without turning, who it was. Soft footsteps made their way towards her before fingers trailed over her lower back. "Hey creeper," she greeted him.<p>

"Sup, killer?" Happy's rough voice replied. He leaned back on the kitchen counter next to her, arms crossed over his chest. His dark eyes scanned her face, looking over her shoulder for a brief moment before he leaned in closer to kiss her cheek.

She gave him a small smile, winking at him while she continued to stir. "Nothin'. Just cooking. Your Ma has made quite the spread."

"Usually does," he said on a shrug.

"You have an eventful day?"

"No."

"Would you tell me if you did?"

"No," he answered, smirking at her. "How was work?"

Chloe shrugged a shoulder, taking in a deep breath to keep from telling him about Angela. She was worried as hell for her friend. There was no way she could handle the high risk pregnancy all by herself. "Okay. Nothing exciting. Got proposed to."

That caught his attention. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, a possessive look in his black eyes. "By who?"

"One of the kids in our cancer unit," she said on a sad smile. "He swears once he grows his hair back, he's going to marry me. Never mind that its illegal."

"That the only reason you said 'no'?" Happy asked. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. He reached out a hand, hooking his finger around her belt loop and using his hold to pull her towards him. He took her chin in his hand and gave her a rough kiss. "Good."

A soft chuckle from behind them made them practically jump away from each other. Turning, Chloe found Juice leaning against the doorway, a smug smirk on his face. "Don't stop on my account," he said, holding up his hands. "I'm just lookin' for my wife."

Chloe noticed his smile get wider as he said the word 'wife' and wondered how many times he'd said it in the short time they'd been married. Clearly, he was just as happy to be her husband as Angela was to be his wife. Happy, however, didn't look quite as pleased with the idiot.

"She's in her old room," Elena stated as she came up behind him, Evie in her arms. He turned towards her, smiling as she kissed his cheek. He took Evie from her holding his baby girl close and kissing her head. Elena smiled at the two of them. "Welcome to the family, _Juancito_," she murmured, patting his cheek lovingly with her free hand. "We're so happy to have you."

Chloe chuckled as she looked back at Happy to find that the man was anything but happy about the situation. Juice didn't seem to notice though. He leaned over to kiss Elena's cheek. "Thanks, Lena."

"_Dame la beba y anda y encontrar tu esposa_," Elena told him, holding out her arms again. (_Give me the baby and go and find your wife.)_

Juice stared at her blankly, trying his best to figure out what she was saying. "You want the baby and…that's all I got."

She laughed, taking Evie back into her arms. "Go find _Angelita_. She said she wanted to grab some of her old albums to look at. Up the stairs and to the left, you'll see it."

* * *

><p>Juice made his way up the stairs slowly, studying the pictures lining the walls of the hallway as he went. Most of them were Angela's school pictures. He paused at one of her and a man her presumed was her father. She had cute little pigtails in her hair, a huge grin on her face. Then his gaze fell on one of a toothless Angela sitting on Santa's lap, Happy was standing next to them, an elf hat on his head, looking more than a little pissed off. He chuckled, wondering how the hell they'd convinced him to do that. Walking a ways down, he peeked his head into an open door and smiled when he found Angela lying on her stomach atop a small, twin bed. He walked over, taking a seat by her hip. "Hey baby," he greeted, kissing her bare shoulder. "Hiding out?"<p>

She smiled a little and shrugged. "Evie's being fawned over by her grandma and Lena hasn't stopped talking to Chloe since she walked in, so I grabbed one of these and thought I'd relax," she explained, flipping a page in the album on her lap. She laughed a little at a picture of Kozik passed out on a couch, drawings all over his face. "From Tacoma," she explained.

He leaned in closer, his fingers tracing over the tattoos on her back. "That your apartment?"

"Mm-hmm. Kind of a shithole, but I loved it," she said, flipping the page.

There were pictures of them in the apartment, and he realized after a moment, that it looked familiar. He chuckled, stopping her hand when she tried to turn the page. She gave him a confused look, and he just shook his head. "Baby, I've been there," he said, tapping the picture of her and Happy sparring in the living room.

"What?" she asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah! As a prospect, you gotta visit different charters and introduce yourself. I went up to SAMTAC 'n' Koz 'n' Tig were both drunk and bitchin' at each other over somethin' so Hap and I had to take Koz home…to his apartment…to _your _apartment."

Angela's jaw dropped as she stared at Juice as though she was seeing him for the first time. "You were the one that organized my movies and did my calculus homework!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

He grinned at her and nodded. "Had nothing better to do. The calculus was pretty easy, actually."

"No, it wasn't! I spent _hours_ on it the night before!"

"I know. Your work was all wrong," he said, laughing as she hit him. "Was wondering who that belonged to. Knew it couldn't have been Koz's."

She smiled a little at the idea of Kozik doing calculus. His brain would've probably exploded. "God, I told Koz that whoever did it was the only Son I'd ever let into my pants because they had to be clean and intelligent."

Juice's grin could've lit up a room. "Guilty as charged," he said, kissing her temple, his hand sliding lower down her back. "What if we'd met back then? Hap told me I had to get outta there early, but I could've overslept. What then?"

She laughed and shrugged. "I don't know. We would've met, and I'd probably have made you teach me the calculus."

"Then you would've fallen in love with me."

Angela rolled her eyes before looking up at him with a warm smile. "With that smile? Of course," she agreed on a nod. "And you would've been run out of there by Hap and Koz."

Juice shrugged. "But I would've come back for those tits and that ass," he teased, swatting her ass lightly.

"You're ridiculous. They'd catch us and you'd be sent right back to Charming, then you would've found some Croweater, and forgotten all about me."

"Nah. I'd a jumped charters for you," he murmured with absolute certainly. He kissed her neck, gently sucking her skin into his mouth and smirking when she shivered against him.

Angela closed the photo album, moving it to the side and rolling over onto her back. "Oh yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. This was meant to be. _We_ were meant to be," he said, putting one arm on the other side of her hip for stability before leaning over and catching her lips in an ardent kiss. He carefully pulled open the top part of her flannel button down, something he knew she wore because it made it easy to feed Evie, but it also made it easy for him to get access to her breasts which he always took advantage of. He kissed over her breasts, smiling when he felt her short nails rake over the side of his head.

His hands moved down to the button of her jeans, and she tensed underneath him. He lifted his head from her cleavage, giving her a confused look; she didn't tense up like that unless she was mad at him, but he knew she wasn't mad at him. Sure, she pushed him away every so often when he was touching her inappropriately depending on where they were, but she never got tense. Not unless something was wrong. "What's going on, Angel?" he asked, worried.

A small smile spread across her face, and she relaxed a bit. "Nothin'. Just…do you believe in soul mates?"

Juice could sense something was off with her. She was obviously trying to distract him from what he'd been about to do, and he didn't get why. "Yeah, baby," he breathed, dipping his head back down to kiss her neck. He lifted his head to meet her eyes again. "Do you?"

She reached up a hand to touch his face. "Not 'til I met you."

"Cheeseball," he murmured, kissing her lips before blowing a raspberry into her neck. Grinning when she laughed in response. God, he loved her laugh. "Love you, baby."

"Love you too, goof," she replied, sighing as his kisses travelled down her neck and back to her breasts. He tugged open her jeans, sliding a hand underneath the rough fabric to toy with the lacy strap of her panties.

She stiffened again, shifting uncomfortably under his touch. He pulled his hand away, raising his head again to meet her gaze. "You okay, baby?"

"Yeah. Just weird. Bein' in this room 'n' all," she replied on a shrug.

That confused him even more. They'd snuck up and had quickies in this room more than once. "Never had a problem with it before," he pointed out. Angela frowned, caught in her lie. She toyed aimlessly with the flap on the pocket of his cut. Her silence slowly driving him insane. "Ang, what's goin' on?"

She sat up, scooting back away from him a little as she sucked in a deep breath. "I can't have sex with you," she blurted out.

He stared at her in confusion, now totally lost. "Cause of the room…" he trailed off, trying to find some kind of footing.

"No, because… 'cause…" she started, struggling for the right words as she turned her ring around her finger. " 'cause…shit."

He'd never seen her look so nervous or scared which made him anxious. "Angel, you gotta finish that sentence. You're scarin' the shit outta me."

"I'm pregnant," she finally managed to get out. "Again. And I wasn't going to tell you because I'm not that far along and I could miscarry at any time and you have enough shit on your plate to worry about with all this club crap that you really don't need me adding onto it-"

"Angel…" he tried interjecting, but she wasn't having it.

"But I can't have sex with you and that's a huge problem 'cause I _love_ having sex with you which is why I'm in this damn situation to begin with. Which I don't mind, of course, another baby is…great," she rambled, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously, "but I can't keep it from you because it's hard enough for me to keep from jumping your bones when you're not attempting to get in my pants, how the hell am I supposed to stop myself when you _are_? I can't do that. I have _zero_ control when it comes to you. You touch me, and I forget everything! And I can't do that this time because I have this baby to protect and one of us has to stay sane, and you're generally better at it than I am."

Juice fought back the urge to laugh at her rambling about sex. It was a total ego boost, and though he enjoyed it, he had a ton of questions to ask her. He just had to get her to shut up first. "Ang…"

She continued, unbothered by his attempt to stop her. "Hence why we're in this predicament because I couldn't wait six _weeks_ to have sex after Eves. We literally were half way there, and I couldn't…"

He grabbed her chin in a hand and shut her up with a kiss. "You gonna let me talk now?" he asked as he pulled away. She let out a breath and nodded, gesturing with her hand for him to go on. He grinned at her. "We're having another baby?"

She seemed to relax a little at that, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "Well…yeah. But…"

"No 'buts' we're having a baby! Another one!" he said, trying to keep his excitement out of his voice. "I have a magic penis!"

Angela couldn't help but laugh. "Goof!" she exclaimed, laughing harder as he practically tackled her to the bed, dotting kisses across her cheek and down her neck. She dragged her nails through his shortly cropped Mohawk, wriggling underneath him as he tickled her sides.

* * *

><p>Chloe walked up the stairs slowly, taking in the pictures on the wall. They were mostly of Angela, but the few that were of Happy made her smile. Clearly, he didn't pose for pictures. All of the ones with him in it were candids where he was just with Angela. A lot of them were of him as a teenager holding her hand as they walked or her asleep on his shoulder. Her favorite was of them asleep on the couch together. Little Angela tucked into his side while he had and arm wrapped tightly around her. Out in the real world, he was the Tacoma killer, but here, in his mom's house, he was just Happy. She was falling for the man in those pictures, and it scared the shit out of her.<p>

She stopped when she heard Angela's low giggle and scowled. The doctor had told Angela she couldn't have sex just _hours_ before! Had she already forgotten? Was she really that stupid? "Jesus Christ," she muttered, bracing herself for what was going to be behind the door.

What she found when she opened the door warmed her heart. Juice was sitting propped up against the headboard of the bed with Angela between his legs, a photo album in her lap. His arms were around her waist, chin on her shoulder as he listened to her explain the different pictures. Chloe sighed in relief, catching their attention. "We're not having sex," Angela stated, smirking at her friend.

"I can see that," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Be quite a feat for you two to be doing it in that position with all those clothes on."

Juice seemed to contemplate it for a moment, his head tilted to the side as if he were trying to work out of it was possible. Angela looked back at him over her shoulder and smirked as their eyes met.

Chloe could practically see the wheels turning in their heads, the silent conversation going between them. "That wasn't a challenge!" she exclaimed in total disbelief. God, she wanted to tell Juice about the baby. Ignore Angela's wishes and just tell him not to touch his wife for nine damn months. "Ang…"

Angela laughed, setting the album aside and scooting away from Juice. "Don't worry, he knows."

"I've got a magic penis," Juice stated with a shrug and a grin as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He stood up, offering Angela his hand and pulling her to her feet. "She's going to be fine. All three of my girls."

"He thinks its going to be a girl," Angela explained with a roll of her eyes. "Says he wants three angels."

"Like Charlie," Chloe finished on a chuckle. "Y'all are ridiculous."

Juice's smile widened, his dark eyes glittering with mischief. In that moment, Chloe understood why Angela had fallen in love with him. This must've been the goofy guy she'd met so many years before. "See? She gets it! Charlie's Angels!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I could call and you all could say, 'Good morning, daddy!'"

Angela smacked him, glaring at Chloe. "Don't encourage him!"

"I think its cute!" Chloe offered with a smile. It was nice to see the two laughing and joking around. Nice to see they still held onto whatever normalcy they could.

Happy appeared in the doorway and the room fell silent. He looked confused for a brief moment before shrugging as if he decided he didn't care. "Dinner's ready."

"Right! That's what I was supposed to tell you," Chloe said, feeling a little stupid for not saying it earlier. "Got caught up looking at those pictures."

He looked over his shoulder at the picture on the wall and grimaced. "Shoulda blindfolded ya."

Feeling a little emboldened by the way the Ortiz couple was being all cutesy with each other, Chloe stood on her toes and pecked his cheek. It was the first time she'd initiated any kind of contact between them in front of Angela. Happy tensed for a brief moment, his dark eyes observing her as if he was trying to figure her out before moving lazily to Angela who was pretending she didn't notice. He smirked a little, dipping his head to kiss Chloe's lips.

"Ugh! Can you wait 'til we leave the room? Please!" Angela teased, grabbing Juice's hand and pulling him between the couple and out of the room. "You two are worse than we are!"

Chloe smirked, shaking her head at Angela's back. There was no way the chaste kiss Happy had given her was anywhere near as bad as the positions they'd been caught in. Angela had once told her that they'd be caught once having sex in the funeral homes' hearse by Skeeter and another time in Gemma's office by Happy. That memory seemed to be the one the Tacoma Killer was thinking about if his face was an indication.

"They goin' at it when you came up?" he asked, nodding to the couple.

"Surprisingly no," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just being cute. Looking at pictures together."

"That's worse," he muttered, a look of disgust on his face.

She sighed, looking around the hall for a moment, her eyes lingering on the pictures on the wall. "Its weird for you, isn't it? Me being here? For you and her."

Happy shrugged, his eyes going to the pictures too. "She likes it."

"You don't?"

His eyes met hers, that dark piercing glare making her heart skip a beat. "Told you to come, didn't I?"

She nodded slowly, knowing that was as good of an answer she was going to get. She was okay with what little assurances he could give her that what they had wasn't just a fling. That he wanted her in his life as more than just a quick lay. With a small smile, she grabbed his arm and started pulling him down the hall. "Let's go, killer. Dinner time."

* * *

><p><strong>There. Just a nice, happy chapter. Woot.<strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! Your reviews always inspire me to write more! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	100. Fault

**This chapter was incredibly hard to write hence why it took me so long to post. Definitely not the happiest of chapters.**

**What'd y'all think of the series finale?! Crazy stuff, huh?! Took me awhile to come to grips with it, but I've accepted it for what it is. The series came full circle, and I'm okay with that. :)**

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow. I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Redkazi_**_ (No promises, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to follow S7 exactly), **Guest 1, Mary**, **Guest 2, Haloe Lover** (Haha we'll see if I have time for some Happy/Chloe snippets. Might add them onto my other fic if I get the chance), **Eddie **(Wow! Thank you! Never really considered writing a book! I'd have to have a good idea for one first!), **kerri **(Don't worry, my Happy is pretty set in stone. Not about to change him now.;)), **and Guest 3**_**.**

**This chapter takes place during season 6, episode 10: "Huang Wu". I added some time in between the episodes. Season 6 just goes way too fast for my liking so there's a week between episode 9 and 10.**

**And big thanks to KupKakes09 for her help with some of the finer details of this. Check out her stories! They're awesome!**

**Music note: I listened to "Small Bump" by Ed Sheeran on repeat when I wrote this...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe.**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 100: Fault_

_By Love Ink_

Juice couldn't sleep. He was worried as hell about his wife. About his unborn child. It'd been a week since they'd found out. A week since they'd gone to the hospital together and seen the little heartbeat fluttering on the screen. He hadn't slept since. There was just too much to worry about. His mind was on overdrive. When it came to the club, he felt like he was standing on the edge of a skyscraper. Caught between being good with his brothers and a mayhem vote. All it took was one wrong move, and they'd kill him. He was sure of it. Being there on that edge was driving him insane. Usually he had Angela to help assure him that it was all going to be okay, but since he'd learned about her pregnancy, he hadn't wanted to put that on her. Worse was that he had no release for all of these pent up frustrations. He hadn't touched her in a week. The longest they'd gone since he'd been in prison. Not that he would ever complain to her about it. She was doing her best but hand jobs and blow jobs weren't the same. He missed the intimacy of being with her, of being inside of her.

He combed his fingers through her hair, twirling a strand around his finger. God, he loved this woman. So much. She stirred against him, her cheek nuzzling against his chest, but she stayed asleep. He turned his head, pressing his lips to her forehead and letting them linger there while he breathed in the scent of her hair. Just being close to her like this quieted his mind a bit. Chased away the demons he'd been wrestling with since killing Miles.

Evie's cries came over the baby monitor just moments before Rigor came running into their room, sitting by the bed and whining. Angela groaned, her hand stroking over his chest before she pushed herself off of him. "I got her," she murmured, tossing back the covers.

"You sure, Mama?"

She nodded, leaning over to kiss him before slipping out of bed. She was wearing a pair of loose boxers, and a huge t-shirt, a change from her usual lace boy shorts and tanks. He knew she was doing it because she thought it made her look less appealing to him. She couldn't be more wrong. She would always be sexy to him regardless of what she was wearing.

Turning on his side, he reached over to grab the baby monitor listening to Angela talk to Evie as if the baby could understand her. He smiled when he heard her singing Evie to sleep with the song they'd named her after. The song never failed to put their baby girl to sleep, and—though he'd never admit it—he had it memorized too. The sound of Angela's voice was soothing, and he found his eyelids growing heavier as he curled up, the baby monitor held tightly in his hand.

Angela walked back into their room and smiled at the sight before her. Juice was curled around the baby monitor, sleeping peacefully. She took a moment to enjoy his sleeping face, void of all the troubles that had been weighing on him for months now. He'd stop letting her in since they'd found out about the baby, and she knew it was to keep her from stressing but it was only stressing her more. She knew he needed someone to talk to, and with Chibs, his closest brother, all but alienating him, he was left floating around the club, looking for someone to connect with.

She slid into bed behind him, curling around him, her hand rubbing over his chest as she draped her leg over his hip. "Talk to me, Juicy," she murmured, pressing a kiss to the scar the prison shiv had left in his back before nuzzling her nose against his warm skin. "You've been too quiet lately. You're stressin' me out."

He smirked at the irony; the reason he hadn't told her anything was because he didn't want to stress her out. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed the tattoo on her ring finger before leaning back into her. She scooted away, letting him lie on his back before she moved closer, putting her head on his chest. "A kid threw a wrench through our window, Jax and Nero had a fist fight since Nero 'n' Gemma think Tara's miscarriage was fake…just like you do," he told her softly, playing with her hair while he spoke.

"Mmm," she hummed, tracing over her name as she processed what he'd told her. "I really, really want to believe it wasn't, but..."

"Can't believe she would do that."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Juice frowned at that, tugging gently on her hair to get her to look up at him. "You ever want to leave, just tell me. I'll let you go. I'll get it," he promised, though the idea of her leaving made him sick to his stomach. "I just want you to be safe."

"I'm not going anywhere, Juice. How many times do I have to tell you that?" she asked, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. She moved in closer to kiss him. "You're my husband. 'til death do us part, right?"

He nodded slowly, wrapping his arm closer around her and pulling into him. "I really, really hope it doesn't anytime soon. Want to meet this new little goomba," he said, his other hand moving to her still flat stomach. She smiled, turning her head to kiss his chest. His hand rubbed over her back, his mind drifting to the tattoos he knew were inked in her skin underneath the t-shirt. Just the thought of them turned him on. "Miss being with you, Angel."

She groaned, knowing exactly how he was feeling. "Miss you too. Just eight more months and a handful of weeks," she murmured on a sigh. She was quiet for a moment, tracing out random designs on his torso. "I understand if you need to…to…get some kind of release with someone else though. Just…wrap it. Don't want any STDs."

He scoffed at that, tugging on her hair again to catch her attention. "It not going to happen. Vowed to be faithful, didn't I?"

Angela laughed rolling her eyes at him. "I'm giving you a hall pass for this one. I know this isn't easy."

He tilted his head forward, brushing his nose against hers. "Waited fourteen months for you before. Think I can handle nine."

"You didn't have a choice before," she reminded him.

"I. Love. _You_," he stated, annunciating each word. "That's it, Angel. You and Evie and Goomba are the top three people in my life. You're all I need."

She smiled as he kissed her lips, content just to lay there together, the rest of the world forgotten. "You think its weird that we're callin' the kid 'Goomba'? I mean, its an evil mushroom from a video game."

Juice mulled it over, thankful for the change of subject. When they were alone their conversations often went like that. Something serious to something stupid. It's what made it so easy to be with her. She never let things get too heavy. "I mean, we call the other one our sea monkey. Can't be that weird," he decided on a shrug. "Least we're consistent with the weird names 'n' all. 's better than Cletus the fetus."

"That is true," she mused on a light laugh.

"You got that doctor's appointment tomorrow, right? Want me to go?"

Angela sighed and shook her head. "You don't have to. I have another one next week too," she replied on a frustrated sigh. "This weekly checkup things suck. They make me more stressed than anything."

"It's all going to be fine, baby," he assured her, kissing her again. "Now go back to sleep. Goomba needs rest."

* * *

><p>Tara glared at Juice in the rearview mirror of her SUV. He was sitting there on his motorcycle waiting for her to leave, ready to follow her, keep her from her boys. This was all his fault, though. If it wasn't for him, Angela would've agreed to take the boys out of there. She wouldn't be in this situation with Wendy the junkie being the one to take custody of her boys if she went to jail. She'd have nice, safe Angela. A woman she trusted, who was smart and loyal. Angela would've taken the boys out of Charming, would've raised them the right way while she waited for her to get out of prison.<p>

But no. Angela was in love with Juice. She was loyal to Juice and stubborn as hell in her refusal to leave. Tara didn't understand that loyalty. Why on earth would she stay in Charming with a newborn baby after all that had happened? Wasn't she there when the clubhouse exploded? Didn't she understand how dangerous it was for her daughter be raised in such an environment?

It was the undertaker's fault that she had to go to the desperate measure of turning to Wendy. That she had to use manipulation and deceit to get her way. She was sure Jax would've signed off on the undertaker getting custody of their boys without thinking twice. Angela was the wise choice. There was no history there like there was between him and Wendy. He would've signed off, and all she'd have to do was divorce him and that'd be it. Angela could leave Charming with her boys, and they'd all be safe. They'd all be happy. She wouldn't have to worry that her boys were going to be raised by some junkie whore because Angela was the complete opposite. She would make sure Thomas and Abel got their best chance in everything. All of their lives would be better outside of the cesspool that was Charming.

But that would never happen. All because of the idiot sitting behind her on his flashy motorcycle. Without another thought, Tara started the car, throwing it into reverse and hitting the accelerator as hard as she could. She didn't give a shit if she hurt Juice or his precious bike. This was all his fault.

* * *

><p>Angela left Evie with Bones, Kenny, and Ellie at the funeral home and headed to St. Thomas. She'd been feeling as if a dark cloud was hanging over her head all morning, and she couldn't shake it. Something was brewing. Something was wrong, and she was scared as hell as to what it could be.<p>

Chloe greeted her with a big smile once she got out of the elevator. Her smile quickly faded when she saw Angela's troubled face. "What's wrong?"

She shrugged a shoulder, letting out a long breath. "I don't know. Something feels…off."

"Like physically?"

Angela shook her head. "You ever get these bad feelings? Like you know something bad is going to happen and you're just waiting for the shit to hit the fan?"

"Ang, everything is going to be fine," Chloe assured her with a small smile.

She shrugged again. "I don't mean with the baby. At least, I don't think so. I mean…I just have this feeling."

"C'mon. Let's just go get you all checked up. Maybe you'll feel better after," the nurse suggested, leading her to the exam room. "Want me to stay with you? I'm not your nurse, but I can take my break now and sit."

Angela shook her head slowly. "Not necessary. I'll be fine, thanks."

She waited for Chloe to leave before changing into the paper gown and sitting on the table, swinging her legs back and forth as she thought. The doctor came in and went through the motions of checking her blood pressure, poking and prodding her. She answered his monotonous questions and waited for him to prep the machine that allowed him to check the heartbeat, her feet up on stirrups. As the doctor inserted the probe, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to relax. For a brief moment, she wished she'd told Juice to come. Wished he was there to hold her hand.

Her eyes locked onto the screen, her stomach twisted into knots as she stared at the fuzzy image. She knew what to expect, what to look for, and so far, there was absolutely nothing. No movement at all. Looking back at the doctor, she saw him frown. A lump rose to her throat, tears pricking at her eyes. "No flutter, huh?"

"Maybe just a little more to the left," he attempted, moving the probe around in a way that made her even more uncomfortable. "Sometimes these can be tricky."

Angela smiled a little at his kindness, but she knew he was lying. If there was something to see, they would've seen it already. "Doc, please, don't make this any harder," she asked him softly. "There's no heartbeat, right?"

The doctor frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Mrs. Ortiz. I'm sorry. We knew this was high risk going into it. Your body just wasn't ready to carry another zygote so soon."

She nodded, wiping quickly at her eyes. "I know," she said, doing her best to keep her tone even despite how badly she wanted to cry. "Thank you for all of your help."

"We have a few more things to discuss before you leave…"

Angela knew he was talking, but she couldn't make any sense of what he was saying. Her hand settled over her stomach as she stared at the ceiling. She'd lost their child. She hadn't been strong enough to hold onto it. To take care of it. This was all her fault.

* * *

><p>Chloe was standing outside of Angela's examination room when the doctor walked out. He handed her Angela's file, a grim look on his face. "Get her to an OR and prep her for a D&amp;C surgery," he said on a frown. "Poor girl. Had high hopes for her too."<p>

She smiled sadly and nodded, brushing past him and into the room. Angela was sitting there staring at the monitor. Her face was blank, her fingers trailing over her lower stomach. "What'd I do wrong, Chlo?" she asked, her voice rough. Her dark eyes left the monitor and met her gaze. The pain in them broke Chloe's heart. "What'd I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing, Ang," Chloe said grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly. "Nothing. It wasn't your fault at all."

Angela sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. "I didn't really want a baby until I couldn't have it anymore," she said on a sad laugh. "Isn't that terrible? I thought it was too soon. I was scared, and I…I jinxed myself."

"Don't say that," she scoffed, scowling at her friend. "I know you wanted it. Both you and Juice, and you two can have another one, you know?"

Hearing his name made a tear slip down Angela's face. "Juice," she choked out, more tears falling down her face. "Chlo, I need to tell Juice."

Chloe frowned, grabbing her phone out of her pocket. "I'll call him. Sit tight."

* * *

><p>Juice cooling off after Tara had almost run him over. He'd gotten his little revenge when he gave her the address to Collette's place. She was in for a surprise with that one. He was sure Jax was balls deep in Collette at the moment. A part of him felt bad for setting her up to walk in on that, another part of him could care less. Not only to Tara deserve it, but in a way, he thought Jax did too. His club president had put him through enough shit. Payback was a bitch.<p>

He was sitting in the hallway that led to the Teller boys' daycare playing a game on his personal cell when a call interrupted him. His brows furrowed in concern when he read the name. Chloe didn't call him unless it was an emergency. "Chlo? What's going on?"

"Where are you? Can you get to St. Thomas like…now?" her voice sounding a little panicked.

Juice was pushing up out of his seat and practically jogging to the elevators. "Yeah. I'm here. Where is she?" he asked, cradling his phone in the crook of his neck while pulling out his burner to text Rat to take his place.

"Baby floor. Room 345."

His heart was hammering in his chest as he waited for the elevator. "Chlo…is this…what I think it is?"

There was a long pause before Chloe sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Juice."

Juice felt his mouth go dry as a lump formed in his throat. His baby. He'd lost his baby. "Shit. Is she…is she okay?"

"No. No she's not."

He hung up the phone as the elevator doors opened up to the third floor. Chloe was waiting there for him. As soon as he stepped out, she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Juice," she murmured.

Juice hugged her back numbly, still trying to process everything. "What happened?" he asked, trying to keep hold of his own tears.

"Doc couldn't find a heartbeat. He tried everything but...it was just too soon after Eves. She wasn't healed," she explained quietly.

"Shit," he cursed, taking in a deep breath.

Chloe frowned, nodding slowly. "She's going into surgery in a few minutes."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Surgery?" he asked, his voice higher than normal. "What the hell? What does she…"

"She can either wait to see if she can miscarry naturally or we can do it now."

"And she wants to get it over with," he filled in softly. He wasn't surprised. Angela wasn't the sit and wait type. "Shit. Can I see her beforehand?"

Chloe nodded, gesturing to the door. He went to open it, but she stopped him. "She's blaming herself for this, Juice. You need to make her see it's not her fault."

"Of course it's not her fault," he replied on a scowl. This was his fault. Karma coming back to bite him in the ass for all of the bad shit he'd done. He never considered it would hurt her. Hurt his baby. But it had. "It's mine," he muttered under his breath before opening the door.

Angela sat there in one of those paper gowns, her legs hanging over the table, head hung down low. He saw a tear fall down from her face and splash against the front of her gown. He moved towards her quietly, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek when he was close enough, simultaneously lifting her face so their eyes met. The look in her dark eyes tore his heart to pieces. "I'm sorry," she choked out, more tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

He shook his head slowly, feeling his own tears gather in his eyes. "Its not your fault, baby," he told her, wiping away her tears. He kissed her forehead, her cheek, her lips, before pressing his head against hers. "Its not your fault."

Her whole body shook as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in closer. He enveloped her in his arms and held on tightly as she started to cry. "I got you, Angel. You're gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay. I got you," he whispered, repeating the last three words over and over again. He didn't know what else to say, how else to fix it. He smoothed his hands down her back, a few of his own tears escaping his hold. "I love you, baby. It's going to be okay."

* * *

><p>Juice sat on the edge of Angela's hospital bed, watching her sleep. He was glad she had to be put under for her procedure, it meant she got to sleep in peace for a little while. Gently, he stroked a hand over her head, leaning forward to kiss her temple. "I love you, Angel," he whispered to her, his voice cracking a little bit. "I'm sorry for this. This is all on me. I should've made you leave. Soon as I found out. Shoulda sent you somewhere safe."<p>

"Wouldn't have mattered," Chloe piped in front the doorway. "Had nothing to do with stress or habits, it was too soon. She wasn't fully healed from Evie. You both knew it was a slim chance it could take. And if it did, Ang would have to be off of her feet for months. _Months_, Juice. Ang can't even sit on her ass and relax for a whole _day._ How do you expect her to last a few _months?_"

He smiled a little at that, brushing her hair away from her face. His wife never stopped moving. She was always running around doing something for someone. Even the times they'd gone away for the weekend, Angela would wake up early to go for a run or a swim. "She coulda done it."

"I don't doubt that. But at what cost? She'd go insane. She'd drive you _insane_."

"Nah. We woulda been fine."

Chloe sighed sadly. "This isn't your last chance, y'know. You two have plenty of time to have more kids. Just…put some years in between them and listen to me when I tell you not to do shit. Please."

Juice nodded, taking Angela's hand into his own and rubbing his thumb over the ink that was there. That marked her as his. "I just…want her to be happy. Hate seeing her like that. It…it _hurts _to see her so upset."

"She's going to be fine, Juice," she said, setting her hand on his shoulder. "She's a strong woman. She'll get through it, especially if she has you to support her."

"I'm here. I'll always be here," he said, bringing Angela's hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "I love her so much."

Chloe smiled warmly at him, squeezing his shoulder. "You're a good guy, Juicy."

He didn't reply, just stayed staring at Angela until he heard Chloe walk out. "I'm not," he said quietly. The weight of what happened still fell heavily on his shoulders. This was all his fault. Everything he touched turned to shit. The only reason he was blessed with a healthy baby girl to begin with was because she'd been created before he'd killed a brother, before he killed an innocent woman, before he'd become a pawn in Jax's game…before he'd become a monster. He didn't deserve another child. He wasn't worthy of it, so it was taken from him. Angela was being punished for his mistakes, and he hated himself for it. "I'm really not."

* * *

><p><strong>Gah. Sorry for the sad chapter. :( I promise I'll post another happy Christmas chapter to my other fic soon to make up for it!<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**

**Your feedback is always welcome. Good, bad, I love hearing from y'all!**

**~Love Ink**


	101. If You Say So

**Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! :) **

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! Y'all are constantly inspiring me! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Mary, Tay _**_(Thanks! Can't believe I've passed 100! Stay tuned, its gonna be a bumpy ride!), **Eleonora, Guest 1, DarkChild20 **(Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! Some Hap and Ang moments are on the way but not just yet),** Melissa Boileau, Bribearxx **(If people are interested in reading past the season finale, then I'll keep on writing! I have a lot planned for these characters, so as long as there is still interest, I'll keep posting!), **Haloe lover **(Merry Christmas to you too! Hope it was a good one!), **and Guest 2 **(There will be a lot more to this story! Stay tuned!)_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 101: If You Say So_

_By Love Ink_

Happy's phone buzzed in his pocket while they sat there waiting for the Italians to show up. Digging into his pocket, he checked the number before putting it to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Hap?" Chloe's voice crackled on the other line.

He shifted on his seat a bit, hoping this call wasn't about something stupid. He'd given her the number in case of emergencies. If she was calling to ask if he was coming home, he wasn't going to give her the number to his burner ever again. "This an emergency?"

"You know that thing we talked about last night?" she asked cryptically.

He did. She'd told him Angela was pregnant again in hopes that he would help her make sure his little cousin followed all the rules that went along with her high risk pregnancy. "Yeah."

"It…isn't happening anymore."

Happy let out a long breath, rubbing a hand over his head. He'd been worried this would happen. "Shit. She okay?"

"No."

He looked around, debating whether or not he could leave and head back to Charming to be with his cousin. They had more than enough brothers there to cover Jax's back, but he was the only one that wore the Sergeant patch. It was his job to protect the rest of his brothers above all else. If he left now, he'd be forsaking that job, he'd be failing that title. "The idiot with her?"

"Yeah, but he's not okay either."

"She need me?" he asked, though he already knew the answer to that question.

He heard her sigh quietly. "Why do you think I called you?"

Hap sighed again, closing his eyes. It was a rare event that he had to choose between his club and his blood family. He knew the pain Angela must be in, he felt it in his gut. He knew she needed him, but so did his club. He'd given Angela to Juice on their wedding day. Had trusted him to be there for her when he couldn't be. This was one of those moments. Chloe had told him before to step back and let Angela and Juice be, and this time, he was going to do exactly that. He didn't really have a choice. "Be there as soon as I can, killer. Take care a her."

"No, she needs _you_ now!" she insisted, her voice stronger in her resolve now. "She draws strength from _you_. She needs you here."

The fact that she was right was really starting to piss him off, but he did his best not to snap at her. "Can't swing it right now."

"Hap, she just lost her _baby_. Don't do this now. Don't choose today to pick the club over her. She _needs _you!"

Happy didn't know why he was fighting with her. He should've hung up the phone the second she'd told him 'no', but for some reason, he couldn't do that to her. Probably because he knew she was right. "Ain't happening."

"Happy Lowman, you do this. You pick the club over Angela, your _kid_, and you are _not _the man I thought you were. Do _not_ expect to be allowed back into _my_ house _ever _again. This is your family. Your _blood._ Family _always_ comes first."

And with that her line went dead. Happy growled to himself as he slammed his burner shut and threw it into the pocket of his cut. There was no way he could leave now. No way for him to desert his brothers and just head out. Guilt weighed heavy on his shoulders as he sighed, running a hand over his head. He had a bad feeling swirling around the pit of his stomach, but there was nothing he could do about it at this point. He'd made his decision, and he had to stick to it.

* * *

><p>Angela walked into the house first, Juice trailing behind with Evie in her carrier. The second they were inside, Evie started to cry. The sound of it made Angela's heart ache. She'd lost a baby. Lost Evie's brother or sister. Her eyes teared up as she shook her head. "I can't do this," she whispered, wiping at her eyes. "I need…I need to get out."<p>

"Angel?" Juice asked, his eyes filled with concern and a little fear.

She swallowed hard, grabbing the keys he'd just set on the counter. "I can't…Juice, I gotta…I can't breathe."

"Baby, calm down," Juice said as he picked Evie up out of her carrier. Daddy's girl that she was, she quieted as soon as he had her in his arms. "It's okay."

Angela shook her head, suddenly feeling like the world was caving in on her. "Just…" she started, staring at the door.

"You're not s'posed to be driving, Angel," he told her, reaching out to take the keys from her hands.

She closed her fingers around them tightly. "Juice, please. I need to think, to breathe. _Please_."

Juice knew he should tell her no, that he should get her to stay, but he was helpless when it came to giving Angela what she wanted. He'd never been able to say 'no' to her. "Okay," he said, dropping his hand to his side. He swallowed hard as he watched her walk by. "You're coming back, though right?"

Angela turned from her place at the door, wiping at her eyes quickly. "Yeah. 'course. I just…need to clear my head."

Now that he understood. He often did the same thing. "Be safe, baby."

She nodded, opening the door and heading out to her car. Slipping into the driver's side, she rolled down all of the windows and turned up the music, hoping it would drown out her thoughts. Her inner demons were coming out to play, and she had no other way to drive them away. She was an unfit wife, an unfit mother. She'd killed Mel. Had taken a father away from his son and karma had come back to bite her by taking her baby away from her before she even got to meet it. She sped to the highway, unsure of where she was going but knowing she had to get the hell out of Charming.

That was how she ended up at the little cemetery in Oakland. She wandered among the graves, reading the names and dates she was so familiar with. When she was little, she'd made up stories about some of them, even going so far as to look some of them up in the county records when she was old enough. The sight of them was strangely comforting. Everything about her life had changed, yet they remained the same.

Then she came to the beautiful black headstone with her father's name on one side of it, the other left blank for her mother. "Hey Papi," she greeted, sinking down to her knees as a lump rose to her throat. She grabbed the dead red roses out of the built in vase and set them on the ground beside her, staring at the name that was written there: _Victor Angelo Ruiz_. She'd been named after him just as her daughter had been. "Sorry it's been awhile. I got married, though. Had a baby. Evangeline Victoria. Named her after you."

She sniffled, wiping at her eyes as she shook her head. "I lost a baby too, Papi. I'm so sorry. I hope she's up there with you, now. Take good care of her okay? She deserved better," she choked out before it all became too much. She was tired of being strong. Bowing her head, she let the sorrow and guilt take over and began to weep. "I'm so sorry, I let you down. I've done horrible, horrible things and I'm so sorry."

She didn't know how long she'd been kneeling there when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. The smell of a familiar cologne filled her nose, and she was brought back to her teenage years. Tilting her head back, she found none other than Marcus Alvarez standing over her. Without a word, he held out a hand to her, helping her to her feet before pulling her into a tight hug. "It's going to be okay, _mija_," he murmured to her, holding her close as she cried into his shoulder. "Dunno what happened, but its going to be okay."

Angela pulled away, taking deep breaths to try and compose herself. She reached out a hand and wiped a tearstain off of his cut. " 'm sorry, Marc," she said, trying for a smile. "Just had a-a _really_ hard day."

" 's okay, _mija_. Not the first time I've gotten those tears on my cut," he reminded her with a small smile. _"Que paso_?" _(What happened?)_

"Oh um…nothing," she answered on a shrug. She didn't feel comfortable discussing what had happened with him. It felt wrong. "Just…a lot of things. What are you doing here?"

"Visitin' my son," he told her, nodding in the direction of a headstone that was loaded with fresh flowers.

She'd known Esai was buried there, but she had yet to visit his grave. Mentally, she calculated what day it was. "For his birthday," she stated on a frown.

"Yeah. Dia was here earlier _pero _I can't come with her no more. Always ends in a fight."

Angela could only guess it had to do with the fact that Marcus willingly sacrificed his son. Diana was as devoted to the Mayans as Gemma was to the Sons, but losing Esai had to have hurt her. No one could be that okay with losing their son like that. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Marcus shrugged a shoulder. "Would do her some good to see you. She made tamales last night to honor him. There's leftovers."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She knew she shouldn't. That she should say no and go home to her husband and daughter, but she needed someone to talk to. Someone who would understand. Diana knew her better than most people did, and she had a feeling that if anyone understood what she was going through, it'd be her. "Sounds good. Tell Dia I'll be over in a little while."

Angela stood on the front step of the Alvarez house and rang the doorbell. She smiled when she heard little footsteps running towards the door, a high pitched scream accompanying it. Diana opened the door with little Tessa squirming on her hip. "_Tia Gee_!" she exclaimed reaching her arms out to Angela.

She grinned as she grabbed Tessa, pressing a kiss to her chubby cheek. She and Diana had monthly lunches that they kept secret from their Old Men, something they'd put into motion after they'd talked at the Race and Rally so long ago. They usually met up at Santana Row down in San Jose, a good hour or so away from both of their homes and a place neither of their outlaw families would ever think to visit. _"Hola hermosa_," she greeted, giving her a tight squeeze. "How are you?" _(Hello, beautiful.)_

"Good!" the almost five year old exclaimed before wriggling around until Angela put her down. "I got new toys! Wanna see?"

"Tessa," Diana said, her voice a warning. "Let her come in first, _mija_. _Veni, Angelita_. Got some tamales ready for you." (_Come.)_

Angela smiled as Diana pulled her into a warm hug. "Thanks Dia," she said, taking a step inside and breathing in the familiar smell of the Alvarez household. It hadn't changed much since she'd last been there save for the dolls and pink toys that littered the ground. Pictures of Esai still hung up on the walls, most of them had her in them too. She smiled at the one of his prom. They looked so young and happy. Esai in his white tux with a dark green tie, her in her matching dark green dress. She was only sixteen in that picture. So young, so naïve. She'd thought they'd be together forever back then.

"_Angelita_?" Dia's voice called from the kitchen. She shook herself from her thoughts and headed into the warm kitchen. Diana made her sit down and set a plate of food in front of her. "Eat. You're too skinny. _Y? Que paso? _Marcus said you were very upset when he ran into you." (_And? What happened?)_

She frowned at the plate of food, not all that hungry, but she grabbed her fork and took a bite anyway. The taste was comforting and almost made her start blubbering all over again. "These are good, Dia," she commented, swallowing the bite to keep the lump from rising in her throat.

"_Por supuesto. _Now, _que paso_? You don't cry easy, _mijita_." (_Of course. Now what happened?)_

She pushed the food around her plate for a moment before taking in a deep breath. "You-you ever have a…miscarriage, Dia?"

"Is that what happened?" Diana's hazel eyes grew sad as she sat down in the seat next to Angela. She reached out a hand to grab the younger woman's and give it a sympathetic squeeze. "_Si, mi amor_. Why do you think it took us so long to have Tessa?" _(Yes, my love.)_

Angela sniffled a bit as she nodded. "Yeah," she replied on a breath, hanging her head. "I…I got pregnant right after Eves and I just…I wasn't strong enough…"

"Strength has nothing to do with it," Dia said, reaching out a hand to lift Angela's chin. "_Mira_, I know it hurts. You feel like its your fault, _pero_ its not. _Aveces_ things like this happen _y_ _no puedes controlarlo. Entiendes_? But that doesn't mean you weren't strong enough, _mijita_. _Todo pasa _for a reason. So it didn't work out this time? You're young, you have _years_ to make another one. Do you know how hard it would be if it worked out? You'd have two tiny babies to take care of! _Y ya sabes que dificil _it is with only one! Think of having _two_!" (_Look…but…sometimes…and you can't control them. Understand?...everything happens for a reason…And you already know how hard it is…)_

Angela shook her head sadly. "He wanted a new baby so badly, Dia. He was so excited. I haven't seen him smile like that since…since we got married. I just wanted him to be happy again. I didn't mean to disappoint him."

"Did he _say_ that he was disappointed in you, _mija_?"

"Well…no," she replied feeling a little stupid. "But how could he not be? I lost his kid!"

"Not on purpose!" Dia pointed out on a laugh. "_Angelita_, he is your _esposo_. He loves you. I saw it. When we went to that wedding, I saw the way he looked at you. _Te quiere tanto. _If he's the good man you say he is, then he is probably more concerned about you than anything. Go home. Talk to him. Let him be there for you. _Vas a ver_. You'll find more comfort in him than anyone else. He knows what you're going through. Understands how you feel." _(Husband…he loves you a lot…You'll see.)_

"That how Marc was with you?"

She nodded solemnly. "There's a reason I've stayed with him all these years. When you get married, you take vows. For better or for worse. Right?" she asked, waiting for the younger girl to nod before squeezing her hand and continuing, "This is that 'worse'. He will love you through it as you will love him through it too. You both are hurting. What happened is devastating, but it will get better as long as you support each other. Love each other."

Angela wiped at her eyes as she stood slowly. "Okay, Dia. _Gracias por todo. _I needed that," she said, hugging Dia tightly once more before she said bye to Tessa and headed out. She got into the car feeling like an enormous weight was lifted off of her shoulders. She wasn't alone in this. She still had Juice. They could pull through this together. They had to.

* * *

><p>Juice checked his computer screen again, staring at the little red dot that told him where his wife was. Oakland. First the cemetery, then a little house he knew was the Alvarez's. The dot was moving now, heading back to Charming at an alarming rate thanks to Angela's lead foot. She'd scared the shit out of him earlier. He'd never seen her like that, never thought she'd have such a break down. But that was because Happy had always been there to calm her down. To straighten out her head, but he hadn't come this time. Hadn't been there to be the tough one. To tell her to be strong and stop crying. Juice couldn't be harsh with her like that. It didn't feel right to him to be so callous. He wasn't sure why Happy hadn't shown. Maybe he didn't know she was pregnant in the first place…or maybe the Triads had taken him before he could find out. He was willing to bet it was the second one.<p>

That was another thing that worried him. How the hell was he supposed to tell Angela that her cousin had been taken as a hostage? She was already freaked out as it was. That was the last thing she needed. "Your Mama's gonna be okay, Monk," Juice told his daughter who was cradled in his arms staring up at him with those big dark eyes of hers focused on his mouth. "She's sad now, but she'll get better. 'n' we'll give you a brother or sister in a couple years, okay? Not now. You don't want a stinky sister anyway. Do ya?"

She gurgled back at him, and he smiled. He couldn't help it. Angela had mentioned that Evie had started to respond to her when she talked, but he'd thought it was just her wishful thinking. He had yet to experience it on his own until now. "No, you don't, huh baby girl? No stinky siblings for you!"

To his surprise, Evie smiled at him. Not one of those gassy smiles but a real smile. Another thing he'd thought Angela had been exaggerating. She'd been convinced she'd gotten one of those smiles a few days before, but he hadn't believed there'd be a noticeable difference. Now, he understood. "Jesus Christ, Monk. You got a gorgeous smile!" he cooed to her kissing her cheek. He got to his feet and walked with her to her room, ready to put her down for a nap. "Daddy's gonna have to hide you from all the boys! You're never leavin' the house!"

* * *

><p>The front door opened and Angela walked in looking a hell of a lot better than she had when she'd left. Without a word, she dropped down onto the couch next to him. Juice moved his arm around her as she cuddled into his side. He turned to press a kiss to her forehead but didn't say a single word or ask a single question. If there was something she wanted to tell him, she would. Otherwise, he was fine just sitting there with her close to him.<p>

"Thank you," she said softly, breaking the silence. He shrugged in response, reaching out a hand to grab the remote and turn off the TV. He had a feeling there was more she wanted to talk about, and it was going to take a while for her to get there. Her dark eyes fell on his computer that was open on the coffee table, staring at the live feed from the camera in Evie's room. Evie was fast asleep, looking particularly angelic with her hair a complete mess. There was a map with a GPS dot flashing over their house on the other half of the screen. "Tracking device on my phone?"

"Yup," he said, not at all ashamed to admit it. "Just in case."

She closed her eyes and sighed again. Clearly the fact that he had a tracking device on her phone didn't bother her in the slightest. "I went to visit my dad and…Alvarez was there. Visiting Esai. Today is E's birthday. Marc told me to go visit with his wife because she made tamales. Me and Dia had a…really nice talk. And I know you're uncomfortable with that whole relationship, but I needed that. She…she's been through all of this shit before."

He nodded, a little thankful for Alvarez's Old Lady. The change in Angela's attitude from when she'd left was a total one eighty, and he was so glad to see it. Glad that she'd come back to him with her head somewhat sorted out. "What'd she say?"

"She told me that it wasn't my fault. That everything happens for a reason, and that I should talk to you because you are the only person who understands what I'm feeling at this exact moment because you're feeling it too," she explained, her voice thick with sadness.

Juice lifted his hand off of her hip and tangled it into her hair, playing with the soft tresses. "She's right. About everything."

"Feels shitty, huh?"

"Yeah. It does," he agreed softly. He knew better than to try and make light of the situation. It was only going to drive her farther away. It was better to be honest with her, to share in her pain so they could carry that burden together. "But we'll be okay, okay? You 'n' me. We got Eves, we got Rigs, and one day, we'll have another little Ortiz runnin' around."

Angela nodded, taking in a shaky breath. "I know."

"I'm not disappointed, Angel," he told her. "You keep sayin' we've got time and I'm not goin' anywhere, so I'm gonna roll with that. We got time. Hopefully, plenty of it. I'm not…it hurts me that you're in pain, and I hate to see you so sad, but I'm not disappointed in you for what happened. Not at all."

"I know," she repeated, a relieved sigh escaping her lips. She moved to straddle him, her knees on either side of his hips. Her dark eyes scanned his face for a brief moment. "You don't blame yourself, do you?"

He blinked at her, wondering how she could possible know. That's when the concern flooded into her eyes. Gone was the sadness he'd seen there before, and it was no replaced with worry. He sighed sadly, his hands smoothing up her thighs before settling on her hips. "Ang…"

"No," she cut him off quickly. "No, you do _not_ get to blame this on yourself. If this had nothing to do with me, then it had nothing to do with you either."

"It's karma, Angel. I killed that innocent girl 'n' now…"

"I killed Mel," she argued with a scowl. "This could easily be my own karma."

"He deserved it."

"Maybe she did too," she suggested, though her tone said she was really just trying to make him feel better.

Juice gave her a doubtful look. "So we both got shit karma," he gave in after a moment. He reached up a hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "But we also have each other. And a gorgeous kid."

"Must've done something right to get Eves, huh?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at his laptop to check on Evie.

"I must've done something right to get _you_," he corrected with a small smile as he gave her hips a squeeze. She rolled her eyes at his cheesiness, but smiled back at him anyway. He moved is hand to her neck, gently pulling her face down to his so he could give her a soft, sweet kiss. "I love you, Angel. We're gonna pull through this together, promise."

Angela was quiet for a minute, just studying his face before she nodded slowly. "I hope so."

Juice was about to say something more when her phone rang, the sound coming from the back pocket of her jeans. He could feel the vibration of it against his thigh and groaned. Angela sat up a little bit to grab the phone, putting her cleavage right in his face. He took advantage and nuzzled his nose into her cleavage. She let him, answering the phone despite the fact that he was nose deep in her breasts. "Hey Chlo," she greeted, running her free hand over the side of Juice's head. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothin'. Just checkin' in. How are you feeling?"

She bit back a gasp as Juice turned his face and sunk his teeth into the soft skin of her breast. "Shit. Um…I'm fine," she said, letting her husband continue what he was doing despite how distracting it was. "How are you?"

"Good," she said shortly. "Have you…have you heard from Hap at all?"

"Nope. Why?" she asked, confused. There was no reason for her to have talked to Happy. He wasn't supposed to know about her pregnancy, therefore he wouldn't know to call to see if she was okay. Unless… "Jesus Christ, Chlo! Did you _tell _him?"

Chloe sighed softly. "He's your cousin, Ang."

That pissed her off. It was something Kozik would've done if he were still alive, and she would've hated him for it. "You've _got _to be kidding me!"

"You needed the support!" she justified.

"That's what I have Juice for!" she exclaimed, making him look up at her with that adorable confused look she loved.

An exasperated sigh left Chloe's lips. "Well, whatever. I'm sorry, I guess. Have you heard from him?"

"No," she said, shortly.

"Has Juice?"

"Why does it matter?" she asked. Juice, figuring that whatever the girls were talking about didn't involve him anymore, was slowly popping open the snaps of her shirt for better access to her chest. He grinned when he saw she was wearing one of her nursing bras, his fingers deftly unbuttoning the little flap that covered her nipple.

"I just…he should've called you. It's weird that he hasn't yet," Chloe pointed out.

Juice's mouth closed around her nipple, his teeth grazing the sensitive flesh. "_Juice_!" she exclaimed, finally pushing his head away.

He gave her a Cheshire cat grin, his light brown eyes sparkling devilishly. "What?"

"You're the worst!" she said closing the little flap before leaning forward to kiss his nose.

"You know you're still on the phone, right?" Chloe reminded her. "And that you can't have sex!"

Juice chuckled; he could clearly hear her shouting on the other line. "We're not, Chlo!"

"He just discovered the flap on my bra is not just for nursing," she told Chloe on a laugh.

"I didn't need to know that," the nurse shot back on a sigh. "Can you ask him about Hap?"

Angela let out a frustrated sigh, slapping away Juice's hands as they went for the little flap again. "Sure. Why are you so worried, though? You guys get into a fight?"

"Don't worry about it. Ask him, and I'll let you two get back to whatever the hell it is you two are doing. As long as it's not sex."

"Ugh, fine," she said, pushing Juice's face out of her cleavage again. "Baby, do you know anything about Hap?"

Juice's head fell back against the couch as he let out a sigh. "Shit. Um. Tell Chlo you'll call her back," he told her on a frown. At her look, he tacked on, "Please."

She did what he said, hanging up on her friend despite her protests. Juice grabbed the phone from her and tossed it on the other side of the couch. She looked at the phone and sighed. "Okay. What happened to Hap?"

"The Chinese are kind of…holding him as collateral."

Angela blinked at him. There was no way she'd heard him right. "I'm sorry. _What_?"

Juice sighed again. "Shit went down with the Triads so to smooth things over, Jax made them some promises, and they took Happy as collateral."

"Meaning that if Jax doesn't pull through, they're going to _kill_ him!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

He shook his head slowly. "But Jax'll get him back, baby. It's going to be okay."

Angela climbed off of him, sitting down next to him and raking her hands through her hair. Her mind was reeling. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Happy's life was in Jax Teller's hands. The same Jax Teller who was toying with her husband's life was now toying with Happy's. She had no confidence in the club's president. No trust that he would keep her cousin safe. She hated him for using Juice and letting them take Hap. Hated Chibs for alienating Juice. Hated Tig for killing Donna, for taking away Kenny and Ellie's mother. Hated Clay for sending Koz into the minefield. Hated Bobby for trying to make the club stronger, for not just letting it die already. Hated the club in general for constantly hurting the people she loved most.

Juice's warm hand on her shoulder made her tense. "Hey, he's going to be okay."

"How do you know that?" she snapped back at him. He recoiled a bit at the venom in her tone, and she instantly felt bad for taking it out on him. "Sorry. I just…I can't lose him. I already lost Kozik, I can't…"

"You're not going to lose him, Angel. You know your cousin. You think he's gonna let them just kill him like that? It ain't happenin'," he assured her, moving closer to her. She didn't lean into him like she usually did. Instead she let her head fall into her hands, her elbows propped on her knees. He could practically feel the anger coming off of her in waves.

She let out a tired sigh, closing her eyes and trying to calm down. "I hate this."

His fingers traced over the tattoos on her back that he could see through her thin white shirt. "I'm sorry, Angel."

Angela shook her head slowly. That helpless feeling came over her. Her cousin was in trouble and there was nothing she could do about it. No way she could fix it. She was useless. Frustrated tears clouded her vision, and she tried in vain to keep them from falling. She glanced at the laptop screen, a little relieved when she saw Evie start to wake up. "I gotta go get Evie," she rasped, wiping at her eyes and getting off of the couch.

Juice grabbed her wrist, pulling her into him as he stood. He put a hand on her cheek, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. "Everything's going to be okay, Angel."

She didn't believe him. Not for a minute. Nothing felt okay. Her life felt like it was slowly spinning out of control, and it was all the club's fault. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, doing her best not to take the way she was feeling out on Juice. She gave him the best smile she could muster and nodded, "If you say so."

* * *

><p><strong>As always, your thoughts, critiques, etc. are very much appreciated!<strong>

**Hope you all have a very Happy New Year! Best wishes in 2015! :D**

**~ Love Ink**


	102. Not Deserving

**HAPPY 2015 to all of you! Hope the new year brings you all the best! :) **

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23,_ _Mary, Guest, and kristy_**_ (Thank you! Surprisingly, there are only a few parts that I would change (and will change) and most of them happen in season 7. I like staying faithful to the canon and just exploring Juice's side of things since we don't see a lot of him. But it'll start to deviate soon. Hopefully you like it!). _

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 102: Not Deserving_

_By Love Ink_

Juice woke up to find Angela's side of the bed empty. He frowned as he threw back the covers, grunting as he got out of bed. He padded his way down the hall, stopping in front of Angela's room to find her laying on the floor next to Evie, watching their daughter as she enjoyed her tummy time. He'd heard some babies hated lying on their tummy, but Evie didn't have a problem with it. She was working on little push-ups, in fact, her neck muscles getting stronger and stronger every day.

He looked over at Angela, frowning a bit. He was worried about her. Something that was foreign to him. She was such a strong woman, such a force to be reckoned with that he never really had to worry about her mental state before. Now, he wasn't so sure. The anger he'd heard in her voice the night before had put him on edge. She wasn't angry at him; she was angry at the club and for the first time, he understood why. He was starting to lose sight of what was good about the club, starting to doubt his place in it. Lately, all it had brought him and his little family was grief. He used to be able to see the good in it, find a way to justify the violence. Angela was good at bringing that out, at making him feel better about it all, but lately even she was having a hard time finding the good in it. Worse, she was starting to resent it.

"Your push-ups are almost as good as your Daddy's. Just a little more practice and you'll be as good as him!" Angela encouraged her little girl. It was obvious she knew he was there watching them.

Her dark eyes fell on him, and he frowned at the sight of the dark circles underneath them. She hadn't slept the night before. He knew that because he hadn't either. They'd both laid there together in silence, not touching at all. Then she'd turned away from him and curled up on her side. He'd reached out for her, tracing out the tattoo on her back over and over again, trying to entice her to move in closer, but she hadn't. She hadn't even reacted. He didn't know what was going on with her, but it was really starting to bother him.

"That's my girl," he said trying his best to pretend like nothing was wrong as he lay down on the other side of his daughter. She turned her head and smiled at him. "Hi Monk! How you doin', beautiful girl?"

She cooed back at him, trying for another push up. "Good job, Evie-doll," Angela praised, leaning over to kiss Evie's head. She sat up with a groan. "You got her for a minute? I'm gonna make some breakfast."

Juice sat up too, crossing his legs in front of him and meeting her gaze. "You mad at me, baby?"

Her look softened as she crawled over to him. He reached out and pulled her closer, seeking out the contact he'd missed the night before. She let him this time, putting one leg on either side of his hips, so she could face him as her arms encircled his neck. "No," she said softly. "No, I'm just…mad at everything and sad and…I don't know. I'm all mixed up."

He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. "Talk to me."

"I can't," she muttered softly, her fingers tracing over the tattoo of her name inked on his chest. "I don't want…I don't want to put my thoughts in your head because I'm afraid of what might happen if you start thinking the way I am."

Juice furrowed his brow in confusion. "I didn't understand any of that."

"You have this…loyalty to the club. This faith that everything you guys do is good and right because they're your family. Your brothers. That's something that I've always loved about you. Something I understood. But I don't understand it anymore."

"You want me to leave the club?" he asked, trying to make sense of it.

Angela scowled at him and shook her head. "I would never ask that of you. I just…I'm starting to understand why Donna and Tara wanted out, and it's scaring me because I've never doubted the club before...I never…I've never hated them the way I do now."

"Hate's a strong word," he reminded her.

"It's a strong feeling," she agreed on a nod.

He studied her face for a brief moment, trying to figure out what to say in response to that. What had driven her to this point? Had her hatred for his club been festering for a while, and he just hadn't noticed? Was Happy being used as collateral just the straw that broke the camel's back? "Shit, Angel. I don't know what to do with that."

"Neither do I."

They sat in silence for a while, both of them just watching Evie. Juice cleared his throat after a moment. "Chibs thinks I'm having a breakdown," he admitted softly. "Which is funny because he is the _last_ person I would think gave two shits about me."

Her dark eyes were on him again, wide with worry. "Are you?"

"No. I'm not. You and Eves are the only thing keeping me sane right now, to be honest. The club…I can't find my place in it anymore. I don't understand what we're doing, and I can't find the good in any of it like I used to," he admitted honestly. He shook his head slowly, leaning into her touch as she stroked her fingers over his cheek. "Today we're…we're springing Clay from jail 'n' then we're…Jax is gonna kill him. Just like that. We had a Mayhem vote and no one opposed it. Not Bobby or Tig. I couldn't because…because…"

"Then Jax would bring _you_ up for a Mayhem vote," she filled in sadly. "But you knew it was going to happen, Juice. One way or another, Jax was going to kill Clay for all the shit he pulled. I'm honestly surprised it didn't happen earlier."

Juice could hear the hatred in her voice and wondered once again what had transpired between her and Clay to make her hate him. "Why do you hate him so much, Angel? What'd he ever do to you?"

Angela let out a long sigh, biting the corner of her lip as if contemplating whether to tell him. "You heard about Tara and JT's letters, right?"

"Yeah. Clay sent people after her, messed up her hand."

"I…I kind of knew about them, too," she conceded, her eyes meeting his briefly. "Tara and I got close while you guys were in county, and she…she told me about the letters and a little bit of what was in them. Gemma found out, and she must've told Clay because at that Garden Party, he kind of…threatened me."

He was starting to feel like a real idiot now. How had he been so blind to all of this? "Threatened you how?"

"He made it clear that he had enough evidence to send you and Happy back to jail for a very, very long time if I told anyone what I knew. Which was essentially nothing. I just knew the letters existed and that they were dangerous, but Clay and Gemma and Unser didn't believe me."

Juice swallowed hard, his mind buzzing with a mixture of anger and a little relief. Finally, he understood why she hated Clay so much. "Jesus Christ, baby. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was scared that it would change the way you acted towards him, and he'd realize that I told you and make good on his threat," she explained honestly.

"Which is why you were happy when we sent him back to county," he said, an invisible weight sliding off of his shoulders. That smirk that had been on her face the day he'd betrayed Clay still was a sore spot for him despite the fact that he'd forgiven her for it. It'd been the reason they'd had their little break, the reason he'd skipped out on the last few months of her pregnancy. If she'd just explained it to him, none of that would've happened. That irked him a little bit. "You should've told me after. I would've understood."

The look on her face told him that he was missing the point. "I'm telling you _now. _I'm giving you a reason to justify what you're about to do. He threatened to send you back into jail over a bunch of _letters_. _That's_ why you shouldn't feel a _shred_ of guilt for this. This man would easily send you back to jail if it meant saving his own ass."

Juice swallowed hard as he shook his head. For a minute there, he had himself believing that she was right. That Clay deserved what he was going to get, but his heart rivaled against him. It wasn't right, killing a man like that. Clay had treated him like a son all of these years. He'd been there for him, had embraced him and told him it'd all be okay after he'd confessed what he'd done to him. No one else in the club had done that. Chibs had gone so far as to beat the shit out of him for it, but Clay had embraced him. Assured him that everyone in the club at some point had made the same mistake. Clay actually cared about him. More so than any of his other brothers. Or at least, that's what it felt like. Angela said he'd threatened to send him back inside, but he hadn't actually done it. "Still doesn't feel right. Settin' him free and then killin' him. Not after everythin' he did for the club…for me," he admitted, closing his eyes at the feel of her finger tracing over one of the tattoos on his scalp. He opened his eyes to see her staring at him with a strange look on her face as if she was trying to figure him out. "Is that crazy?"

Her dark eyes warmed at the question. She leaned forward and kiss him softly. "That's _you_, Juice. That's your big, dumb heart," she said, poking at his chest. "And as much as I disagree, it doesn't make you crazy, it makes you, _you_. It's why I love you."

He smiled a little at her, feeling relieved that she wasn't pissed, that she understood. "So what do I do?"

"Whatever you have to, Juice. Just know that I'm here. That no matter what happens, you have two people that are waiting for you to come home and that love you regardless of what you do," she told him, her hands framing his face.

He sighed at the soft feel of her lips brushing against his for just the briefest moment before she untangled herself from him. As soon as she stood, he missed her warmth and frowned. "You're my best friend, Angel," he told her, making her stop and turn around, a small smile on her face. "Always have been."

Angela smiled at him and winked. "You're mine too. That's why I married ya."

He grinned at her back as she walked away before looking back at Evie. His baby girl smiled at him, drool dripping down her chin. "Your daddy's a lucky man," he said, lifting her up and settling her on his chest. "Got my two angels to come home to every night."

* * *

><p>Chloe was pacing around the room with Hades trailing around her ankles. Happy hadn't come home, and Angela had never called her back. Something was going on. She picked up her phone and dialed Angela's number again for what felt like the hundredth time. That's when the front door opened. "Jesus Christ, I'm here. Cool your fuckin' jets, lady," Angela said as she walked in, Evie strapped onto her chest, Rigor at her side.<p>

"What the hell happened last night? I kept calling you! You turned your phone off!" Chloe exclaimed angrily.

She sighed in response, running her hand over Evie's back. "You need to sit down and take a chill pill. Breathe."

"Ang-"

"Sit!" she ordered, her voice authoritative, demanding just like Happy's was when he gave his orders. With that tone, it was hard to disobey either of them. It was going to be a good 'mom' voice for when Evie hit that difficult stage, that was for sure. "Now, I've had one _hell_ of a night _and_ morning, and I don't need any of your shit to add onto it."

Chloe sat down quickly, raking her hands through her hair. "Sorry," she muttered on a soft sigh. "I'm just…worried."

"He's…fine. I think," Angela said, struggling to get Evie out of her carrier. She handed her over to Chloe before shrugging out of it and sitting down on the couch with a tired sigh. "I don't…he's kind of being held by somewhere for…collateral."

She felt like she was going to throw up right there. "Holy shit. Are you _serious_?"

Angela nodded, taking Evie back into her arms out of fear Chloe would drop her. "Yeah."

"He never…he never called you even?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. He didn't have the chance to. I uh…Juice told me last night, and I kind of flipped out on him and then went to sleep without calling you because losing a baby and Happy in the same day was kind of…overwhelming."

"I'm sorry, Ang," Chloe said, setting her hand on her friend's thigh. "That is…insane."

Angela shrugged, pressing her lips to Evie's head and letting them linger there for a moment. "Yeah," she said, her voice rough.

They both sat there in silence for awhile before Chloe let out a long breath. "I'm falling for your cousin," she admitted seemingly out of nowhere.

She frowned a little in response and nodded. "I know."

"And all of this shit, the bombs and the...getting held up for collateral…they're scary as shit, but I don't…I don't care. And _that_ is scary to me because I know at any minute, he can be taken away. Either by some random act of violence or because he gets sick of me and decides I'm not worth the trouble," she said on a frown. "I _yelled_ at him yesterday, Ang. I told him that if he didn't come home to take care of you, not to bother coming back at all and family first and all this bullshit and then I _hung up on him_."

Angela smirked, stroking her hand over Evie's hair for a brief moment. Evie turned her little head and grinned up at her mother which made Angela smile. "Evie doll, your Aunt Chlo is insane if she thinks Hap's gonna leave her," she told the baby. "If anything, you just sunk that hook in deeper, Chlo. No girl has ever gone up against him. Just me. He's used to getting his way, and that man loves a challenge."

That seemed to appease her just a bit. "What if he doesn't come back, Ang?"

"He'll come back. He _always_ does."

"Ang…"

Her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head. "I _have _to believe that, Chlo. I have to. There's…there's so much shit going on, I _need_ to have Happy come back."

"And if he doesn't?"

Angela wiped furiously at her eyes, her lip curling into a sneer. "Then I'm getting the fuck outta Charming and dragging Juice with me."

* * *

><p>Juice couldn't get the image of Clay's body falling to the ground out of his head as he walked into the cabin later that night. He could still hear the gurgling, see the blood spurting out everywhere. Shooting Clay in the neck had been an asshole move on Jax's part. It was a slow death, drowning in your own blood. A slow, terrifying death. Juice couldn't shake that picture from his mind. If he was going to go, he wanted it to be quick. He didn't want to lie there struggling for breath like Clay had in the brief moments before Jax had filled his chest with lead. He didn't want to feel that. Didn't want to have that time to think of all he was losing.<p>

Clay's last words to him kept playing over and over again in his head: _Thank you, brother for today_. He'd _thanked _him. He was delivering him to his own death, and Clay had _thanked_ him. Just thinking about it made him feel sick to his stomach. What had he done? What kind of person was he that he allowed this to happen? This wasn't what he wanted, what he'd signed up for when he'd taken on the prospect's cut. He'd wanted a _family_, he wanted that _brotherhood_. He'd never in a million years thought it'd lead to all of this violence. Never thought they'd be voting to kill of brothers. That Jax would have him teetering on this awful edge of being forgiven and being excommunicated or worse, killed.

Because he knew that's what would happen. As soon as Jax was done with him, he'd take him to the table, they'd vote Mayhem, and then they'd kill him. The slow, tortuous death of a rat. Everything he'd worked for, everything he had would be lost all. He'd never get to grow old with his wife or see his daughter grow up. The little family that he always wanted would be ripped from him before he even got the chance to enjoy it; a chance to be normal with his girls. And he would feel it. Feel every second of that loss as they killed him, slowly and painfully. Worse, they'd bury him in some ditch somewhere, burn him. Angela wouldn't get to take care of him. Just like Kozik, she wouldn't have that closure. If she was lucky, they'd give her his rings and maybe his bike, but that was it. No grave site for her and Evie to visit, no place to commemorate him. He'd be buried in disgrace, and it would kill her. His heart hurt at the thought of her hurting because of all the stupid shit he'd done. She didn't deserve that.

"Juice," Chibs' voice pulled him from his thoughts. He looked over at the man who had been his sponsor and blinked in confusion. He'd been too deep into his thoughts to hear whatever it was he'd said before. The Scot studied him, a nervous look in his eyes. Clearly, he was still wary of him. Still thought he was breaking down. This time, he was right. "Go home. Clear your head, fuck your girl. Come back tomorrow mornin'."

Juice couldn't do that, of course. Angela still needed a few more weeks to heal before they could have sex so finding a release in her wasn't going to happen, but he didn't tell Chibs. He just nodded and headed out to his bike. His old one. They'd gotten it back from the impound lot, and he'd worked tirelessly to put it all back together.

He rode fast through the winding back roads, contemplating what would happen if he just let go of the handlebars. If he just…let everything go. It'd be a quick end. An honorable death. Much more honorable than the one he was heading for now. He lifted one hand off the handlebars and an image of his little girl's smiling face flashed through his head. He put his hand back down. No, he couldn't. He wasn't going to give up on her. On Angela. This was going to work out.

Walking into his house, he took a deep breath and felt tears come to his eyes when he realized Angela had baked. A plate of black and white cookies sat on the table. She always made them when he had a hard day; it was like she had a sixth sense about it. With a shaky breath, he picked one up and took a big bite, closing them as the comforting taste hit his tongue. If he were ever given the ability to ask for a last meal, he'd make sure these were a part of it.

Grabbing the chocolate almond milk from the fridge, he took a swig straight from the carton and swallowed the bite. He sniffled as he wiped at his eyes. "Keep it together," he muttered to himself.

"Juice?" Angela's sleepy voice came from the couch. He looked over to find her sitting in the living room, her hair a mess. A menu of the _Godfather _DVD playing on the television. How had he not noticed she was sitting there?

Without a word, he put the milk back and made his way over to her. "Hey baby," he rasped, leaning over to kiss her softly.

"Hi. Are you okay?" she asked, that worry wrinkle appearing between her brows.

He shook his head slowly as he stretched out on the couch, his head in her lap. "No," he managed to say around the lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry, Juice," she whispered sadly. Her warm finger traced over the tattoo on his scalp, relaxing him just a little bit. "I'm so sorry."

He nodded but couldn't bring himself to speak. He could feel the tears leaking down his face and soaking into her pajama pants, but he stayed quiet. Her lips brushed across his head lovingly, and his heart ached at the thought that this might be the last time he ever got to be with her like this. "Love you," he choked out, grabbing her other hand and holding it tightly. He turned his head so he was looking up at her. "So much."

Leaning over, she put her lips to his in a warm kiss, her free hand smoothing over his head. "Its going to be okay, Juice," she assured him. "I love you, and we're going to be okay."

He nodded, trying and failing to give her a smile. He didn't believe her, though. He'd failed her, failed Evie. They both deserved so much better than him. They deserved to be free of this town, of the club, and of him.

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><p><strong>These two have a very, very bumpy road ahead of them...<strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	103. The Equation

**Finally back to my computer after an awesome vacation! :) Shorter chapter, but I wanted to get it out there! **

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, DebbsT (_**_Not creepy at all! Glad to hear you like it! You know, I never really thought about it, but I might shake it up sometime soon!), **Mary, Guest, Haloe Lover **(Might address Chloe's background in my other story as a little one-shot. That would definitely be interesting to write!), **and Lollipop **(Ask and you shall receive!). _

**Huge thanks to _lizmynameis _for encouraging me to go in a different direction with this chapter. She has two awesome Juice stories: "Pretty Girl" and "Strong Girl", go check them out! :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Evie!**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 103: The Equation_

_By Love Ink_

Angela had just gotten out of the shower when she heard the sound of his voice coming from her laptop. Checking out the baby camera app, she saw that Evie was still fast asleep but Juice was kneeling by her crib, muttering things that were distorted by the crappy speakers of her computer. His presence confused her; he was supposed to be out doing club stuff.

The night before, he'd been a mess, talking about how much Clay had suffered, how Bobby had been shot, and how he'd run over a cop to keep him from shooting any more of them. She'd sat there on the couch with him, his head in her lap while she listened to him talk and tried to assure him that it was okay. That he wasn't an animal or a monster. That she wasn't going to leave him like Tara was trying to leave Jax. That she loved him and that he deserved everything he had. He had eventually fallen into a fitful sleep while she stayed awake and just watched him, her eyes glued to his face, worry in her heart. He was gone when she woke up. Left behind a note saying he went to the cabin to help out Bobby and that he loved her.

And now, it he was back and muttering something to their daughter. She scrambled to pull on some yoga pants and one of his t-shirts before walking quickly to Evie's room. What she saw there broke her heart. He was kneeling in front of Evie's crib, his face pressed against the slats, an arm draped over the side of it, hand dangling over her head. There was a half-full bottle of tequila next to him, a few little silver pill blister packs lined up next to it.

He was whispering to Evie, just loud enough so that she could understand what he was saying now. "Daddy's sorry, baby," he rasped, his voice rough as sandpaper. "Daddy didn't want to do it, Monk. He just wanted everything to be okay. Daddy's trying to make everything better for you and your Mama. You two deserve better than me. Than this. I just want you two to be happy. I just want everything to be okay. I love you, Evangeline. I love you so much. Don't ever forget that, okay?"

Angela took a step closer, her eyes falling on the little blister packets beside the bottle. Oxy. Eighty milligrams. One was opened. Her eyes widened. Two pills by themselves were potent. What the hell was he doing with six of them? Where did they come from? She suddenly realized she knew exactly what he was doing. Tempting fate. This was his way of leaving her and Evie, of setting them free, and it was total bullshit. His hand reached out for another packet, and she kicked it away. "Stop," she ground out, battling with the anger that was bubbling up inside of her.

Juice looked up slowly, blinking dumbly at her as if he was trying to understand what she'd said. "Angel," he breathed, sitting back on his heels. "I can't…"

"How many have you taken?" she asked, her fist clenched at her side.

He shrugged, looking back at Evie. "I dunno," he said, his voice sounding faraway.

"No. Bull shit. How many have you fucking taken, Juice?" she demanded, grabbing his chin and making him look at her. When he blinked at her, she sunk down to her knees so that their faces were even. "How many?"

He pushed the empty blister packet towards her. "That's it."

"With tequila?" she asked, his chin still in her hand so he couldn't look away. His eyes were downcast, guilty. He reeked of the alcohol and something else. "And weed?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Angela sucked in a deep breath. Anger and anguish warred inside of her. A part of her wanted to curse at him, slap him around for being such an idiot. For trying to leave her, leave them, again. The other part wanted to break down and just cry. She hated seeing him like this. Hated that he thought they were better off without him. It wasn't true. It would never be true. "Why?" she asked, the question catching in her throat.

He rubbed a hand over his heart, over where her name was tattooed. "It hurts, Angel. It hurts. I can't…I killed him. I killed her, and she was so pretty," he slurred, his eyelid drooping closed as he swayed slightly. He crumbled into her, his forehead falling heavily on her shoulder as his heavy arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer. "She had your eyes and the club is…fucked up and I am too, and I just…don't deserve you."

She stroked a hand over his back as her anger slowly dissipated. Turning her head, she pressed a kiss to one of his tattoos. "Yes, you do. What Jax is doing to you…what he's making you do is wrong. Its not your fault."

His shoulders began to shake as he started to cry. She held onto him tighter then. "I love you, Angel," he whispered, brokenly. "I don't want it to hurt anymore. I just want to be okay. I just want my family back."

She grabbed his face then, gently pushing him away so her eyes could meet his. "We _are_ your family, Juice," she stated slowly, hoping that it would sink in. "And we aren't going anywhere. _You_ have to choose to stay with _us_."

His dark eyes were shiny with tears as they looked at her, one escaping his hold and slipping down his cheek. "Why do you want me?" he choked out, shaking his head.

"Because you're my best friend, and I _need_ you," she told him, keeping her voice as strong as she could. "And Evie needs you. We can't lose you, Juice. Do you understand that?"

"I don't deserve-"

"I don't give a flying fuck about what you think you deserve, Juan Carlos," she interrupted, her anger flaring just a bit. "I want you _here_. I _need_ you here because I _love_ you, okay? You matter to _me_!"

Juice studied her face for a long moment. She could see the wheels turning slowly in his head as he processed what she'd said. It felt like forever before he moved his head in a slow nod, a look of relief on his face as he whispered, "Okay."

She sighed, wiping at a tear that had fallen down her cheek. "Okay," she repeated shakily. She got to her feet and held out her hands to him. "C'mon. Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>Juice sat between Angela's legs and stared at the waves as they crashed on the shore while Evie slept in her little car seat next to them, a towel draped over it to keep the sand out and keep her warm. He'd sobered up on the long drive over, slept off the oxy that had been weighing him down and was starting to think a little clearer.<p>

Bobby had been right when he said he needed to clear his head. It'd been buzzing with so much crap, so much death, and he couldn't get it to stop. He'd taken the oxy he'd been offered and instead of going to Diosa like his brother had told him to, he headed home, chewed down two oxy with tequila, and had just sat there staring at Evie. It'd hurt him to look at her. To think that he'd created that beautiful little girl and brought her into this world of chaos. That she'd be stuck in that world because of him. That's when he'd reached for the second blister pack in an attempt to get her free of him. That's when Angela had caught him.

He was thankful she'd caught him. He hadn't wanted to die. Not really. He just wasn't sure how to make sense of it all. How to go on living, raising his daughter, loving his wife in a place that was so dangerous. In a situation where his life could be cruelly taken away from him at any moment. He didn't want that. If he was going to go, he wanted it to be on his own terms and fast. He wanted Angela to prepare him, lay him to rest in peace in the cemetery where so many of his other brothers were already buried. Where she and Evie could visit him, and he could still play some part in their lives even if he wasn't alive. He just wanted some peace.

Now, miles away from Charming, sitting between his wife's legs, he finally felt got that peace. Her knees were bent on either side of him, and he had his arms draped over her thighs as he leaned his back into her, his fingers tracing over the inseam of her yoga pants. He tilted his head back to look up at her, watching the wind whip her hair into her face as she stared pensively at the water.

"I don't want to die," he said, catching her attention. He was finally sober enough to carry a conversation. Sober enough to explain the stupid thing he'd almost done.

He watched her clench her jaw for a moment and knew she was pissed, knew she was trying to find a good way to deal with it all. "Could've fooled me," she replied flatly, her eyes still on the ocean. "Third time, Juice. You keep tempting fate, and one day its just going to happen."

"Second time," he corrected.

"Because jumping off of a motorcycle into a moving van isn't a death wish," she retorted sarcastically. He looked up at her confused; how could she possibly know about that? "Happy told me. Apparently Chibs told him to tell me so that I could keep an eye on you. You guys gossip more than fifteen year old girls, I swear."

"That was to help my brothers."

"_That_ was tempting fate," she stated bluntly. "Something you seem to really like doing, and I can't...I can't _fathom _why you keep doing it. If you made it not once but _twice_, why are you still playing at it? Clearly, you're supposed to be here. You're supposed to live. Why do you want to die so much?"

He marveled at how well she knew him. How well she'd seen through all of the bullshit he'd done. "Angel…"

"Is it me?" she interrupted, sounding as if she was on the brink of tears. "Did I…did I do something wrong?"

His heart ached for her. How could she even begin to blame herself for his stupidity? He hated that he'd put her in pain, _again_. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "No, baby," he rasped, squeezing her knee. "No. Its…the club, I guess. I'm trying to make sense of it all. I can't…it doesn't line up for me anymore. All the shit the club's doin'…I didn't sign up for that shit. I never thought we'd get this deep into it. Never thought I'd be betrayin' my brothers, killing innocent women, running down cops. All for what? Jax says it's a means to an end but…when does it end?"

His question hung heavily in the air for a long moment as Angela digested it. She took in a deep breath before clearing her throat. "I don't know, Juice," she replied softly. "But killing yourself is a permanent solution to a very temporary problem."

He knew she'd probably gotten that line from one of the death management classes she had to take, and while it was a nice sentiment, it didn't make him feel any better. "This shit isn't temporary anymore," he murmured, closing his eyes as he thought of all of the shit they'd been through in a matter of _weeks_. "Its something new every day now. It's not slowing down, it's not going to stop. We're stuck in this…chaos with no way out."

Angela was silent again for a long moment, her jaw clenched tightly. He knew she was angry at him for what he did, knew she was struggling with holding it back. A part of him wanted her to unleash it, yell at him for being such an idiot. The other part was grateful that she was trying to work through it without making such a scene. She cleared her throat and sighed. "I don't know how to handle this, Juice. How to process it. I'm…I'm so _mad_ at you. At the club. At this…_life_. I just want to start all over. Just get away from here and start new somewhere."

"We can't leave, Angel. It'll look like we're running. Like we've got something to run from."

Angela shook her head slowly. "But we're not. We don't. What could they possibly think we're running from?"

Juice looked up at her, hating to remind her of what the DA had told her. "A murder charge. DA told you to stay in Charming. We pack up now and…"

She hung her head and sighed. "Jesus Christ, doesn't she have bigger fish to fry?"

He smirked at the idea of a murder charge not being a big enough "fish" for her. "Yeah, the club," he answered on a dry laugh. " 's why she went after you to begin with."

"She never came back though."

Juice chewed on the side of his finger as he nodded. "She's working Tara right now. Tara wants out. DA's probably tryin' to offer her a deal with no jail time."

"Think she'd take it?"

"A chance to get out of Charming safely and avoid jail time?" he asked, tilting his head back to look up at her. "Yeah."

His burner went off in his pocket, and he groaned, tilting his head back so it hit Angela's chest. She let out a long and heavy sigh, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "Thought Bobby set you loose."

"He did," he said, digging in his pocket for the phone. He stared at it for a moment before slowly getting to his feet. He walked towards the ocean and took in a deep breath before launching it into the water. It hit the surface with a satisfying splash, and he felt a weight slide off his shoulders. He turned around and smiled a bit at Angela who was staring at him with her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Juice…" she laughed, her eyes wide as he sat down on the sand next to her. "What was that?"

Juice shook his head, feeling a little like he was going insane. His head was spinning with the weight of what he just did. A part of him want to jump into the ocean and find the phone again while the other part never felt freer. "I don't know. I just…I _hate_ that thing. Its always fuckin' with my time with you and Monk."

Angela's dark eyes scanned his face for a moment before she leaned over and kissed him. It started out as a soft, sweet kiss, but what he was feeling, the emotions battling inside of him were too much to keep it that way. He slid an arm behind her back, pulling her in closer to him. Knowing what he wanted, she moved to straddle his lap, her hands on either side of his face as he slid his tongue into her mouth, comforted by the taste of her kiss.

He kissed across her cheek, nuzzling his nose into her hair and sighing at the comforting scent of her shampoo. "Love you, Angel," he whispered into her ear.

Her thumbs stroked over his cheeks as she nodded. "I know you do," she said softly, touching her forehead to his. A soft sigh left her lips as her eyes closed. She opened them and met his stare. "Please stay with me, Juice. Please, _please_ don't take yourself out of this equation. It won't balance right without you."

A math equation. She was comparing their relationship, their _life_ to a math equation. Like the equations he solved that night in her apartment back in Tacoma. The night they could've met. The night that could've changed everything. Maybe she'd said it like that on purpose to remind him that they were meant to be together. That for a lot of their lives, they'd been circling each other. Stuck in the same orbit but never quite meeting. And idiot that he was, he'd almost given it all up again. But it was fate that had saved him yet again. He was meant to live. Meant to be with her. Otherwise, he wouldn't be given so many second chances. He understood that now. "I'm here, Angel. I'm not…I'm staying in this equation. I'm going to _solve_ it. Figure out a way to make it work for us. Promise."

She held up her pinky, her dark eyes serious as she waited for him to hook his pinky around hers. He did quickly, giving it a hard squeeze before kissing his fist. She did the same before kissing his nose. "I love you, Juice," she said, her hands on either side of his face. "Please stop tempting fate. You're driving me fucking insane."

He smirked and nodded. "Won't happen again, baby. I'm here. I'm good."

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><p><strong>I know its a relatively short chapter, but more is coming soon, I promise!<strong>

**As always, your thoughts are very much appreciated!**

**~Love Ink**


	104. Whatever You Say

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews, favorites, and follows! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Mary _**_(Angela reacting to Tara's fate will be quite a sight to behold. As for Juice helping Gemma...stay tuned.), **Guest 1, Guest 2, **_**and _Nic_**_._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe!**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 104: Whatever You Say_

_By Love Ink_

Angela watched Juice as he held Evie close to his chest while he walked along the beach, no doubt talking to his baby girl, the sun setting behind them making a beautiful scene of it. She snapped a quick picture with her phone and smiled. Her heart ached with love for that man. She loved him so much, it hurt, a notion she never understood until she met him, until he'd been through hell and she'd felt every ounce of it with him. Her phone rang, and she groaned, digging in her pockets for the offending object. She hadn't thought she even got service there. The caller id was from an unknown number which meant it was either work or club related. Or Hap. Her heart jolted in her chest at the idea that it could be Hap calling to say that he was safe. That he'd gotten out okay and wanted to check up on her. She smiled as she answered the phone. "Angela Ortiz. How can I help you?"

"Ortiz, ey? Tha's new," Chibs' voice drawled on the other line. "Somethin' I should know?"

Her happiness deflated when she heard the Scottish accent. Of course he didn't know. None of his brothers save for Happy did. Mostly because they'd all stopped caring about him, stopped checking in to see what was really going on in his life. He was just a pawn to them now. Something they could easily use in whatever twisted game they were playing. Raking a hand through her hair, she sighed. "We eloped a few days ago."

"Congrats," he said flatly. Clearly, there were other things on his mind.

"Yeah, thanks," she replied curtly. "What do you want Chibs?"

Chibs sighed heavily on the other line. "Ye see Juicy anywhere?"

"All the time. He's my husband," she answered sarcastically.

"Today?"

"I _do_ live with him," she sassed back. She knew what Chibs wanted but there was no way she was going to give it to him. If they were looking for Juice, it couldn't be for anything good.

"Quit dodgin' the question, love. Do ye know where he is or not? Tara took the boys 'n' we need him to find her."

Angela bit her lip as she looked down the beach to see Juice smiling at their daughter. Gone was the heaviness she'd seen in him before. Telling him that Chibs had called would just bring him right back towards that edge he was standing on. He didn't need that. _They _didn't need that. If Tara took the boys, then more power to her. She wasn't going to give up Juice's sanity in an attempt to find her. "Tara took the boys?" she asked, trying to stall. Maybe he'd get frustrated and just hang up.

There was a long pause as if he was trying to keep his patience. "Yeah. Ye heard from her?"

"No," she answered on a frown. Why would Tara call her of all people? They hadn't been all that friendly with each other lately. "I don't know where she is."

"Tha's why we need yer Old Man to find her. Now, where is he?" he asked, enunciating every word carefully as if he was talking to a child. She was quiet, debating on whether or not to tell him. He sighed tiredly. "Yer not going to tell me, are ye?"

Angela shook her head as she answered, "Sorry Chibs."

"We ain't gonna hurt him, lass."

"Who says you haven't already?" she stated before hanging up the phone. She threw it onto the towel next to her and let out a long sigh. They couldn't catch a break. Tilting her head back, she looked up at the sky and did her best to keep it together. She secretly hoped they didn't find Tara. That keeping her hacker of a husband away from Charming for the night, and, if she could convince him, the next day would make sure that Tara got away with her boys. That she found the safety and peace she wanted.

Juice slowly sunk down on the sand next to her, Evie still held tightly in his arms. "Who was that?" he asked, nodding to the phone.

"Chlo," she lied easily, leaning her head into the crook of his neck so that her face was close to her daughter's. "Hey Monk! You like the water, baby girl?"

Juice grinned and nodded. "Loved it. Probably thinks its one big bath."

Angela smiled back. Their daughter loved her baths. She splashed around like a maniac and cried whenever they took her out. She had a feeling Evie was going to love swimming when she got older. "That's my little sea monkey," she said, gently ruffling Evie's hair. "The water's not scary, huh Evie-doll?"

Evie cooed back at her mother, smiling a bit. Juice leaned over and kissed Angela's head. "Sun's setting. We should probably head back."

"What if we didn't?" she asked, watching his expression carefully. He looked surprised by her suggestion but not against it. "I mean, you already chucked your phone, so you're off the grid. What if we found a hotel in the city or over in Sausalito and just…stayed. Just for a little longer."

Juice considered it, his dark eyes looking over at the setting sun. "We probably shouldn't be driving so far in the dark," he said as an excuse.

Angela gave him a relieved smile. His excuse was bullshit. Both of them were perfectly capable of driving long distances at night, but she knew it was his was of justifying it, and she loved him for it. She strapped Evie into her carrier. "Right? And Evie's probably exhausted."

"Probably," he agreed on a nod. He stood up and held his hand out for her, hoisting her up to her feet when she put her hand in his. Dipping his head, he gave her a long, lazy kiss. "What's closer?"

"Sausalito saves us bridge toll," she said, smoothing her hands over the front of his shirt. He hadn't put his cut back on before they'd left. It had stayed forgotten on the floor of Evie's room. "Plus, they've got great ice cream there."

He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Sausalito it is."

* * *

><p>It was just past dinner when Chloe heard a knock on the door. Her pitbull went insane, jumping around and barking. She rolled her eyes at him. "Calm down, Hades. Sit," she murmured, rubbing her hand over his head when he sat. "Good boy. You're such a good boy."<p>

She checked out of the peephole, her breath catching in her throat when she saw who it was. Ripping open the door, her eyes met the dark eyes of the Tacoma Killer. The porch light cast strange shadows on his face making him look more menacing than usual, the rain making his shirt stick to his body. He had a key. He could've easily let himself in, and then she remembered what she'd said to him the day before. She'd told him not to come back, and it seemed he was trying to respect that. With a nod, she stepped back, allowing him in.

He wiped his boots on the mat before stepping inside, letting the door close behind him. Hades was on him in seconds, his paws on Happy's thighs while he scratched behind the dog's ears. "You okay?" he asked, his eyes flicking to Chloe's face before moving back down to Hades.

"Yeah, fine. Are _you_ okay?"

He nodded slowly. "Fine."

"You scared the shit out of me, Lowman," she said, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt not to throw her arms around him and hug him as close as she possibly could. "Ang said they were using you as collateral and then all I could think of was that…awful shit I said to you about not coming back and…"

His smirk made her trail off on her little tirade. She stared up at him for a second, contemplating whether to kiss him or not. She wanted to. He'd been taken hostage for what felt like weeks, and she'd been left with this awful guilt on her shoulders for being such a total bitch to him. He nodded slowly, dipping his head and obliging her with a long kiss that she felt down to her toes. " 'm fine," he told her, his hand warm on her cheek. "How's the kid?"

"She's…a mess, Hap. A total, complete mess, and kind of…missing," she admitted with a frown. "I've been calling her cell for awhile now, and I just get voicemail. Went over to the funeral home to see if she was working, and Bones wouldn't say a word. He has Rigs, though, so wherever she went, she planned ahead."

"The Winston kids there too?"

Chloe raked a hand through her hair and nodded. "They were even worse. Barely acknowledged that she'd been there long enough to drop off the dog."

"Club's got 'em trained," Happy muttered with a shake of his head. "Chibs is lookin' for the idiot. Burner's dead. Personal goes to voicemail. The kid's got a tracker on hers, but no one knows how to do it."

"Did you call her?"

"Chibs did. She wasn't helpful. Not sure if she's with him or not."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Of course, she wasn't helpful to Chibs; Chibs wasn't family. "Yeah, but did _you_ call her?"

Happy shook his head slowly. The three day silence was the longest span of time he'd gone without talking to his little cousin in years. "No."

Chloe's face fell in disappointment. "She's going through a lot, Hap. You need to call her."

"Ain't gonna answer."

She studied his face for a moment, realizing that he was afraid to call her. Afraid that she wouldn't pick up for him, that he'd finally lost his little girl because he'd chosen the club over her. "Hap, she'll pick up for you. She probably picked up Chibs' call thinkin' it was you," she insisted, trying her best to push him without being too forceful. If she pushed too hard, he wouldn't do it just to spite her. "She wasn't…she was a mess a few nights ago. Losing the baby, losing _you_, had her a little on edge. She'd want to know you're okay. Probably take a shit ton of stress off of her, actually."

Happy sighed, he knew Chloe was right. He dug into his pocket for his phone, going to sit at the kitchen table as he held the speed dial number. It rang a few times before she picked up. "Angela Ortiz. How can I help you?" her voice chimed.

He winced at her new last name. It still didn't sound right to him. It was yet another reminder that she wasn't his little girl anymore. She was all grown up now. "Hey kid," he replied after a moment.

"Hap," she breathed, the relief in her voice making him smile. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Did you hurt _them_? Is everything okay?"

His cousin was a rambler when she was nervous, always had been. Usually she caught herself but there'd been times when she was little that she'd gone on for almost an hour without stopping. He'd sit and listen, waiting for her to shut up or tire herself out. " 'm fine. In Charming now. You okay? Heard what happened before….was gonna come see ya and then…"

"Chinese got you. I get it. Its fine. _I'm_ fine," she assured him.

Happy smirked, rubbing a hand over his head. "Where you at? The idiot with you?"

There was a long pause while she considered answering that question. She let out a soft breath, clearing her throat before saying, "I'm fine and Evie's fine. That's all you really have to know."

"Where are you?" he repeated, more insistently this time. There was no way he was going to hang up the phone without knowing where she was. "You runnin' on me, kid?"

"No! God no! I'm just…I needed space, so I'm…out. I'm safe, that's all you need to know," she stated simply. At his grunt of disapproval, she continued, "You're lucky I even told you. I didn't know where you were for _days_. Whether you were alive or hurt or dead. I think letting you know I'm alive and breathing is enough for the moment."

"This ain't just about you, kid."

Another long pause as a sad sigh left her lips. "I know and that really, _really_ sucks," she said softly. "I just lost a baby, Hap. 'n' yeah, you called to see how I was but as soon as you got your answer, you went right back to club mode. It hurt bad enough when you didn't call the first time. Knowing you called with an ulterior motive, that really sucks."

Happy frowned, rubbing a hand over his head. It seemed he couldn't do anything right. " 's not what this is about."

"Then why are you insisting on knowing where I am? If I'm with Juice or not?"

"I just want to know you're safe!" he shouted, beyond frustrated as he tried to cover his own mistake.

"I just _told_ you I was safe!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah, but where the fuck are you?" he growled, slamming his hand on the table. "You're acting like a child!"

"Fuck you, Hap. Go tell your fuckin' club that I'm done. I've had it with all of you assholes and your stupid bullshit! I'm sick of you all letting me down!" she shouted before her breath caught in her throat. Her voice was rougher when she continued, a little calmer, a lot sadder. "Goddamn, Hap. I can't…I can't do this anymore. You're…you're my cousin 'n' I love you but this…you putting the club before me? Before _family_? That really just…_sucks_."

Happy sighed, his anger deflating as he ran a hand over his head. "It ain't like that, kid."

She sniffled. "Yeah. It is," she stated softly. "I gotta go, Hap."

"Kid. Ang! Hold up!" Happy shouted, but he'd already lost her. He closed the phone with a snap and chucked it across the room. He dropped his head into his hands for a brief moment, his mind in utter chaos. The last time he'd heard Angela's voice take on that disappointed tone had been when she was fourteen and he'd told her he was going to be locked up. This was different though. Going to jail was out of his control but choosing the club over her had been a conscious choice this time. One he'd made out of his own volition. "Shit."

"Is she okay?" Chloe's voice asked carefully.

He dragged his hands over his face as he looked up at her. "Yeah," he rasped. "Yeah, she's…she's fine."

"You threw your phone against the wall because she's fine?" she repeated doubtfully.

He stood up and shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "I gotta go."

She grabbed his wrist, her hazel eyes studying his tired face for a moment. "Stay, Hap. Just stay for a second. You're not going to find her. Not tonight. Club doesn't need you or else you wouldn't have come here. So just stay. Have a beer. _Relax_. Diving back into the club isn't going to help you any."

Happy stiffened a bit, straightening up to his full height as he thought over what she said. Then he let out a slow sigh, deflating a bit as he nodded. "Yeah. Gonna shower."

"Leave your wet clothes out. I'll dry 'em," she told him.

He felt a strange almost gravitational pull towards the nurse. There were no words to describe it. He just knew he wanted to be close to her. "Nah. You gotta shower too," he said, his voice rougher than usual.

A slow smile turned up the corners of Chloe's lips as she nodded. Standing on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his jaw. "Okay, Lowman. Let's get our shower on."

* * *

><p>Angela sat on the hotel bed with her hand still curled around her phone. Tears fell from her eyes before she could stop them. She was thankful that Juice was in the shower with Evie. Once he'd read that it was permissible to take her into the shower with him, he'd started doing it all of the time. He'd put on his swim trunks or just strip down to his boxers and spend some quality bonding time with their daughter while Angela got some much needed quiet time.<p>

Her conversation with Happy kept playing over and over in her head along with a teasing voice that kept pointing out how he'd chosen the club over her, that he didn't care about her any more. She tried to take in deep breaths to calm herself but was finding it hard to breathe. How could he do that? How could he put the club first? He'd never done that before! What had she done wrong?

Her heart ached for Kozik. He would know what to say. How to fix it. He would explain it all so it made sense. No one understood her and Hap's relationship like he had. They could be mad as hell at each other, and he just needed to say two sentences to fix it. He had the magic touch. She let her head fall into her hands, trying to take in deep breaths as tears fell from her eyes onto the dark carpet at her feet. Her world was spinning out of control. First Juice and now Hap. What more could go wrong? What more was the club going to ruin for her?

"Angel?"

She jerked her head up, wiping quickly at her eyes and mustering up a smile for Juice as she turned around to face him. "Hey! Hi. Did you two have a nice shower?" she asked, trying to be strong and act as if nothing was wrong.

Juice's brows immediately furrowed in concern. He pressed a kiss to Evie's head, setting her down in the little hotel crib before holding up a finger to Angela. "Let me get outta these wet boxers, and I'm there just…hold on."

Angela shook her head at him and tried to laugh. "I'm fine, goof. Don't worry about it."

He walked back out of the bathroom in a fresh pair of boxers. "No, you're not. I know you, baby. You're my _wife_, remember?" he said on a small smile as he pulled her into his arms. "What's goin' on?"

She closed her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, his nose nuzzling into her hair. "Hap called," she admitted, deciding to be honest with him. "He's…he's okay. Safe."

"That's…good. Right?" he questioned, clearly confused.

She nodded slowly. "He wanted to know where I was. If I was with you. Said it wasn't just about me. He…he was trying to get me to tell him where we were 'cause the club wanted him to," she explained, choking up at the end. "He…God, I'm not even sure he even called to see if I was okay. Maybe…maybe that was just a front 'n' all he really wanted was to talk to you."

Juice pulled away a bit so that their eyes could meet. "That's not true, Angel," he assured her, his brown eyes warm and just a little sad as they looked at her. "I'm sure he was worried about you too. It's just…a hard habit to break."

She recoiled from him a bit, taking a step away. That was _not_ what she wanted to hear. "A hard habit to break?" she repeated in disbelief. "Juice, I was his cousin long before he had that cut on his back!"

"I know! I know, Ang. I get it," he stammered out, trying to regain some footing. It was clear he hadn't expected such an angry reaction from her. He grabbed her hands in his, squeezing them gently. "I'm not saying its right, that's just what's going on. You have to get that. It's not about how much he care about you or doesn't care about you, its instinct. He wants to do what's best for the club. He loves you, Angel. You gotta know that."

Angela sighed, taking in a deep breath to try and calm herself. "I know that. Of course I do, but he's never done anything like that before. To actually hear him choose the club over me? That…that _hurt_. Badly."

Juice brushed a stray hair behind her ear, his other arm sliding around her waist and pulling her to him. She melted into him, her body fitting perfectly against his as it always did. "I'm sorry, baby," he murmured, rubbing a hand down her back.

"I hate this," she whispered, something she'd been saying a lot more recently. "I just want to be normal for once in my life."

He pulled away from her and gave her a smile. "We can do that. C'mon," he said going over to his emergency bag. They each had one tucked away in the floor compartment of Angela's car at all times just in case they needed to make a quick getaway. He grabbed a long sleeve thermal and put it on before grabbing a beanie and tugging it over his head. "See? Just a normal guy. Nothing special about me. Just Juan Carlos Ortiz getting dressed to go walk downtown with his beautiful wife."

"Seriously, Juice?"

"Nope. Juan Carlos," he insisted, pulling on a pair of dark jeans. He went to her bag and grabbed a pair of clean jeans and a fresh v-neck before throwing them at her. "Get dressed, Mrs. Ortiz. We're going to go get some ice cream." He walked over to the crib and scooped Evie up into his arms. "Huh, Monk? We're going to get some nice normal ice cream that you can't eat yet. We'll dress you up all pretty in pink. Normal baby clothes for my normal family."

She laughed as he cooed more nonsense about being normal to his daughter. "You're a goof, Juan Carlos," she laughed as she stepped towards him. Standing on her toes she pecked his lips quickly. "But I love you."

"Love you too, Mama," he said, pulling her in for another, longer kiss.

* * *

><p>Juice watched Angela lick her ice cream cone from his spot on the bench next to her with Evie tucked safely and warmly in her stroller on her other side. The view of San Francisco was spectacular, but the view of his wife was even better. He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "You know how sexy you look lickin' that ice cream?" he asked, setting the cup of peach frozen yogurt he'd been eating next to him.<p>

Angela gave him a wicked smile, her dark eyes locking on his as she used her tongue to lick around the coffee ice cream in the most seductive way possible. He groaned, closing his eyes and trying to think of anything else to keep certain parts of his anatomy from acting up. She laughed softly, leaning over to press a sloppy, ice cream laced kiss to his cheek. "Love you, Juan Carlos," she told him with a grin.

Taking her free hand, he gave it a squeeze. "Love you too, Angel," he replied, chuckling when she licked the ice cream off of his face too. God, he loved that woman. They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the gentle sound of the bay water crashing against the rocks. It'd been nice being normal for a few hours. Walking around downtown Sausalito, pushing Evie's stroller with Angela's arm hooked around his had felt…right. People would stop and talk them, fawn over Evie a bit. With his tattoos covered up, he wasn't as intimidating and Angela, when she was relaxed, exuded this welcoming nature that made all sorts of people start talking to her. He loved it. Loved seeing her smile and listening to her laugh without having to worry about his phone ringing. It was actually nice to be free of it.

The thought of his phone brought him back to the phone call Angela had with Happy earlier. She'd mentioned her cousin had said something about the club needing him. That stuck with him, bothering him just a little bit. What did the club need him for now? Was there another hit that needed to be carried out? Some dirty work Jax needed done? He didn't want to ask her; he knew bringing up the club wouldn't do any of them good. At the same time, he had to know. It was so rare that the club needed him. The fact they were looking for him to help had to be a good sign. If anything it showed he was somewhat indispensable. "Hey baby?"

"Mmm?"

"What'd the club want with me?"

Her shoulders tensed for a brief moment before she let out a long sigh. "Tara ran with the boys. They wanted to use your hacker skills to track her since none of those idiots knows anything about computers," she explained on a frown.

He laughed, really laughed because for a second, he'd forgotten the whole reason he was initially invited to even prospect with the club was because of his computer skills. He was the only one who knew his way around that piece of technology, the only one savvy enough to get into blocked databases and find information.

She stopped eating her ice cream cone to look at him as if he'd gone insane, looking at him like he'd gone insane. "What?"

"I forgot!" he said, still laughing. "All this bullshit's been going on 'n' I forgot that I'm the intelligence officer! That they actually _need_ me for that shit!"

Angela's laughter joined his, slow at first and then they were both laughing hysterically on the bench, leaning against each other for support. "Goof!" she exclaimed with a grin. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah!" he said on an exaggerated nod. He ran a hand over his head as he shook it in disbelief. "Its been _months_ since they told me to hack into anythin'! And Jax has been using me to do all this shit and I just…forgot."

They both grew silent again as the heaviness of everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks settled back on their shoulders. They could only be normal for so long before everything caught up with them. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "It's going to be good again, Juice," she said softly.

He wondered how she knew that was what he was thinking. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the tattoo of his initial before bringing their entwined hands to his heart. "Yeah, it will be," he decided on a nod. He drew in a deep breath before saying, "I'm gonna leave the club, Angel. I don't…I don't need it any more. I have you, I have Evie. I found the family I wanted. The club isn't family. Hasn't been for a long time."

Angela's dark eyes studied his face for a long moment as if she were trying to decide if he was serious or not. For a second, he worried she might tell him he was crazy, that they needed the club, and that they had to stay. Then she cleared her throat and nodded. "We'll go somewhere there's no charter," she offered with a hopeful smile. "I hear Hawaii's nice."

He felt his own hope blossoming in his stomach. "Raise Evie on the beach?"

"She _does_ love the water," she agreed on nod. "I got a job offer for a place over there once."

Juice raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What? When?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "A year or two ago. Every so often they call from different places I applied to when I first graduated. They still have my portfolio, I guess."

He gave her a proud grin, leaning over to kiss her temple. Sometimes he forgot that besides being a mom and his wife, Angela actually had a job. A good job with a decent income. "That's awesome, baby," he said, squeezing her hand. "So we'll pick a random island. I'll black out my tats, and we'll live…"

"Don't say it!" she interjected, pressing her finger to his lips. "We'll live. That's it. We'll live and just be happy and healthy and _safe_. You, me, Evie, and Rigs."

Juice kissed her again, savoring her kiss for a moment before he pulled away. "Whatever you say, Angel. Whatever you say."

* * *

><p><strong>Things are taking a different turn for the Ortiz family. :) <strong>

**If you're curious about what the characters look like, want to get a feel to the type of music I listen to while writing or want to read some head canons or even prompts asked and answered for this story, be sure to check out my tumblr! You can find the link in my profile or just look up _loveinkfanfics tumblr_. **

**Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what y'all think!**

**~Love Ink**


	105. Confrontations

**Thank you, thank you to all who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow. I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Mary (_**_Oh you'll see Angela's fierce 'mama' side in this chapter), **Guest 1, Guest 2, and Tay!**_

**Also HUGE thanks to _lizmynameis _who helped me fix a big part of this! She has an two _awesome_ Juice/OC stories that you all should definitely check out! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Bones, and Evie!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 105: Confrontations_

_By Love Ink_

Juice and Angela had been back for all of ten minutes when they heard the motorcycles pull up. Juice walked out of Evie's room after putting her to bed, he paused in the mouth of the hallway looking over at Angela who looked a little pale. "That's Jax's bike," he said softly.

"What does he want?" she asked, her eyes wide. There was a knock on the door, and they both hesitated in answering it.

"Dunno," he answered, heading to the front door. He grabbed his gun off of the side table where he'd left it when he'd stumbled in the day before and tucked it into the back of his jeans. His cut still lay on the couch, but he didn't put it on. Sucking in a deep breath, he opened the door.

Jax nodded to him in greeting, waiting for him to take a step back before walking inside like he owned he place. "We gotta talk," he told him, looking from Juice to Angela as if telling her to get out.

She stood strong; she wasn't a club member, he couldn't tell her what to do. If Juice wanted her to stay, she'd stay. Juice took a step in front of her, a sign that he didn't want her to go. She took a step closer, setting her hand on his back in show of support.

Jax frowned in disapproval but didn't push the subject. "Have a nice chat with Nero?"

Juice's brows furrowed in confusion as he slowly shook his head. "What are you talking-"

" 'cause he knows what you did to the kid's mom," he interrupted, without acknowledging Juice's answer. "That where you were all this time? Spilling our secrets to Nero while we've been scrambling to find Tara?"

"What? No! I was…we went out to the city. Took Evie to the beach. I didn't…"

"Bobby said he told you to get your dick sucked at Diosa," he cut him off again, glancing at Angela when she grimaced in response.

Juice nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't go. I came home. I wanted to be with my-"

"Then how does he know?" Jax interjected loudly, his arms thrown out to his sides. "If you weren't at Diosa, how the hell did he find out?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. Maybe he just figured it out."

"How? How would he have figured it out? He didn't suspect anything before!" he demanded, taking a threatening step towards him. "Don't lie to me, Juice."

Angela felt sick to her stomach at the wild look in Jax's eyes. He looked like a crazy man. Losing Tara and Nero talking to him about the girl must've driven him over the edge. He was directing everything he was feeling at Juice, and it scared the shit out of her. "I told him," she threw in, trying her best to save her husband.

Juice whirled around, staring at her with wide eyes. "What?" he breathed, looking confused as hell and a little scared.

She cleared her throat, locking eyes with Jax as she scrambled for a believable lie. "Nero asked me if the kid's mom was the reason Juice was so on edge lately. I figured he already knew. I guess I just…confirmed it. I didn't know that he didn't know."

"Angel…" Juice trailed off, a knowing look in his eyes.

Jax didn't look entirely convinced as his eyes swept over her. "He must've already known then because this idiot told him."

"No, he didn't," she corrected, trying her best to sound calm, genuine. "When I asked how he knew, he said he'd guessed. That he wasn't totally sure until I confirmed it. I'm sorry, I just…thought he knew. I didn't think you'd go behind his back."

Jax's eyes darkened at that, he took another step towards her, but Juice blocked him from getting closer. "That so?" the President asked, head cocked to the side.

Angela nodded, gently pushing Juice aside. She could stand toe to toe with Jackson Teller. He wouldn't hurt her. Not without the club backing him. He needed Happy as his Sergeant and hurting her would jeopardize that. "Yeah," she answered, standing tall. " 'cause that'd be a really shitty thing to do to someone you're supposed to trust, who's supposed to trust you."

They stood in a dead lock then. His ice blue eyes locked on her dark ones. He studied her face for a moment before his lip curled into a sneer. "Bullshit. You're covering for him."

"He didn't do anything to cover for," she growled back.

Juice's hand wrapped around her arm, squeezing it a bit as a warning for her to back off. "She's right, Jax. I didn't go to Diosa. We went out to the Headlands, spent the night in Sausalito, I swear. I haven't talked to Nero in days. Honest."

Jax nodded to Angela. "That really where you were?"

"I can show you the receipt for the hotel if you want proof," she replied, gesturing to her purse that was hanging off one of the kitchen chairs. "There's sand in my car and everything."

The SAMCRO president seemed appeased by this for a moment. He gave Juice a calculating look, before nodding. "Get your cut. You and Bobby are going to sit on Tara's lawyer. See if he leads us to her."

"Why?" Juice asked, confused again. "I can just follow the guy's phone records. Find her number, trace the call…"

"Follow the damn lawyer!" Jax shouted, clearly frustrated with Juice questioning his method of finding his wife. "I need to talk to your Old Lady a minute."

Juice didn't move, though. He stood strong in front of Angela as if he were afraid Jax was going to attack her if he moved. "No. I'm not leaving you alone with my wife."

The corner of Jax's lips twitched a bit before he nodded. "Fine, _brother,_" he said, turning away and heading to the door. "Go meet Bobby, and I'll see you later."

Angela fisted her hand in the back of Juice's t-shirt, clinging to it to keep her hands from shaking as they both stared down Jax's back while he walked away. Once they heard his bike start up and ride away, Angela sprinted for the front window. Peeking through the blinds, she felt her heart sink in her stomach; Quinn was parked on their corner. She felt Juice's hand on her lower back and wheeled around. "Let's go. Let's get out of here."

Juice looked through the blinds and saw his large brother sitting there. "We can't," he said, swallowing hard. She started to speak, but he cut her off before she could get a word out, "We can't, Angel. Running will make it look like we're guilty."

"And if we stay, he'll take you to the table," she pointed out.

He shook his head quickly. "You don't know that," he murmured, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. "We'll play it safe now. I'll help find Tara, you go to work. We'll just…go about our day like nothing's changed, okay? Get a better gauge for where Jax's head is at. End of the day, we'll decide what to do. Okay?"

She bit her lip, considering what he was saying. In her head, she was already planning on making sure their "go" bags were packed and ready so that if they had to leave, they could do so at a moment's notice. "Yeah, yeah," she caved on a nod. She didn't want to fight this issue with him. Not yet. "Okay."

Juice dipped his head, catching her lips in soft kiss. "I love you, baby," he told her, kissing her forehead. "I'll be back soon. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise. We're gonna get out of here. We're gonna be free. Gonna go to Hawaii and sit on the beach and drink Blue Hawaiians and then show Monk the volcanoes and teach her to hula."

Angela laughed as she shook her head. She didn't think it was possible. Not after she saw the hatred that had been in Jax Teller's eyes. "Juice, don't…"

"And you'll look sexy as hell in that bikini," he murmured, kissing her cheek. "And we'll eat fresh pineapple everyday," he continued, pressing a kiss to her neck, "and have sex on the beach. The drink and the real deal."

"Goof," she laughed, pushing him away, her eyes shiny with tears. It all sounded so good. Too good. A total dream that she knew deep down in her heart would never happen. "Stop! You gotta go find Tara, remember?"

He nodded. "I'll see you later, baby," he said, shrugging on his cut. He kissed her once more on his way out. "Love you."

"Love you too," she replied, trying her best to give him a smile. After the door closed behind him, she sunk down on the couch, letting her head fall into her hands. She had a bad feeling about all of this.

* * *

><p>Angela was keenly aware of Quinn following her as she drove to the funeral home. If he was trying to be stealth, he really sucked at it. Pulling into the parking lot, she noticed him trying to hide himself around the corner, so she rolled her eyes and waved at him. Better to have him know that she saw him then have him try to hide it from her. Caught, he decided to ride the rest of the way towards her, parking right beside her as she got walked to the passenger's side to get Evie out of her carrier.<p>

"Rain, rain, go away," she cooed to her baby girl despite the fact that there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Rane Quinn's chuckle was loud behind her. "You talkin' to me, kiddo?"

Angela held Evie tight to her chest and gave the large Son a smirk. "No. Of _course_ not," she said sarcastically. "Why are you tailing me, Quinn?"

"Not really sure. Jax just thought it was necessary," he replied on a shrug. "Gotta be a reason. Always is with you, troublemaker."

She frowned at that, her heart aching a bit; it was something Kozik would've said. If she hadn't been so genuinely afraid of Quinn while she was growing up, he could've easily been included in their tight little inner circle. She knew Quinn, Hap, and Kozik had all come up through the club together. The other two men had known her Uncle Chico. Hap had them both over for dinner at their moms' house a few times. They understood how important she was to Hap. She'd just kept a wide berth away from Quinn because the first time she'd met him, she'd been on the business end of his gun. "I'm not _that_ bad," she grumbled, shaking her head at him. "Do you want to come in or are you just gonna sit outside like a weirdo?"

"Think if I came in, I'd be the weirdo," Quinn replied on a shrug. "Got no place inside there. Not 'til I'm ready to be put to rest."

She glared at him for a moment. "What is it with you guys and talking about your deaths like their imminent or something?"

Quinn shrugged a shoulder. "Death is something no man can escape."

Angela rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. "Well, prolong it as long as possible, please," she muttered, clipping the carrier into the fancy stroller.

"I'll try, kiddo," he promised her with a wink.

She walked into the funeral home quickly, smirking when the buzzer went off, and she heard Bones scrambling to get to the front door. He stopped in the hallway that led to the stairs of his apartment, his glasses totally askew, bow tie on crookedly. "Oh. It's just you," he said breathing a sigh of relief.

Angela grinned as Rigor ran to her, waiting until she crouched down to nuzzle Evie gently before licking Angela's face. "Hi, Rigs! Hi! Did you miss me? Did you miss, Mama?" she cooed to him, stroking a hand down his back. "Were you good for Uncle Boner?"

"He was awesome, as usual. Don't know how you trained him, but he's the best dog ever," Bones gushed, rubbing a hand over Rigor's head.

She smiled as she stood, reaching out and gently straightening Bones' bowtie with her free hand. "Everything okay while I was gone?"

"Yep. Slow as molasses. Got Ken goin' around pullin' weeds right now," he said, following her into the office. "Hey, uh, that Scottish dude with the scars came around askin' for you. Saw Rigs over here and got suspicious."

"I know. I got a call," she admitted, handing Evie over to Bones when he held out his arms for her.

Bones held Evie up to his face, making silly faces at her. "Sup, niecey-weesy?" he asked, chuckling when she grabbed at his glasses.

"Niece-y weesy?" Angela repeated flatly, an amused smirk on her face as she dropped down into her desk chair and flicked on her computer. "Your Uncle Bones is crazy, Evie-doll."

He stuck his tongue out at her just as the buzzer over the front door went off meaning someone was there. "Customer time," he said softly, going to put Evie in the little bassinette they had in the office for her.

"Take her. I got a feeling I know who it is," she said, waiting until he was gone to unlock her desk drawer and grab her gun. She set it on the desk in front of her, getting out her cleaning supplies too. If it was Jax, as she suspected, she wanted to have an excuse to have it nearby.

She heard Kenny's voice from the main hall having an awkward conversation with someone who's voice she immediately recognized. She'd been right. Jax had gone against Juice's wishes and come to talk to her alone anyway. It was a sign of disrespect; one he wouldn't have stood for if the roles were reversed.

Kenny must've sensed something was off because he walked in with Jax, hovering awkwardly in the doorway as if he didn't want to leave them alone. "Hey Ang, got anything else for me to do?" he asked, his eyes cutting nervously to Jax.

"I'm okay, thanks. Why don't you go take Rigs for a walk?" she suggested with a smile. "He's following Boner and Evie around somewhere."

"Okay," he said, nodding his goodbye before heading out of the room.

Jax sat down in the chair across from her desk. If he saw the gun, he was doing his best to ignore it, a subtle sign he was using to tell her he wasn't afraid of her. She met his gaze and did her best to give him a friendly smile. "What can I do for you, Jax?" she asked politely.

"I know you were lyin' today," he stated, cutting right down to the chase. He was there for one reason and one reason only. "That bullshit about tellin' Nero. I knew it was Juice. Had to be. No other way for him to know."

"When did he have the time to do that? When he came home, high as a kite off the oxy Bobby gave him or maybe when he was balls deep inside of me in our kitchen because he couldn't wait to get me into the bedroom?" she lied, hoping the colorful description would throw off his game somewhat. He didn't look fazed though, so she continued, "Or maybe on the few hours it took us to drive to the Headlands? He didn't have time to talk to Nero!"

He shook his head slowly. "Nah. Bobby sent him to Diosa. He probably got his dick sucked there, and was high as fuck, spilling his guts out to anyone who'd listen before he came crawling back to you."

Angela's hands clenched into fists underneath her desk as anger started to bubble in her veins. "That's fucking bull shit. He was with me," she seethed, doing her best to remain calm. "Did you _ask_ Nero?"

He shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "He made it pretty clear what happened."

"Did you ask _him_, though?" she pressed.

"I didn't _need_ to. I know what happened."

"Clearly, you don't," she scoffed, shaking her head at him. "Maybe you should ask him before you go making rash decisions."

Jax sat up a bit in his seat, a resentful look on his face. She'd hit a nerve. She was willing to bet she wasn't the only one who had criticized him about making bad decisions. He'd made too many of them to get away with it. "Don't need to rethink shit. Juice was on thin ice as it was. Ratted to the feds, killed a brother. He shouldn't be alive."

A chill went down her spine at that last sentence. Taking in a deep breath, she sat up in her seat too, making sure to keep her shaking hands out of view to keep the appearance of being strong. "Well then neither should you. Any of you," she pointed out calmly. "There isn't a single club member that hasn't broken one of your damn club rules 'cept maybe Hap and Quinn. Seems the only ones that have been tried are the ones you stand to make a profit from."

His eyebrows rose for a brief moment in acknowledgement of her words. He was impressed by her logic, obviously he hadn't expected that. "He's a rat."

"He's not," she shot back just as quickly as he said it. "He didn't sign shit. They let him go. Only reason he did any of that was to protect the club, to protect his family. Didn't you do something similar with Stahl? Or was that different because it ended up working in your favor?"

He sat forward now, his nostrils flaring a bit. "That was a ploy. I never did shit," he growled.

"Neither did Juice," she seethed, her own anger taking over her fear. For all the talking Juice did to the feds, he didn't sign anything and nothing ever came of it. If Roosevelt hadn't used him for leverage to get the information he wanted about Rita's murder, Jax would never have even known about it. If he himself could be free of persecution by the club because he'd made some elaborate scheme to deceive Stahl, Juice should get by because nothing became of anything he did. What Jax was doing wasn't fair. It wasn't right. "Or did I miss you guys getting caught up by the feds?"

"He got lucky that time," Jax allowed with an easy shrug. "Still doesn't change the fact that he ratted. A rat's a rat, Ang."

Angela took in deep breath, fighting the anger she was feeling start to build up. ""He'd do anything to get right with you, Jax," she stated, switching tactics. He was too stubborn for her to make any headway in convincing Jax that Juice wasn't a rat, so she was going to try her hand at convincing him to drop it entirely. "You know that. He's already done everything you've asked him to do without even questioning it. You told him he was forgiven. Can't you just let it go?"

"Let it go? You want me to just let him go?" he repeated on a cold laugh. "After all the shit he pulled, you-"

That's when she snapped, the anger becoming too much to reign in anymore. She was sick and tired of Jax using her husband as a pawn in her little game. Sick of all the mind games he was playing with her and her family. "He didn't do anything!" Angela interjected, her voice loud in the small room. "If you think of him as a brother, if you care about him at_ all_, you'll ask Nero what happened! He'll tell you it wasn't Juice, you'll see! Just let it go!"

He smirked cockily, seemingly proud that he got her to break her calm façade. "I let him go and what? You guys gonna split?"

_Deep breath. In and out, _she schooled herself. She had to be careful with this question. She had a feeling if he knew they wanted to leave, he'd do anything in his power to stop them. "No. I just want him to _live_, Jax. I want him to be around to watch his daughter grow up and to just be happy."

Jax leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "You're not leaving Charming," he stated as if it were his decision to make. "Not with Juice."

The way he said it made her feel trapped. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He wasn't going to let them leave. He had all of the power in this situation. "I didn't say we were," she ground out, trying her best to keep her cool.

"Good," he said, standing up and getting ready to leave.

"What are you going to do to him, Jax?"

"Nothin'." Jax shrugged a shoulder, his blue eyes flicked to the gun and the back up to her, a smooth smile spreading across his face as if daring her to make the move. He stopped at the doorway, turning to look at her. "Yet. You stay safe, Angela."

Her stomach churned as she watched the Reaper on his back slowly disappear around the corner. She waited until she heard his bike start up before scrambling for her purse. With shaking hands, she grabbed her phone and dialed Juice's number, praying like hell he'd pick up. His personal went straight to voicemail. "Juice, baby, we need to go. Now. I've got our shit all packed up at home. We can just take the Mazda and leave. Just…meet me at home, okay? _Please_."

She hung up her phone and sat at the desk, nervously twisting at her ring as she thought of what to do next. Pushing away from the desk, she headed up to the apartment using the hidden stairs inside. Kenny and Bones were both laying on the floor with Evie under her little gym. Both boys were immersed in their old school Game Boy colors. They'd started a Pokemon competition to see who could beat the game the fastest. Kenny was using Red while Bones used Blue. Evie lay in between them, kicking her legs out and gurgling at the toys that hung above her.

They both stopped what they were doing when she slammed the door behind her, heading straight for the front window to peek through the blinds. Quinn was still sitting there on his motorcycle, staring out at the cemetery. "Shit," she muttered, raking a hand through her hair.

"Everything okay?" Kenny asked, sitting up. "What did Uncle Jax want?"

"Nothing," she answered, trying her best to give him a smile. "Everything's good. Great. Fantastic."

That caught Bones' attention. He sat up too, eyeing her suspiciously. "Something happened."

"I know," Kenny agreed on a nod. "Is Uncle Jax gonna hurt Juice?"

Angela twisted nervously at her ring, wondering the same question. "I don't…I don't know," she admitted softly. "I just…I need you two to do something for me, okay?"

Bones carefully scooped Evie off of the mat as he got to his feet. "Anything."

"Go to my house and pick up Juice's run bag. It's in our closet. Ken, it's the big one with the Reaper on it like your Dad had," she explained, a plan slowly starting to formulate in her head. "Grab that along with the wad of bills that's stowed in my cowboy boots next to the bag."

"You have _cowboy boots_?" Bones repeated in disbelief.

Angela cut him a hard glare. "Focus, Leonard," she ordered sternly, using his first name to emphasize how serious this was. "Put everything into the bag and bring it here. Juice will be by to pick it up."

"Okay, yeah, done," Bones said, handing Evie over to her mother. "What's all this for, Ang?"

"He's running," Kenny stated, a knowing look in his eyes. "Are you running too?"

She shook her head, gently pushing some of his hair out of his eyes. "No, kiddo. I got big bad Quinn sitting out there making sure I stay put, but Juice has to get out before he gets hurt. Will you guys help me?"

Kenny nodded slowly, giving her a sad smile before he headed for the door. Bones stopped to kiss Angela's cheek and Evie's head. "We got your back, Ang," he promised. "Always."

* * *

><p>Juice felt the weight of the world on his shoulders as he rode away from the ice cream parlor, Jax's kiss of death still burning on his cheek. He'd been told to go find Gemma, update her on what happened, but after that little interaction with Jax, that was the last thing he wanted to do. It was instinctual for him to go home. To find Angela. They had to leave, and they had to leave now.<p>

He rounded the corner to their house and stopped there. From his spot, he could see the bike parked at the end of the drive. Quinn's. Jax had Quinn sitting on his house, watching his family, making it impossible for them to leave together. He walked his bike backwards, out of view of the house, setting up the kickstand and digging into his saddlebag for the emergency burner her kept there.

Angela picked up on the first ring. "Angela Ortiz. How can I help you?"

There was something off about her voice, but he couldn't quite place it. "Angel?"

"Hi...Yes…I'm so sorry for your loss," she replied, staggering the words as if she were answering questions.

Quinn had to be in the room with her. This was a sign that she was pretending to talk to a client so Quinn wouldn't catch on. "Angel, we have to split. Jax is…"

"Oh I know. I met with your brother this morning."

"Shit. Baby, I don't know what-"

"If you could meet me at the funeral home in an hour or so, that would be great. We can go over arrangements then. If I'm not there, my assistant will be and he'll be more than willing to help you. Sound good?"

Juice let out a sigh of relief as he nodded. "Yeah. Sounds good. I'll see you there," he said, starting up his bike again. "Love you."

"You too, sir. See you soon," she replied courteously before the line went dead.

He closed the phone, tucking it into his cut pocket before racing off to the funeral home. He parked in the garage, closing it behind him quickly. When he turned back around, he jumped when he saw Kenny standing in the doorway. "Jesus Christ, kid. You scared the shit outta me," he breathed, putting his helmet on his handlebars.

"Sorry," Kenny said, ducking his head down. "Heard the garage open. Thought I'd check it out. Uh…Ang had us get your pack. Told us she'd meet you in the apartment."

Juice gave him a tight smile, ruffling his hair as he passed him. "Thanks, Ken."

He walked inside and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Bones was sitting at the kitchen table playing his Gameboy. "Hey," he called, focused on the screen. "Got your pack. 's on the couch."

He nodded slowly taking note of the solitary bag on the couch, the reaper patch sewn into it grinning at him. "Where's the girls' stuff?"

Bones looked up from the game with wide eyes as if he were afraid he'd forgotten something. "Ang just said to grab your pack. She didn't say…"

A sense of panic shot through him. She'd only sent them for his pack which meant she wasn't planning on going with him. After everything, she expected him to leave without her, without Evie. It wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to leave them alone in Charming. No way.

"Juice," her voice from behind him had him spinning around. She was standing there, her eyes already shining with tears, Evie's carrier on the floor by her feet.

"Angel," he breathed, crossing the room towards her. He took her face in his hands and pressed a long kiss to her lips. "Are you okay? Is everything…"

"You have to go!" she cut him off, panic in her eyes. "You have to split. Just get out of here, and we'll meet you somewhere later! Take the Mazda and go!"

Juice shook his head quickly. "I can't…the Mazda has a tracking device! Hap knows how to use it!"

She pulled away from her, her brows drawn together in confusion. "My car has a tracking device?"

He'd put it in there after the whole Mel fiasco and had made sure Hap and Tig knew how to use it just in case. "I can't…I can't lose you, Angel. I can't," he stammered, his breathing hard. "I can't leave you."

She grabbed his face in her hands, tears brimming her lower lashes. "You can do this, Juice," she told him, sounding strong, confident. "Go to Hawaii. We'll meet you there, as soon as we can, I promise."

Juice felt his own tears prick his eyes as he shook his head. "No, baby. Not leaving without you."

"You _have_ to, Juice. _Please_. Jax is…he's going to bring you to the table. They'll come after you, they're gonna vote Mayhem and then it'll be over. You've gotta go. You've gotta give us a chance, Juice," she pleaded, her voice tight as her hands grabbed onto his cut. "Please, please go."

"Don't make me leave you, Angel. Please," he begged, holding her face in his hands. "I love you."

"If you love me, you'll leave," she rasped, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Its not going to be for long, I swear. I'll find you. We'll be okay. We'll live happily ever after with the hula dancing and the pineapples and the volcanoes, okay?"

Juice swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay, baby."

She pulled him in, crushing her lips against his. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth and savoring the taste of her for a brief moment, committing it to memory. "I love you," she murmured, her forehead pressed to his. "We're going to be okay."

"Yeah," he said on a sad laugh. He didn't believe her, of course. He wasn't good on his own. They'd been together for so long; he didn't know how to be without her for more than a few days. A whole week had almost killed him, he wasn't sure how well he'd do with an indefinitely amount of time away from her. He took in a shaky breath, trying to keep himself together. "Yeah, okay."

"I'm going to leave…" she started, her breath hitching on the world. She was having a hard time letting him go too, it seemed. "I'm going to leave so that Quinn follows me. As soon as he's gone, you go. Get as far away as you can, Juice. I'm not kidding."

Juice nodded quickly, already hating this plan. "How are we going to find each other?"

"Call Bones or Ken. Just…keep in contact with them, okay? They…they'll make sure we find each other. The club won't suspect them. I swear it. Just…get out of Charming, out of state. Please."

"And you'll come find me? With Evie?" he asked, needing her to reassure him. She'd told him over and over that they'd be okay, but he needed to hear it again.

Angela nodded, swallowing hard. "Of course. We'll find you and we'll be a happy family away from the club. Away from everything. We'll be free."

He sniffled and nodded, wiping the tears from her face. "Okay." He connected their lips in another kiss. "I love you, Angel. So much."

"Love you too, Juice," she choked out, her bottom lip quivering. She sucked in a deep breath and forced a smile on her face.

"Don't break on me, Angel. You're going to make this harder," he pleaded softly, saying her name as many times as he could. He knew it would be awhile before he got the chance to say it again.

"That's what she said," she choked out.

He laughed feebly, connecting their lips again in a quick kiss. "I love you," he whispered, kissing her cheek, "I love you," another kiss to her temple, "I _love_ you."

She closed her eyes, pulling him in closer to her and melting into the circle of his arms. Their bodies fused together, leaning against each other for strength, trying to take in and memorize every feeling, every scent.

"I love you," she whimpered, nuzzling her nose against his neck. She pulled away, grabbing his hand and tugging him over to Evie. She pulled her daughter out of the carrier. "Tell Daddy you love him and you'll see him soon, Evie-doll."

Juice swallowed thickly as he took Evie from his wife's arms. "Hey Monk," he cooed to her, hating the way his voice shook. "Hey beautiful. Daddy's gonna…I have to go for a little, but you guys will come to me, okay? I'll see you soon, baby girl."

Evie reached up and grabbed at his nose, smiling at him with a toothless grin. Juice's heart squeezed painfully in his chest, tears clouding his vision of her. He couldn't bear the thought of being apart from her. She was growing so fast, and he didn't want to miss any of it. He put his lips to her forehead, breathing in the soothing scent of her soft hair. "Love you so much, Evangeline. Don't forget that."

"Juice," Angela's voice was strangled when she spoke, "Don't. This isn't goodbye."

He nodded, sniffling a bit. "Feels like it," he said, shifting Evie to one arm and holding the other out to her. He kissed Evie's head again, trying to engrain the feel of his two girls in his arms into his brain.

"Ang? Uh…Uncle Quinn just walked in," Kenny said, poking his head in. "He's looking for you. Something about Tara. Bones is stalling, but he…he said its an emergency."

Angela pulled away from Juice and wiped at her eyes. "Okay. Tell him I'm in the bathroom. I'll be right there."

"Take Evie," Juice rasped, kissing his daughter one more time before placing her in the carrier.

Kenny stepped in and took the carrier, his hands shaking just a little. He looked up at Juice for a moment. "I'm going to take good care of them, Uncle Juice," he promised him.

Juice did his best to smile at him as he clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Ken. You got that burner I gave you, right?" he asked, waiting for Kenny to nod before continuing, "Keep it charged and on. I'll text you. You keep me posted on my girls, okay?"

"Yeah. I can do that," he said, shifting awkwardly. "I'll make sure Uncle Jax doesn't find out where you are. He won't think to ask me anyway."

Bones clamored up the stairs and into the room, looking a little pale. "Ang, this big dude is looking for you, and he's being pretty damn insistent," he began rambling, stopping when he saw Kenny. "Oh. So you know."

The youngest Winston rolled his eyes and left the room, taking Evie with him. Angela watched him go for a moment before turning to Juice. He gave her a shaky smile. "This is it then," he rasped, feeling his eyes tear up again.

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly again. "I hate this," she breathed, sniffling a bit.

Juice ran a hand over her soft hair, tugging softly to get her to look at him. "This isn't goodbye," he reminded her. He gave her one last, hard kiss. "I love you."

"I know. I love you too," she replied, wiping a tear off of his cheek. "Stay safe, Juice. I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah, baby. Real soon," he agreed despite not being sure of it himself. She hesitated a bit, but he pushed her towards the door. "Go 'fore Quinn gets suspicious."

"Okay." Angela swallowed hard as she backed towards the door, her dark eyes not leaving his until the very last second.

Once she was gone, he crumbled in a heap onto the couch, letting his head fall into his hands. He took deep breaths to control the utter anguish he was already feeling. His heart felt like it'd been ripped in half. "I can't leave them, Bones. I can't do it. I won't," he said, scrubbing his hand over his face as he looked at the younger man.

Bones nodded slowly. "There's gotta be a better way than this. Right? Splitting you guys up can't be the only way."

Juice felt a flicker of hope in his heart as he looked at Bones. He'd thought he was crazy for wanting to stay close despite the danger he'd be putting himself in, but Bones was thinking the same thing. They both couldn't be crazy. "I hope not."

He thought about it for a long second, rubbing at his eyes underneath his glasses before sighing. "I think I have a plan."

* * *

><p><strong>Not the happiest chapter, sorry. But there's a method to my madness. I promise. <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think!**

**~Love Ink**


	106. Ohana

**Huge thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Guest 1, Sweetsmyla, Guest 2, Mary_**_ (No one told Nero. He made the conclusion on his own and Jax's reaction to him was what told him he was right. I always thought Nero was too smart not to figure out what Jax had done and to believe him when he said Darveny died on her own. ;) As to the rest, you'll see...Also, I'm glad you like the choices I made for Bones and Chloe!), **Guest 3, Guest 4, anonymous, Eleonora, DarkChild21, and Jason** (Thank you! You are too kind! I might be throwing in a bit of Tig and Venus if I get the chance to. Love them and I think their dynamic would be fun to play around with!)._

**Also _huge_ thanks to fellow writer _lizmynameis_ for letting me bounce ideas off of her and for giving me ideas. She's got two awesome Juice/OC stories that I highly recommend checking out! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, Chloe, and Bones!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 106: Ohana_

_By Love Ink_

Juice kept his baseball hat pulled low over his face as he rode in the passenger's seat of the funeral home van with Bones at the wheel. He had no idea Bones was taking him, but he kept going farther and farther away from the town into the countryside all the while humming the Mission Impossible theme song and driving him crazy. "Where the hell are we going?" he asked, hoping the question would stop Bones' humming.

"I actually have a house out here. One of the old ranch houses," Bones admitted, scratching at his neck nervously.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. He knew exactly what Bones was talking about; Elliot Oswald lived in one of them. They were huge and spread out. Most of them had room for livestock and horses. Some even had vineyards on them so their owners could dabble in making wine. It was where Charming's wealthier inhabitants lives, and he was surprised to find out that Bones owned one of them. "You got a ranch house and you're living in a shitty apartment above a _morgue_?"

Bones nodded. "It's uh…it's complicated," he stammered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "It's my step dad's place. Or it was, I guess since he…died."

"Oh." Juice grimaced, feeling a little bad about giving the guy shit before. "Sorry to hear that. Your mom and sister, they don't live there either?"

"Um. No. They're uh…they…all three of 'em got in this…_insane_ accident with a drunk driver a few years back," he admitted, his voice cracking a bit. "None of them made it."

Juice's brows furrowed together in total confusion. Bones talked about his little sister all of the time as if she were still around. "Really? But you…"

"I pretend they moved to Florida or something 'cause that's what we were gonna do after I graduated. Makes it easier to deal with," he interrupted quickly. "My dad...step dad…he left _everything_ to me. I wasn't even his kid, but he…just did. Skeeter and Ang did the funeral prep, but she didn't actually go to the funeral. I don't know why but…anyways, I became a little obsessed with death after that so I bugged Skeet to let me help with something, anything. Told him I'd dig graves if he'd let me. He said to wait until I actually graduated from high school and then, it was up to Ang."

Juice felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest at the mention of his wife. He remembered the day she'd prepped Bones' little sister, actually. He'd still been in the hospital after his prison shanking. She'd climbed into bed with him, lay her head on his chest, and asked him to talk to her about absolutely anything. He'd spent a good couple of hours explaining to her the concept of Clear Passages and the different strains of weed and edibles he wanted to sell. She'd listened to every minute of it and afterwards had thanked him for the distraction before making him promise to never talk to her about colonics again. After hearing that Bones had been tied to the case, he wasn't surprised Angela had taken him under her wing; she seemed to do that with anyone who sought out her help. "She took you in."

Bones nodded slowly. "For awhile, I thought it was because she knew what happened. That I was this charity case and that's why she was being so nice to me. She treated me like a little brother 'cause she knew I'd lost my family. But when I finally asked her about it, she had no idea. She really didn't. She just gave me a big hug and then told me to get back to work. We never talked about it again 'n' when I talk about Penny and my parents like they're still around, she goes along with it. Never makes me feel like a...weirdo for it. She's just...a really cool person. And this is corny to say, but I feel lucky to have her in my life. Don't know what I woulda done on my own without her."

He smiled a little as he nodded in agreement. "I know. Feel the same way."

They shared a brief smile as Bones pulled up to a wrought iron entry gate. He typed in the numbers quickly before turning to Juice. "Passcode is 73669. The lights are on timers so don't worry about people seeing them. They're used to it. Not that the neighbors can really see the place anyway couple miles between each of the ranches, but I keep them on to ward off robbers," he explained before nodding at the Escalade in the driveway. "Same with the car. The keys are inside if you need them. I come up here every now and then to start the car and mow the lawn. Give the appearance someone's living here so nothing you do should be too suspicious."

Juice looked at the hacienda style ranch house in utter shock. It was a beautiful place. Not too big, not too small. The kind of house you buy for a growing family. The kind of house he'd love to own with Angela. "Damn, Bones. This place is…you grew up here?"

"Nah. I grew up in the trailer park out by the lumber yard. My mom met Freddy when I was like fourteen and then they got married and we moved in with him when I was like sixteen," he answered on a shrug. He got out of the car and headed to the huge front door, using three different keys to unlock three different locks. "Wait here, let me turn off the alarm."

He waited patiently on the front door step until Bones called him in. Slowly, he stepped inside, taking in his surroundings. The place was a bit of a mess. Dolls and other toys littered the living room floor, there was a mess of old mail on the front table and a newspaper on the dining room table. It was a place that seemed to be frozen in time. "Woah."

"Bedrooms are upstairs. Uh…you can sleep wherever you want. There's a guest one that's nice. Comfy bed. My room's good too just…"

"I won't touch your parents' room," he promised, knowing that's what Bones was trying to work up to. "Or your sister's."

Bones let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Everything else is fair game. I'll get you food and stuff. If the mess bothers you, you can clean. Ang said you're a little…OCD so if it bugs you…"

"She said I was OCD?" Juice asked on a laugh. "Really?"

He blushed a bit, scratching at the back of his neck again. "No. No, of course she didn't. I mean, she may have mentioned it once or twice but…not complaining of course. She loves you. A lot. She just...said you like things clean so if you want to clean things then you can. I can't...with the toys and shit because I keep...I want them to come back, but I think if you did it, it'd be okay. It'd be like my mom did it or something. Does that...does that even make sense?"

He smirked; he knew he drove Angela crazy sometimes with his OCD, but he also knew it entertained her to a certain extent too. She'd move little things around just to see if he'd figure out what she'd touched. That drove _him_ crazy. "Yeah, man. I get it. Thanks for this, Bones," he said, putting the rambling guy out of his misery. "You didn't have to do this."

Bones shrugged a shoulder. "I did. I kind of consider you guys as this weird sort of...family. All three of you. And my family's already been...taken from me once. I don't want it to happen again."

Juice clapped a hand on Bones' shoulder, squeezing it in a comforting gesture. "It won't. I'm not leaving you all behind. I'm gonna find a way to make this work."

"Do I...do I tell Ang you're here? How does that work?"

"Only if you want a death wish," he shot back with a smirk. "Just...let her cool down first. She finds out I'm here, she'll make me leave. Let me figure this shit out and find a way for all of us to leave together, all right? No one gets left behind."

Bones smirked. "Ohana."

Juice blinked at him, a blank look on his face. "I'm sorry, what?"

"'Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.' Like from the Disney movie, _Lilo and Stitch_. Its Hawaiian."

He looked at him in disbelief. There was no way Bones knew about their plans to go to Hawaii. It was impossible. Him pulling it seemingly out of nowhere had to be a sign that staying in Charming was a smart move. It was too big of a coincidence for it not to be. "Yeah, right. Ohana."

* * *

><p>Angela pulled up to the front of the ice cream parlor that was being used for a makeshift clubhouse. Quinn had insisted that she follow him there for some reason. She'd been more than happy to go. It gave her a good excuse to get Quinn away from the funeral home so that Juice could escape without being caught. She left Evie with Kenny, Bones, and Ellie, who'd shown up after her shift at the Bridal shop. The elder Winston made a comment about how she'd seen all of her uncles outside the parlor hugging Jax as if he were going somewhere. Angela hadn't had time to ask Quinn what that was about; she had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to find out soon though.<p>

She pulled into a parking spot, her heart pounding in her chest as she got out of the car and spotted Happy's bike. Anger, sadness, and utter panic hit her all at the same time. The last time she'd spoken to him was the night before when she'd hung up on him because he'd chosen the club over her. That still stung. She didn't know what, if anything, she was going to say to him. Through the window, she could just make out his form, sitting at the bar with Tig talking to his brother over a beer. What was left of SAMCRO was sitting in the parlor, a sad looking bunch. She looked at Quinn. "What's going on?"

He shook his head slowly and gestured for her to go inside. "C'mon. You'll find out soon enough," he said, gently nudging her forward.

Angela clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking as she walked inside. Her eyes met Happy's first, and she was shocked to find a look of relief cross over his face at the sight of her. It was a strange expression for him and it brought along with it a sense of foreboding that made her a little anxious. What had happened?

Chibs stepped around the bar to greet her with Thomas in his arms. Thomas reached out his arms for her, his little hands grabbing for her. She took him easily, settling him against her hip and kissing his forehead. "Hey Tommy boy. You've gotten so big, you handsome dude," she cooed to him before nodding to Chibs. "What's going on, Chibbies?"

Bobby took Thomas away from her as if he knew that whatever the answer was, she shouldn't be holding him for it, the boy wriggled around in his grasp, reaching out for her again and whining. The sound of it broke her heart, and she tried to get him back only to have Bobby walk away from her. Chibs clapped a hand on her shoulder, squeezing just a bit. "C'mon, love, don't want the boys to hear this," he stated, nodding to the back stairs.

Angela swallowed hard as she followed him up to the chapel. He unlocked the door, holding it open and letting her walk in before him. "Chibs, if this is about Juice…" she started, turning around to face him, uncomfortable with having him behind her.

" 's not. Not today," he said with a shake of his head. "You're going to want to be sitting down for this."

She stared at the Reaper carved into the big redwood table for a moment before shaking her head; she didn't want to be anywhere near the thing. It stood for everything she and Juice were trying to be free of. "I'm fine," she insisted before taking in a deep breath. "What's going on?"

"Jax found Tara 'n' one of Roosevelt's sergeants dead in their house," Chibs told her, his dark eyes studying her face.

Angela gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as her heart pounded in her chest. "Are you…are you serious?" she asked around the lump in her throat. At Chibs' nod, she shook her head in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes. "What happened?"

"Not sure yet. All we know righ' now is it was a gruesome scene. They already took Jax to county. Roosevelt called us to make sure we stayed put for questionin'. _All_ of us."

And Quinn needed to be there for that, she realized on a frown which meant there'd be no one left to watch her. It also revealed that Chibs was of the same mind as Jax in that she needed to be watched which meant Juice was in as much danger with Jax in county as he was with Jax out of county. Thankfully, he was long gone by now, waiting for her somewhere safe and out of Charming. "Jesus Christ," she murmured, raking a hand through her hair.

"Coroner took Tara. Said they have to wait 'til tomorrow to do some type of exam…"

"Autopsy," she corrected numbly as her brain quickly switched into work mode. She could deal with this better as a mortician than as a friend. It was a lot easier to remove herself from the emotional aspect of it and focus on the work she'd have to do. "Yeah. It uh…it's a homicide so they'll be taking all sorts of evidence. Might not be able to give her a service for a day or two. I'll call the Coroner's office, make sure they call me as soon as they're done so I can get started."

"All righ'," he stated on a nod. "You're willin' to help us then?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, tilting her head to the side a bit. "I'm helping Tara," she corrected. "I'm doing this for my _friend_. She deserves the best."

"Aye, she does," he agreed before clearing his throat. "Ye seen Juice anywhere? He's the only one we can't find."

Angela felt a thrill of triumph at the fact that her plan had worked; no one knew where Juice was. "Last I saw him was at the funeral home. He came by to check in on us," she replied honestly. If she lied and said she didn't know, it'd turn Juice into a suspect. Now, she'd given him an alibi. It helped that the funeral home had cameras everywhere to support her. Juice had taught her how to edit the tape too, so she could mess with it to show him coming and going.

"Then where did he go?"

"Said he was heading out to clear his head."

Chibs made a doubtful noise, shaking his head. "I'm not goin' to press ye today, after everythin' we've been through. But I'm gonna need to know eventually, love."

"Okay. Hopefully, he'll be back by then," she replied on a shrug. If he pressed her on it, she could honestly say she didn't know where he was. She had to keep that ignorance. If she did know, Happy would see the lie written all over her face and call her on it.

He narrowed his eyes at her in response. "Yeah, hopefully," he repeated, though it was clear he didn't believe her. "Sheriff's goin' to want to question him too. Don't want to make him a suspect, do ye?"

"Do you honestly think Juice would kill Tara?" Angela asked her dark eyes fierce.

Chibs shrugged a shoulder. "Didn't think he would kill the kid's mum either," he replied coldly. "Ye hear from him, ye tell him to come here. Understand?"

Like hell she would, but she played it cool. No use putting on the defensive if it wasn't needed just yet. Chibs didn't know Juice was running. If she acted like he'd call at any minute, maybe it'd keep them from going after her husband for a bit. "Sure," she said on a nod.

"Good girl," he said, nodding to her before opening the door and gesturing for her to leave.

Angela sucked in a deep breath as she headed towards the door, looking anywhere but at Chibs. As she stepped off the last step, she spotted Thomas and Abel. Tears sprung to her eyes before she could stop them as she thought of them growing up without Tara. Shaking her head, she walked towards the kitchen doors, heading for the back alley so she could have a minute to herself. She wouldn't break down in front of those assholes, wouldn't let them see her cry.

Sitting down on the back step, she put her head in her hands and let out a sob. Tara was gone. All of her efforts to escape SAMCRO had been for naught. She'd been so close to getting free, so close to having a new life with her sons. So close yet still so far. Angela's heart ached with the thought that her goal wasn't so different from Tara's. She wanted out too. The only thing that was different was that Juice wanted to go with her. Would her fate be the same as Tara's?

She took in a deep breath, reigning in her feelings as she looked up at the sky. "You deserved better, T. I'm so sorry," she rasped, wiping at her tears. With a deep sigh, she stood and headed back inside, determined to at least provide the Teller boys with some much needed attention at least until Gemma showed up.

* * *

><p>Happy watched his cousin playing with Thomas from his spot at the bar, willing her to look at him. When she'd first walked in, Angela had barely acknowledged his presence. Now, she was completely ignoring him. He was tempted to go over there and force her to talk to him, but he had a feeling it wouldn't end well. Quinn sat down next to him, gesturing for Chucky to bring them both beers. "She staying here?" Happy asked the bigger man.<p>

Quinn took a long pull of his beer and nodded. "I got to stay here, so she's got to stay too."

"Chibs got you tailin' her 'cause a Tara?"

"Not quite sure why I'm tailin' her. Jax wanted it done, and I know the kid's got a habit of gettin' into trouble, so I figured it can't hurt," he explained on a shrug. "Talk to her. She needs you."

"She's got a husband for that," he muttered, watching as she picked up a crayon and started coloring with Abel, Thomas still on her lap. Watching her like that brought him back to when she was little and it was him coloring with her on his lap.

"He's runnin'. Hopefully long gone by now," Quinn said before taking a long pull on his beer. At Happy's curious look, he shrugged. "Knew he was at the funeral home. If he's smart, he'll leave. Dunno why Jax is after him, but 'til I know the facts, I ain't gonna get in the way. 's only gonna hurt her. She don't deserve that."

Happy raised his eyebrows in shock. He couldn't believe the big man at his side had just let Juice go. "You sure that was the right move?"

"Felt right," he answered on a shrug. "Go talk to her. I'll grab the brats."

"Thanks," he muttered, getting off of the stool and heading over to her. Quinn got Abel's attention with an offer to let him sit on his bike. Angela pressed a kiss to Thomas's head before handing him over to Quinn while Happy slid into the booth across from her. "Where's the brat?" the Tacoma killer asked.

"At the funeral home with Bones," Angela answered, still coloring whatever it was she'd been working on earlier instead of looking at him.

"You okay?" he asked, studying her face for a moment. To the world, it would seem that she had her shit together, that she was fine, but he saw the small cracks in the wall she put up. He could see the pain in her eyes, the sadness in small lines on her face, and the exhaustion in the dark circles under her eyes.

She nodded quickly. "Fine."

"Don't look it."

She finally met his gaze, her eyebrow raising just a bit. "How am I supposed to look when one of my friends was just murdered?" she shot back.

He fought the urge to smirk at the sassy retort. Angela was always quick with the biting one-liners. She often had him and Koz snickering about something she'd said. "That the only thing buggin' ya?"

Her jaw clenched a bit before she shrugged. "Sure."

"Surprised the idiot's not here," he baited, realizing his mistake the second he saw her dark eyes flash with anger.

"You really want to go there now, Hap?" she seethed.

Happy met her stare head on. He'd already said it, couldn't take it back now without apologizing, and he sure as hell wasn't going to do that. He wanted to know what was going on with her more for his own sanity than to help out the club this time. He just wanted some assurance that she was okay. "You gotta let me in, kid. I can't help you if I don't know where your heads at."

"How is knowing where Juice is at all helpful in that respect?" she challenged.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Lately, he's where your heads at."

"He's my _husband_," she said as if it was the most obvious answer. "Look, I'm tired of all this bullshit. You want to know where Juice is? Stop trying to manipulate me and just fucking ask already. I'm tired of going around in circles with you and the more circles you go in, the more it hurts."

Happy considered her offer tempted to accept it and just flat out ask, but he also knew doing that would drive a wedge in between them that he wasn't sure they could get over. It was one thing to accidentally put the club before her like he'd done the night before; it was another thing entirely to do it intentionally. "Okay," he said on a nod, watching fear come into her eyes. She was afraid he was going to ask her, but he wouldn't. Instead, he stood, moving over to the other side of the table leaning over to kiss her temple. "Love you, kid."

A small smile spread across her face. "Love you too, Hap," she replied, her shoulders sagging in relief. "Thanks."

He squeezed her shoulder remembering what Chloe had told him over and over again. "Family first."

* * *

><p><strong>Clearly, I'm taking a whole new road with S7. Stick with me, lovely readers. I swear I know what I'm doing...mostly. <strong>

**As always, your thoughts, criticisms, etc. are very much appreciated. :)**

**~Love Ink**


	107. That's Love

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: ****_stordec23, Mary, Nic, Guest 1, Guest 2 (_**_Roosevelt lives! He might play an essential roll a little later...), **Harold **(Oh my gosh. Thank you for this! You are so right in everyway. I could not stop laughing while watching it and then I wrote five pages of a high school AU.), _**and _Guest 3 _**_(Angela and Hap are both very private people and if they were to have a verbal sprawl, it'd probably be away from listening ears especially since Ang hates being the center of attention and Hap hates having people in his business. But it'd be an interesting idea. Hap would not be very happy with her, that's for sure!). ;)_

**Also HUGE thanks to fellow author, _lizmynameis_, for helping me push through this chapter! It definitely wouldn't have come out this quickly without her help. Go check out her stories! They're awesome! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Bones, and Evie!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 107: That's Love_

_By Love Ink_

Angela's nerves were buzzing as she reached for the handle of the door to her workroom. She knew what was behind the door; a sight that was becoming all too familiar. Before moving to Charming, she'd never had to prepare anyone she knew. Now, it was slowly becoming a regular thing. A new friend each month. She was almost used to it now. _Almost_.

She stepped into the room and took a deep breath as her gaze fell on the sheet covered body lying on the table. Letting out the breath slowly, she put her iPod into its docking station and put on the same classic rock station she always listened to while she worked. Queen's "_We Will Rock You_" came on, and she stretched her arms in front of her, cracking her fingers as she did so. She could do this.

Sliding on her gloves with a snap, she approached the table. She took another deep breath, pulling the sheet away and letting it fall to the ground at her feet. And there was Tara, looking like a bloody mess from her autopsy. "Hey T," she murmured, feeling that familiar lump rise in her throat. She choked it back before shaking her head. "Nope. Don't do that, Ang. Stay focused."

And she did. She powered through it, going through the motions as if it wasn't her friend lying there on the table until she was finished with the task at hand. Taking a step back, Angela snapped off her gloves and wiped away the tears she hadn't realized she'd shed before going to turn down the music. She sunk down heavily on the stool Juice always sat in when he watched her work, tilting her head against the wall as she looked over at her friend. "Juice and I are trying to get out, T," she told her. "We…we have this crazy plan to go to Hawaii of all places. Can you believe that? Fuckin' Hawaii."

She wiped at the tears that were slowly seeping out of her eyes before sniffling. "Juice is…I made him leave, I made him run to keep him safe because Jax has it in for him for stupid reasons that I'm not going to go into but..._God_, I hope he's safe," she said on a breath as she shook her head. "I'm tired of all this shit, T. I'm tired of having to bury friends and wondering if he's going to come home or not, if my daughter's going to have him in her life like I want him to be. Shit, looking at you, I'm wondering if _I'm_ going to be there for her.

I look at Ken and El, and I see Evie and Abel and Thomas's futures. These kids who's lives are _destroyed_ by this shitty club. I don't want that for Evie. I don't want her to resent her dad and his _family..._because that's what the club is to Juice; they're his family. Or were, I guess. Some family they are."

Angela sighed, glancing up at the ceiling and staring at it for a moment. "I'm sorry I didn't help you when I had the chance to, T. I didn't…I understood why you were doing it, but I didn't think it was as bad as you made it seem. And I _never_ thought it would lead to his. _Never_. I mean, holy shit, T, look at you. Who did this to you? Are they gonna come after the rest of us because I can't…I can't bury any more friends. I don't want to. And what if it's me that's next? Donna, Luanne, _you_? The Old Ladies are getting' picked off one by one. What if I'm next, T? What are my kids going to do? Ken, El, and Bones have already lost so much. I don't…I want to be there for them. They're such…_awesome_ kids. And what about my actual kid? What's she going to do? Who's going to raise her if I go? My Ma? Fantastic. She did great with me," she said sarcastically shaking her head. "Juice 'n' I, when we got hitched we…we kind of wrote a will. Nothin' fancy, but we put Chloe down for full custody. I mean, she loves Hap and my family already, so I think Eves will be good with her if it comes to that.

But it won't come to that. I won't let it. I will fight tooth and nail to get out of here. To get my _kids_ out of here in whatever way I can. I live, I'll die, and I'll _kill_ for my family," she said, determined. "I'm going to do it, T. We're going to get that damn happily ever after because that's what my family fucking _deserves_. Juice didn't do shit, _I_ haven't done shit, we deserve to be together and away from this…this _toxic_ town. To survive and persevere. I'm not going to give up that fucking goal. I'm going to fight for it until my last breath. Just like you, T. Just like you."

Angela stood and headed over to Tara, reaching out to touch her cold hand. "Love you, T. Say 'hi' to Koz for me," she said, squeezing her hand before heading out the door. Once it closed behind her, she let out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, feeling as if some kind of weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

She walked outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. From the corner of her eye, she saw Quinn straighten up at the sight of her, ready to follow her if she moved. Slowly, she walked towards him. "You my permanent body guard?" she asked.

He shrugged a shoulder. "No one else was up for the challenge."

She smirked at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not _that_ difficult."

"You're not," he agreed on a nod. " 's why I don't mind watchin' ya. Plus, I promised Hap and Koz I'd keep ya safe if it ever came down to it."

"Thought that was Tig's job."

Quinn nodded again. "Before shit went down, it was Tig's job in Charming, was Koz's in Tacoma, and mine anywhere else you happened to go since I was Nomad. Hap set it up so you'd always have someone if somethin' happened to him. Did it after he got outta his long stretch in county. He didn't want you to ever be alone again after your whole…Mayan phase."

"Overprotective ass," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to go visit Koz. You gonna follow me there?"

"Was gonna ask you where he was, actually. Haven't had the chance to visit him myself. Think its about time. Miss the guy," he replied honestly.

Angela gave him a warm smile; she couldn't help herself. Though he stood for everything that she was trying to run from, Quinn was one of her last true ties to Kozik. One of the few men that knew Kozik like she had. "C'mon Gigantor, I'll show you where he's at."

They walked in silence through the different headstones before Quinn cleared his throat. "Your Uncle Chico's out here, y'know. Over by JT. The first time you came to Charmin' was for his funeral. You remember that?"

"Not really," she replied, a little embarrassed. "I remember the funeral, but I never could remember _where_ it was. When I asked Ma and my aunt where I could visit him, they said he was far away. I gave up after a while. Figured he'd be with my dad up in heaven, or whatever, so going to visit dad was kind of the same thing."

"Smart kid. Well, he's out here. Kind of blends in with the rest of the military headstones, though. Guy never saw combat, but they honored him like a veteran. That was JT's doin'," he said on a chuckle. "He was a good dude. Both of 'em were."

Angela sighed, her hand skimming over Donna's headstone as they walked by. The plot just beyond it was reserved for Tara, the one next to Tara prematurely reserved for Jax Teller as per his request. A request he'd made to Skeeter, not her. He knew better than to ask her for anything at this point in time. "They _were_, Koz _was_, Ope _was_, Half Sack _was_…all of these brothers _were_ great men and look what happened to them. Who's next, Quinn?"

"I can't tell you that, kiddo. You can never know for sure."

She sighed again, raking a hand through her hair as they approached Kozik's stone. The flowers there had dried out already, and she made a mental not to replace them later. "Here he is," she said, touching the stone lovingly. It was the cleanest of the bunch, mostly because she made sure it stayed that way out of respect.

Silence fell upon them again as they both remembered their lost brother. After awhile, Angela cleared her throat. "Why'd you let him go?"

"Who?"

"Juice," she stated, staring at the headstone instead of Quinn. "You're not an idiot. You had to know he was at the funeral home, Jax had to have told you not to let him get away, so why…"

Quinn bowed his head for a moment. "Didn't have a reason to keep him here, Jax didn't bring it to the table, we didn't vote on it. Didn't feel right."

Angela craned her neck back to look up at him, feeling a new sense of respect for the big man. "Thank you."

" 's what Koz woulda done," he said, nodding to the tombstone.

She smiled a little at the thought of what Koz would've done if he were still alive. Instinctively, she leaned her head against Quinn's thick arm like she would've if it was Koz. "I miss him."

He let his arm fall around her shoulders. "Me too, kiddo. Me too."

* * *

><p>Bones was holding Evie, her little feet on his thighs as he made her dance to the Disney music playing in the background. She was wearing little baby jeans and a Star Wars onesie, a little headband with a blue and white bow around her head. "You are the nerdiest, cutest baby in the whole world, Eves," he told her, kissing her nose and making her smile. "You're really gonna break some poor sucker's heart some day, Monk...and then your dad will break his face...and I'll be there cheering him on as loudly as possible."<p>

The buzzer over the door rang, and he stood, laying her down in the bassinet in the corner of the office before striding towards the front. There was a woman standing there in a nice power suit. She looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place her. "Hello. How can I help you, ma'am?" he greeted politely.

"Hello. I'm Tyne Patterson from the District Attorney's office. I need to speak with Mrs. Angela Ortiz if she's around," she requested, all business.

Bones hesitated a bit, scratching at the back of his neck. "Oh. She's…working right now."

"If you don't mind interrupting her, this is of the utmost importance."

He nodded, going back to the office to grab Evie before heading down to the workroom. Angela was already in the office, though, Evie cuddled against her chest. "Ang? There's a lady here to see you from the DA's office," he said carefully. "Want me to take Eves?"

Angela sighed, pressing her lips to Evie's temple and inhaling her soothing scent. "No. Not right now," she answered, her voice a little thick.

She was missing Juice. He knew that. Could see it in every line on her face, the bags under her eyes. She never slept well when he was gone, and he'd been gone three days already. "Okay. Should I just…show her in?"

"Don't think we have much of a choice," she muttered, messing with Evie's onesie.

Bones nodded slowly. "How'd your uh…prep go?"

Her dark eyes met his gaze and told him everything he needed to know, though she replied with a simple, "Fine."

"I'll go get the lady then," he said, ducking his head before going back to the entryway. Patterson was flipping through one of the casket catalogs. He cleared his throat to catch her attention. "Uh, Mrs. Ortiz is uh…ready for you. In her office. Want me to uh…walk you over?"

"I can find my way. Thank you, Mister…"

"Kelley," Bones filled in, pointing at himself. "Leonard Kelley."

Patterson looked him up and down before nodding. "Good to meet you, Mr. Kelley."

He nodded back to her, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "Hopefully, we won't be seeing more of each other."

"And why do you say that? Do I make you nervous, Mr. Kelley?" she shot back quickly, amusement in her dark eyes.

"No! No, I just…I said that 'cause I work in a funeral home. With dead people. I mean…just don't want you to be here for _that _reason," he stammered nervously. "Because you're not, right? I mean, I'd be doing a terrible job at my…job if you were."

Patterson gave him a small smile and a pat on his arm. "Relax, Mr. Kelley. Your mortuary services are not required at this point in time. Please go about what you were doing before."

Bones backed away slowly, waiting until he was out of view before running to the hidden steps that led to his apartment. If he laid on the ground, he could hear everything that was going on in the office through a vent in his living room floor. It wasn't something he did often; he liked to give Angela as much privacy as possible, but with Juice gone, he felt like he needed the upper hand to help her out however he could.

Grabbing a pillow from the couch, he stretched out on his stomach, his ear perfectly placed by the grate. Patterson's questions were simple at first, standard for all investigations. Name, date, connection to the victim, etc. Bones found himself fighting sleep as he listened to Patterson's droning voice.

The slamming of his front door jolted him awake, and he sat up straight nodding to Ellie as she walked in. Both Winston siblings had the key to his apartment. He didn't mind much. Kenny used it as his own personal sanctuary to play video games and escape the loneliness of his stepmother's house while Ellie liked to do her homework in the usually quiet space. "Hey El," he greeted, lying back down.

"What're you doing?" she asked, putting her book bag on the floor and stretching out next to him.

Bones smiled as the scent of her citrus body lotion filled his nose. She always smelled like a freshly peeled orange, and he loved it. "Ang is talking to some fed," he said on a sigh. "Listening in to see if I can find a way to make her feel better after it."

Ellie smiled a little at him. "That's really sweet of you, Bones."

He shrugged a shoulder, his cheeks burning with a blush. "Thanks."

They listened in silence for awhile before the subject of Juice came up in the interview. Ellie let out a long sigh, her blonde bangs blowing up slightly. "I hope he's safe and far away."

"He's safe," Bones assured her with a nod. He refused to look at her, knowing that if he did, his secret would come right out.

"And far away," Ellie finished. He nodded exaggeratedly, his hand covering his mouth. "Bones."

"Yes! In a galaxy far, far away," he muttered, his words muffled by his hand.

Her hazel eyes bored into him for a minute, making his face even redder. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know where he is, don't you?"

He grimaced; she knew him way too well. There was no way he could lie to her. No way. "No. Of course not! Why would I…I don't…if _Ang_ doesn't know, how am I supposed to…" and then his eyes met hers and he lost his resolve. "Yeah, I know where he is."

Her eyes were the size of saucers as she stared at him. "Is he out of Charming? Far, far away?"

Bones hung his head, slowly starting to regret ever bringing Juice to his house instead of letting him leave town like he was supposed to. "Um. Not exactly. He's kind of…" he trailed off scratching at the back of his neck. "At my house."

"_Here_?" she asked in disbelief.

"No! No, no, he's not at _this_ house. At my other one. In the Charming ranches. Just…chillin' there. I mean, no one goes there but me…and sometimes Ang, but that's only if I invite her, so he should be good."

"You have another _house_ in the Charming _ranches_! You mean where all the rich bitches live?"

"Sssh! Keep it down, okay? I just…Juice didn't want to leave them, and I figured he wasn't going to even though he said he would so why not give him a safe place to stay instead of him trying to hole up at the local motel where they'd definitely find him, y'know? He's safer that way! They all are!" he explained all in one breath.

Her hard glare softened and a warm smile spread across her face. "You really care about them, don't you?"

Bones nodded slowly. "Ang is…family. Her, Eves, Juice, Ken, they're all family."

"And me?"

_You're sixteen and beautiful_, he replied in his head. Sixteen going on seventeen like that damn _Sound of Music_ song his mom loved so long ago. He'd never spent much time around girls. They mostly ignored him. Ellie was the first to really give him the time of day, and he loved spending time with her. Looked forward to it actually. She was smart and funny. Was patient with him when he went on his ramblings and laughed at his jokes. She wasn't family, he'd decided a while back. She couldn't be. He wouldn't get butterflies when she walked into a room or smile every time he heard her name if he saw her as a sister. "I don't know what you are, El," he said softly, painfully aware of how close their faces were to each other.

Ellie's eyes darted to his lips for a brief moment before they met his gaze. She leaned in slowly so that their lips were just inches apart and then…

"What the hell are you guys doing on the floor?" Kenny's voice came from the door.

Bones pulled away quickly, trying to keep the blush he felt creeping up his neck at bay. "Ang is talking to a fed."

"No shit," the younger Winston replied. If he'd noticed what his best friend and his sister were about to do, he didn't say anything. "About Juice?"

Ellie nodded slowly. "I think the DA wants to treat him as a suspect since they can't find him."

"He's got an alibi, though. He was here," Bones pointed out, awkwardly moving closer to Ellie when Kenny decided to lay down next to him to listen himself.

"Yeah but there's no concrete proof of that," she pointed out. "They need proof. Always."

"I know. I made proof. I doctored our surveillance cameras to make it work within the time frame. Burned the disc and made sure Ang has it. If she hands it over, its definitive proof. No way can they get Juice for it," he explained confidently. "Plus, he would never do something like that. He's not a killer."

Ellie and Kenny exchanged long, knowing glances. If anyone knew how violent SAMCRO men could be, how violent that life was, it was them. "He wouldn't kill _Tara. _That's for sure," Kenny said after a beat.

"How's she been?" Ellie asked the two boys, effectively changing the subject. She'd been working too hard at the shop and weighed down with homework so she hadn't had a chance to check in.

"Shitty," Ken replied on a frown.

Bones nodded in agreement. "She doesn't sleep without Juice, and that big dude follows her everywhere. Think he even sleeps on her couch. Plus Eves is moving into that three month stage where she gets colicky sometimes and just cries and cries."

"Dude. You know _way_ too much about babies," Kenny stated on a snort.

Ellie laughed a bit, nudging Bones' arm with her own. "Well someone has to help Ang out with Eves. I think its good he knows," she complimented sweetly, making Bones blush again.

Her brother rolled his eyes at her, flipping onto his back to stare at the ceiling. "Of course you do," he muttered. "How long do you think it'll be before she finds out Juice is here?"

"You know too?" she exclaimed in shock.

Kenny chuckled when Bones hung his head in guilt. "Bones can't keep a secret. Least of all from Ang. I give it a week."

Bones scowled at him. "Give me a little more credit. You two can be my secret keepers and just make sure I keep the secret. Like give me an ultimatum or something."

"If you tell her where Juice is, I get your original Gameboy with the completed Zelda game you got," Kenny wagered on a smirk. Bones begrudgingly shook his hand, grumbling to himself about how hard he worked on that game.

Ellie laughed in response, nudging her shoulder against his again. She was always finding ways to touch him. Either by lightly smacking him or touching his arm as they talked. She somehow managed to find a way to touch him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "You'll be fine, Bones. We won't let you spill the beans."

"Speak for yourself, I want that Gameboy," Kenny said on a chuckle. At Ellie's glare, he backtracked. "But I realize why it has to stay a secret, so I won't push it."

"Thank you, Kenneth," Ellie stated, pulling out his full name which she knew he hated.

Kenneth stuck his tongue out at her just as the door from the funeral home opened up. Angela walked in with Evie in her arms. The baby girl was screaming her little lungs out, and her mother could not look prouder. "My daughter has the _best_ timing in the whole world," Angela proclaimed as she walked in. She grabbed the pacifier out of her pocket, putting it in her own mouth to clean it before offering it to her daughter. Evie took it and immediately quieted, her little hand reaching for the necklace around Angela's neck. "And why are you all on the floor?"

Bones and Kenny looked at each other both trying to figure out an excuse while Ellie rolled her eyes. "We were listening to you," she answered honestly, wrapping her knuckle against the metal grate. "Can hear everything through here."

"_Everything_?" Angela asked in disbelief, looking at Bones.

"I mean, I don't _listen_ to everything," Bones quickly filled in. "Like when you and Juice were in there—"

"_Talking_," she filled in quickly, her dark eyes narrowing at her apprentice. "When we were _talking_."

Kenny snickered. "If _that's_ what you want to call it."

"Kenneth Piermont Winston, you're cruisin' for a bruisin'," she said, glaring at him. "And for that comment, you can change Evie's diaper."

"Fine," he muttered, trying to hide his smile. He secretly loved when Angela talked to him like that. When she chastised him as if she were his actual mother. With a grunt, he got off of the ground and took Evie from her arms. "C'mon, sis. Let's clean that gross diaper."

Angela ruffled his hair lovingly as he walked away. "Thanks, dude," she told him with a small smile. "So, how'd I do?"

Bones held up both of his hands. "I give it a ten! Ms. Winston?"

"Ten!" Ellie exclaimed with a grin. "I don't think you have to worry about Uncle Juice. He's gonna be fine."

" 'm always gonna worry about him, El. Even if he was standing right here next to me, I'd be worrying about him," Angela said, her dark eyes looking sadder than ever. "That's just how love works, kiddo."

Bones looked over at Ellie only to find that she was looking back at him. He looked away first, quickly scrambling to his feet. "Chinese food!" he blurted out as he went to his drawer of take out menus. "We should eat Chinese food and do like a...like a marathon of some sort."

Angela glanced from Ellie who was staring at Bones, to her young apprentice, one eyebrow raised as she assessed the two of them. "Sure," she said with a smirk. "Tell 'em to deliver it to my house. Hey El, why don't you go check on Ken? He's taking a little too long with that diaper."

Ellie rolled her eyes as she pushed herself up. "I got it, I got it."

Angela waited until the younger girl was out of the room before heading over to Bones, cornering him in the small kitchen, her finger in his face. "I love you, Boner, but if you hurt her, I swear to God, I will go Buffalo Bill on your ass and skin you alive. Understand?"

Bones's brow furrowed for a moment. "Did he really skin them _alive_ in 'Silence of the Lambs'? I can't remember," he asked, scratching at his head.

"Doesn't matter!" she exclaimed, poking his chest with a finger. "You hurt her, and you will be in a _world_ of pain. Understand, Leonard?"

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded quickly, a little afraid of his mentor. "Sure thing, Mama Bear."

* * *

><p><strong>Had to put a bit of fluff at the end or else it'd just be too heavy.<strong>

Disclaimer 2: I don't own _Silence of the Lambs_ or _Hannibal_. I credit that awesome reference to _lizmynameis _who encouraged me to watch the movie. Thought it was fitting to slip in there. ;)

**As always, let me know what you think! Your thoughts, critiques, suggestions are always welcome and appreciated! **

**~Love Ink**


	108. Starting to Fray

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Guest 1, Mary, and Guest 2. _**

**HUGE thanks to _lizmynameis_ who always helps me get through these tough chapters. Go check out her fics! You won't be disappointed. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, Bones, and Chloe!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 108: Starting to Fray_

_By Love Ink_

It rained the day of Tara's funeral. Not a strong rain, but a light, almost misting sort that covered the people huddled around the small plot in a thin layer of water and made everything seem to shimmer in the overcast light. Angela stood a bit away from the SAMCRO bunch, staring at the light blue casket that was covered in flowers just letting the rain fall down on her.

She was aware of Gemma saying some words at the pulpit. Aware of Nero hovering behind her with his umbrella in hand, but she didn't go anywhere near them. Any of them. It was their fault she was standing there alone. Their fault she didn't have Juice at her side to lean on. And then out of nowhere, the rain stopped falling on her. She looked up to see Bones standing next to her, umbrella in hand. He didn't acknowledge her, just stood beside her in silence. She loved him for that.

Taking in a deep breath, she nodded to Gemma before heading back to the funeral home. She didn't want to stick around to watch them lower the casket into the ground; she'd already said her goodbyes to Tara. Truth be told, she didn't want to deal with the Sons. She knew the fact that neither Chibs nor Bobby had called on her to ask about Juice was because of Tara. They wanted her to take care of her funeral to the best of her ability, untainted by her resentment towards the club.

That was bullshit though. Her anger towards the club burned like an everlasting flame inside of her and would until the day she and Juice were reunited. Until they got their happily ever after, far, far away from the Reaper.

She sat down at her desk, looking over at the empty bassinette with a frown. Chloe was babysitting Evie and Rigor for the day, and she missed them both terribly. It was for the best, though, she didn't want her daughter anywhere near her pseudo uncles.

"Got a minute, Angie-girl?" Chibs asked, peeking his head into the office. At her nod, he walked in. "Beautiful ceremony today."

"Thanks," Angela answered flatly. She knew that wasn't the reason why he was there though.

His dark eyes studied her face for a brief moment. "Too bad for the rain."

Angela let out a long, lengthy sigh, rubbing at her temples to ward off a headache. "Yeah. Look, Chibs, I know what you're here to ask, so I'll just answer it. I don't know where he is," she said slowly. She looked up at him and managed a closed mouth smile. "Sorry."

"Can't believe he'd just leave the two of ye with no notice," he baited, his hands closing over the back of the guest chair. " 's not like him."

"Believe it," she replied on a shrug. "What do you care anyway, Chibs? Isn't it a little high school of you to be against Juice just because Jax?"

Chibs gave an amused snort at her comment. " 's not just 'cause of Jax, lass. Your Old Man has dug a hell of a hole for himself."

"Oh yeah? How?" she shot back defensively. "Where was his mistake? He's protected the club in every way possible, and you all keep wanting more and more. Jax said he was okay. That he'd made everything right with the club and for one stupid miscommunication, he takes it back. That's—"

"We don't trust him anymore," Chibs cut her off quickly. "Tha's what this is about."

Angela raked a hand through her hair, gritting her teeth in frustration. "Then why can't you just let him go? Please, Chibs. Just…let us go."

Chibs' shoulder sunk, his face growing sad before he ducked his head to hide his expression. For a moment, she thought he was going to give in. Then, he sucked in a deep breath, straightening himself up, a harder look on his face. "I can't, Angie-girl. Boy needs to be taken to the table. We'll decide as a club what to do with 'im."

"And what will you vote for, Chibs?" she asked softly. Chibs looked away, and she had her answer. He'd go with whatever Jax decided. "When did you turn on him? When did you go from being the only person who wanted to help him to wanting him dead?"

"When I found out he was a rat."

She shook her head slowly. "He didn't rat."

"That's for us to decide," he said turning away from her and heading back out. He stopped at the entry way, one hand on the doorjamb. "You see him, you let 'im know he's wanted at the table, yeah?"

Angela narrowed her eyes at his back, her head tilted to the side curiously as she watched him leave. She had the feeling that his last words were meant to warn her to tell Juice to stay away. To stay far away. It was Chibs' way of giving him an out. He was letting Juice go. "Chibs!" she called after him. He took a step back, turning to look at her, eyebrows raised in question. "When am I gonna lose my shadow?"

Again, a sad look crossed over Chibs' face. "Dunno, lass. 'til we find who did this to Tara, I guess. Just want to keep ye safe, love," he said, nodding to her before heading out the door.

She let her head fall into her hands as tears stung the corners of her eyes. "Fuck," she murmured to herself before sitting back. She sniffled a bit, swiping at a tear that had escaped her hold. "Keep it together, Ang," she reminded herself, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly like Hap had taught her to so many years before.

"Angie?" a soft voice asked from the door.

Angela looked over to find Kenny standing there, his hands tucked deep in his pockets as he leaned against the doorjamb. She wiped at her eyes again quickly. "Hey Ken," she greeted, doing her best to give him a smile. "What's up?"

He shuffled in, taking a seat on the couch that was in the office. He rubbed at his chin for a moment, a movement she'd seen Opie do a time or do when he was thinking. "I uh…I wanted to ask you something," he said, scratching at his neck nervously.

"Anything, kiddo. I'm here, you know that."

Kenny smiled a little bit and nodded. "I uh…I lost my mom and my dad and my grandpa. My grandma's…crazy and my stepmom is…well, a fucking porn star…"

"Be nice, Ken," she reminded him in a motherly tone.

He smiled again as he usually did when anything maternal was directed his way. "Ang, you're the closest thing to a Mom I got. And I…I've been thinking about this for a long time 'cause I…I kind of…no, really want you to adopt me."

"What?" she breathed, utterly shocked by his request. "Are you serious?"

He nodded slowly as he raked a hand through his hair. "I know you 'n' Juice are tryin' to get out and I get that. I want you guys to be safe too, but I...I want to go with you 'n' I can't if you're not my legal guardian. I can't…it'd be like kidnapping or somethin' if I just up and left Lyla. Not that she would care or anything, but I don't want you guys to get in trouble."

"Kenny—"

"And I get that you'll probably say no because you've got more than enough shit going on with Eves and Juice being in trouble, but I…I just wanted to ask. El said it was stupid. That I should just wait until I turn eighteen and leave like she's going to but…thing is, she's got just a year 'n' a half left, 'n' I got like three," he said, his voice cracking. "I don't want to be stuck here with Lyla for three more fucking years especially if you're not around. I want to be with you and Eves. You're my family. I don't care if I have to change schools or whatever, I just don't want to be alone again."

Tears swam in Angela's eyes as she stood and took a seat next to him on the couch. "You're never alone, Ken," she murmured, lovingly pushing his long hair out of his eyes. "I will always be here for you regardless of where I am. But if it'll make you happy to come with us and officially join our family, I'll talk to Lyla about it, okay?"

"Really?" he asked, his hazel eyes lighting up. "You…you want to adopt me?"

Angela nodded, leaning over to kiss his temple. " 'course I do. You've been my kid for awhile now. Just not on paper," she told him with a wink. "I love you, Ken. We go anywhere, I want you there too, dude. Evie needs her big brother. I just gotta clear it with Lyla first, okay? I don't want to blindside her."

"I actually…asked her first," he admitted, softly. "She…she said that if it was what I wanted, she'd sign the papers. Not because she doesn't love me—she said she does—but because she understands what its like. Said she just wants me to be happy. My dad would want me to be happy."

"Yeah he would, kiddo. We'll figure it out. I'll see if I can call one of my lawyer buddies to see what the steps are to get the papers."

Kenny cleared his throat, shifting nervously. "I kinda…I looked online and I started on all of the letters and shit. Just was waiting for you and Lyla's approval 'fore I really started looking into it. I'll change my name 'n' everything, if you want. Make things easier. Kenny Ortiz doesn't sound too bad."

Angela smirked and shook her head. "You're not changing shit, Kenny Winston. Your mom and dad and grandpa were awesome people. You should carry that name proudly," she told him, squeezing his hand. "Plus, you still got Ellie. Don't want to alienate her, do you?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "She's gonna marry Boner and become a Kelley," he muttered with a shrug.

She laughed, shaking her head at him. "You caught on to that too, huh?"

He shrugged again. "Yeah. 'sides, its all in her diary."

"Kenny Winston! How dare you read your sister's diary!" she exclaimed, a big grin on her face. "But let me know if those two start kissing, please. I think someone who isn't in the um…adult entertainment industry should talk to her about…stuff."

"I _know_ what sex is, Mama bear. I _do_ live with one of the Saffron sisters," he reminded her with a smirk.

Angela stared at him in disbelief. "Are you watching Lyla's pornos, Kenneth?" she asked, tugging on his ear.

He scowled at her, slapping her ear away. "No! Stop!" he exclaimed, trying to get her off of him, a smile pulling up his lips. "That's so gross. I can't even...just _yuck_. Speaking of baby making, where's my baby sister?"

Her smile faded a bit as she remembered what had occurred earlier that day. She'd dropped Evie off at Chloe's which she'd done a handful of times. Evie was usually a pretty good baby, for the most part. But for some reason, as soon as she was in Chloe's arms and realized that she was going to stay there without her mother, she started screaming like a crazy person. She'd been inconsolable. Chloe had to forcefully push Angela out or else she never would've left. She hated seeing her daughter cry like that. "She's with Chlo today. Didn't want her here around all those…assholes."

Bones walked in, his shoulders sagging with exhaustion. "The bikers have left the building!" he announced, throwing himself down on the couch next to Kenny. He looked between the two for a second before grimacing. "Did I just ruin a moment?"

Angela shook her head as she stood. "You're good, Boner," she said with a smile. "Speaking of my beautiful daughter, do you mind picking Eves up from Chloe's house?"

"You avoiding Uncle Hap?" Ken asked, a knowing look in his eyes.

Kenny Winston never ceased to surprise her. He was the most perceptive person she knew. Not much went by him. "I've had my fill of Sons for today," she answered with a sigh. "Plus, I got to deal with Gigantor out there following me around. Don't want him to waste any more gas than he has to."

"That's nice of you," Bones said, getting up again. "I'll go grab the little one and some lunch maybe or do you want her back ASAP?"

Angela considered his question for a moment. The hole in her heart that Juice's departure had left behind made her ache to hold her daughter. Evie tended to make it hurt less. At the same time, she knew it was unhealthy to rely on someone so little for so much, and it seemed Evie was starting to have a bit of a separation problem. It was probably better for her to get used to being taken care of by other people so that when she started school it wouldn't be so hard. "Sure. Grab some lunch or something. Probably good for Evie to get some air. I'm swamped with paperwork."

"Cool. You guys want anything?"

Kenny asked for his usual while Angela shook her head, "No, thanks. I'm good."

Bones didn't look happy with her answer. "Ang, you gotta eat."

"And I _will_. I'm just not hungry right now," she said on a shrug.

He sighed, grabbing his keys off of the hook. "Well, I'm picking you up a sandwich anyway. 'cause you're not starving on my watch, lady."

Angela rolled her eyes but nodded. "Thanks, Boner. Now go get my girl!"

* * *

><p>Happy walked into Chloe's house with a heavy weight on his shoulders. Despite making up with his little cousin earlier in the week, Angela still was avoiding him. She hadn't even acknowledged him at the funeral. Not that he'd tried to talk to her either. Chibs had told him to see if he could get any information out of her about Juice, and while he hadn't refused, he wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to do it which was why he stayed away. If he didn't talk to her, he wouldn't be disobeying his VP, and he wouldn't be hurting her. Still…he wished she had at least looked at him. Given him some sign that she was okay.<p>

Evie's crying grated on his ears the minute he stepped inside. Chloe was pacing in the living room, holding her while Rigor circled around her ankles, whining anxiously. Her own dog, Hades, was lying on his bed in the corner looking incredibly bored with the whole thing. The nurse looked stressed beyond belief as she rocked back and forth cooing to Evie. "I can't get her to calm down!" Chloe exclaimed when she saw him. "She's been crying on and off since Angela left! I've done everything I can think of! She's fed, she's changed, she won't take the pacifier, and she won't sleep!"

Happy looked at the wailing baby, her little face red, tiny hands curled into fists as she wailed. "Here," he said, holding out his arms for her.

Chloe handed her over. Looking a little relieved when Evie's cries quieted as her dark eyes studied Happy's face. "Oh thank God," she murmured, sitting down heavily on the couch with an exhausted sigh. And then Evie started wailing again, wriggling around in Happy's arms. That's when Chloe made the connection. Evie wanted Juice. Happy had soothed her for a second because his coloring was the same, his build similar, but it didn't take her too long to recognize that the man holding her wasn't her daddy. "You're the wrong guy."

He scowled at her, trying to rock Evie against his chest. "Dealt with babies before. I can do it," he muttered, slightly offended.

"No, no. I don't mean it like that," she corrected quickly. "You're not the one she wants. She misses Juice."

Happy frowned and shook his head. "What am I supposed to do about it?" he asked, sitting next to her on the couch.

Chloe sighed sadly. "There's nothing we _can_ do. She'll cry herself to sleep eventually, I guess. Poor baby."

"She'll get used to it."

Her hazel eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Hap, you're not saying…"

The question went unspoken and lingered in the air. Would Juice ever come back? Happy honestly didn't know what to tell her. How to explain it. "Don't know anythin' yet. Don't even know where he is."

She leaned her head against his arm, playing with Evie's hair. That seemed to soothe her somewhat, and she quieted a bit. Her cries turning into sad little hiccups. "Ang doesn't either."

"I know," he agreed on a nod, watching as Evie's eyelids started to droop closed. Her little mouth opening a bit as she slowly fell asleep. "Kid did that on purpose."

"Of course she did. She can't lie to you, so she's protecting him."

Happy nodded slowly, getting up and carefully putting the sleeping baby into her carrier. He was sure someone would be around to get her soon anyway. That way, they wouldn't have to wake her up again. He sat back down, waiting for her to come over to him. She scooted in closer, draping her legs over his. He circled her legs with an arm, his fingers dragging over the skin of the underside of her thigh left bare by her running shorts. "I don't know what to do about her."

Chloe gently stroked her fingers over his scruffy cheek. "Let her come to you, Hap."

"What if she doesn't?" he asked, turning his head to meet her gaze.

"She will," she assured him. "But you have to decide whether you'll be there for her or for your club."

Happy sighed, hanging his head a little. "Gonna try to help 'em. Can't promise much, but I'll try. For her."

Chloe smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "You're a good man, Lowman. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

He caught her lips in a soft a kiss, his hands tangling into her dark hair. He didn't know why he felt the need to kiss her then, but he did. She tasted warm, like chocolate. He was willing to bet she'd eaten a few of those Hershey Kisses she kept in a bowl on her counter. He enjoyed the taste of her, relaxing a bit as he got lost in the kiss.

Then the doorbell ring. Loud and obnoxious, waking Evie up. They both froze, staring at the little girl. It rang again and her face screwed up, her fists clenching as she began to cry. "Shit," Chloe cursed, getting up from the couch to grab her.

Happy went to open the door, opening it slightly to see who it was. Bones stood on the doorstep. The young kid's dark eyes widened in fear when he saw him. "I'm…I uh…Ang wanted me to uh…pick up Eves," he stammered out.

Happy took a step back, opening the door to let him in. "Take her. Won't stop cryin' anyway."

Bones brushed past him, reaching out his arms for Evie. Chloe handed her over carefully. Evie quieted again, her dark eyes searching Bones' face for a minute before she started wailing again, further proving Chloe's theory. "She misses Juice. Cried herself to sleep a few minutes ago."

"Hey, hey, Evie. Calm down," Bones said, rocking her against him. "C'mon, Monkster. Calm down."

"Take her to Ang. Maybe she misses Mama too," Chloe suggested before kissing Evie's head. "I'll see you later, Evie doll."

Bones nodded, casting another nervous glance at Happy before putting the screaming baby in her carrier, whistling for Rigor, and heading straight out the door. He buckled the seat into his Jetta, fixing his rearview mirror so he could see her properly. Hooking up his iPod, he searched for the lullaby he knew calmed her down and turned up the volume. "C'mon, Evie. We're going to get some lunch for Mama and then she can feed you and you can be happy."

He drove slowly, hoping the feel of the engine paired with the song would quiet her. She wailed on, Rigor's whining joining her screams. "Stop, Eves. Please. You're breaking my heart here," he said, pulling his car in front of the sandwich shop. He hesitated before getting out, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "All right! All right! You want to see your Dad, we'll go see your dad. Anything to make you stop crying."

* * *

><p>Juice heard the front gates open and sat up from the couch, grabbing his gun off of the coffee table and slowly heading over to where the security camera monitor were set up. He relaxed when he saw Bones' shitty Jetta pull in to the drive. Setting the gun down on the counter, he went to sit back on the couch knowing it would take Bones while for him to get up the drive.<p>

He'd just made himself comfortable when he heard it. The heartbreaking cries he would recognize anywhere. He was on his feet and heading to the door in seconds. He ripped it open to find Bones trying to balance a crying Evie with one arm and his keys in the other. "What's wrong? Why's she crying?" he asked his eyes wide as he reached for his daughter. "Hey Monk, hey. Relax, pretty girl. Relax for daddy, okay."

The second she was in his arms, she quieted again, her dark eyes studying his face before she reached out a little hand to touch his cheek. "Hi baby girl," he cooed to her, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against hers. "Hi."

Bones breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God! She's been crying like that for hours."

Juice held her in closer to his bare chest, his heart aching as she snuggled in closer, drool dropping onto his shoulder. He could care less about her slobber; he was just happy to hold her. "What happened?"

"Chlo said she missed you," he explained on a shrug. "Couldn't stand to hear her cry any more so I figured I'd bring her over. 's not like she could tell our secret anyway."

"You miss me, Monk? Huh?" he asked her, sitting on the couch. He lifted her away from him, setting her little feet on his thighs. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, blowing a raspberry there that made her erupt into giggles. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest at the sound. "There's that smile. No more crying, Evie-doll. Daddy's here. Daddy loves you."

Bones smiled at the sight of the two of them together. It was clear Evie was already a total Daddy's girl. "You can take her to Penny's room if you want. There's lots of toys there. Eves learned a new trick too. If you lie her on her back she can roll to one side. Ang was really excited about it."

Juice pulled Evie in closer to him, rubbing a hand down her back. "How's she doing?" he asked, unable to bring himself to say her name.

"Oh she's…fine," he lied on a shrug. At Juice's doubtful look, he held up his hands. "If I tell you more, it'll make this hiding thing a hell of a lot harder for you, dude. I told Ang I was grabbing lunch so you have like half an hour with Eves before Mama Bear gets suspicious. Go play with her while I go walk your crazy dog."

Juice didn't appreciate being told what to do by the younger guy, but he understood why he was doing it. He stood, grabbing Evie's diaper bag, and carrying her towards the only room he'd yet to set foot in. The lilac door had a pretty pink 'P' painted on the front of it. When he stepped inside, he was met with the smell of baby powder.

He balanced Evie against his chest while he grabbed a blanket off of the rocking chair in the corner and laid it out before gently laying Evie on it. He stretched out next to her, grinning at her when she half rolled towards him, her little hands reaching for his face, the most beautiful smile lighting up her dark eyes. Angela's eyes. He mouthed her little fingers making obnoxious monster noises as he did so. She giggled back at him, and he couldn't help but smile. "You're beautiful, Monk," he told her. "Look at those long lashes. You look just like your Mama, baby girl. Just like her. I miss her so much."

He touched her chubby cheek. "You know how me 'n' Mama met?" he asked, just wanting to talk to Evie. Let her hear his voice, know he was there. She stared at him with her undivided attention as he told her the story of how he met Angela. Every so often, she'd smile, showing off her toothless grin. "And then we came back to burn Tig's mistakes in the big oven and someone needed to stay, so I made sure it was me, Eves. No way was I gonna let Sack stay with your Mama. She was too gorgeous to let slip away."

A throat cleared from the doorway, and he looked up to find Bones standing there looking super uncomfortable. Juice wasn't sure if it was the room or whatever pieces of the story he'd heard. "Sorry to interrupt that uh…weird, borderline inappropriate story, but Ang called. She thinks I kidnapped her kid. Which I kinda did. So…we need to head out before alarm bells start going off in her head," Bones stated nervously.

"Yeah." Juice sighed sadly, picking Evie up and slowly getting to his feet. She snuggled against him, her little hand curving around his bicep as he carried her to the front door. He held her close for a moment, pressing a kiss to her head and inhaling the scent of her hair. "Love you, Evie. Be good for Mama, okay?" he told her handing her over to Bones.

The second she was in Bones arms, her nose began to wrinkle, her little mouth turning down as she reached out her arms to Juice and began to wail. Her cries pierced his heart like a knife, and it took everything in him not to snatch her back from Bones as the guy said his goodbye quickly before heading back to his car, murmuring reassurances to Evie along the way.

Juice put a hand to his chest, pressing over his heart as he tried to ease the pain of watching his little girl reach for him while she cried and not being able to do anything about it. The three days he'd been away from his girls had been fine for the most part. He'd done his best to distract himself by cleaning Bones' house until it shined. He'd told himself what he was doing was for the best. That his girls were fine without him, and they'd meet up soon.

But seeing Evie in distress like that. Seeing her reach for him while she cried tore his heart into pieces. He felt like he couldn't breathe as he stepped back into the house. He sat down on the couch, letting his head fall into his hands. "Keep it together, man," he muttered to himself, fighting against the frustrated tears in his eyes. "It's for the best. It's for the best."

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><p><strong>Clearly, the Ortizes aren't the most stable bunch when separated. ;)<strong>

**Let me know what you think! I appreciate any and all comments, critiques, etc.!**

**~Love Ink**


	109. Not Fair

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23 _**_(Stay tuned. Reunion coming soon!), **Mary **(You're right about Tig and maybe a little about Chibs too. ;) I'm glad Kenny is coming across like Opie, I want him to have a similar feel as Opie because I think they'd be a lot alike. I LOVE both of those songs! Mana is one of my favorite bands!), **Guest 1 **(Thank you for your BRILLIANT idea! Hope you don't mind that I used it!), **ReaperCrew, Guest 2, Eleonora, **and **Moxxi **(So glad you re-found it! The wattpad stuff was a little crazy. ;)). _

**Huge shout out to _lizmynameis_ who helped me out with this chapter! Go read her stuff. Now! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Bones!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 109: Not Fair_

_By Love Ink_

Juice walked around the mansion that was currently serving as his prison. The stereo was on some techno music station at high volume because he couldn't take the quiet anymore. He'd tried watching TV, but a diaper commercial on reminding him of Evie, and then he'd changed channels and that stupid, sad dog commercial came on making him miss Rigor. It was all just too much. He wanted his girls, his dog, his _family_. So he'd flipped on the stereo, found the one type of music Angela didn't listen to, and blasted it to drown out his own thoughts. Stretched out on the ground, balancing himself on his hands and feet before starting a set of push-ups. He got into a rhythm, up and down, up and down, pushing himself over and over again until he couldn't feel his arms anymore.

He stopped when something caught his eye. Peeking out from under the couch was a pink blanket. His hands shook as he reached for it slowly and pulled it out. The monkey attached to it smiled blankly at him as he rubbed his thumb over the embroidery stitched across the bottom. _Evangeline_. He sat back on his ass, staring at it for a moment before he brought it to his nose, taking in a deep whiff of it. Lavender, jasmine, and vanilla. A mixture of both of his girls.

Tears filled his eyes before he could stop them. "Shit," he muttered to himself, swiping angrily at his eyes. He couldn't break down now. He couldn't. He had to be strong. For them.

His eyes fell on the wet bar across the way. Alcohol. He needed alcohol. Drown out his sorrows, stop his head from being so insanely loud. The bottles on the shelf were covered in a thick layer of dust as if they hadn't been touched in years. He grabbed a strange looking bottle, wiping away the dust to see the name. "Hello Don Julio," he muttered, popping out the cork and smelling the four hundred dollar tequila inside. "You'll do just fine."

He took a swig of it, pulling a face as it burned its way down his throat. Staring at the bottle, he felt a bout of paranoia hit him. As much as he knew getting shit faced would help block out the pain, he also knew it would dull him to everything else. If the club found him, and he was wasted; he was screwed. He was an idiot sober, he became an even bigger one drunk.

Sighing, he set down the bottle and went back to sit on his couch. He grabbed the little monkey blanket again before stretching out on the couch. His heart felt heavy in his chest as he cuddled it close to him. "Miss you, Evie," he murmured, snuggling it close to him. "We're going to be together soon though, baby girl. I promise. Me, you, 'n' Mama, Monk. We'll be happy together. I know right now it doesn't feel like it 'cause we've been apart so long, but I'm going to find a way to make it right, Monk. We're going to live happily ever after. Promise."

* * *

><p>Angela nuzzled her nose against Evie's head, breathing her in. The day before, when Bones had brought her home from Chloe's, she could've sworn her daughter smelled just like Juice's body wash. As if he'd just gotten out of the shower and had held her to his bare chest like he used to when he was still around. The smell was gone now, and she mourned the loss of it. "This is going to turn out okay, Evie-doll. I know it," she murmured, her heart feeling heavy.<p>

The doorbell rang, loud and obnoxious in their quiet house. Rigor went insane, barking and running towards the living room. She trailed behind him, Evie held tightly against her chest. "Calm down, Rigs," she said, quieting the dog with a scratch behind the ears. Checking the peep hole, she felt her heart sink in her chest when she saw Roosevelt standing on her front step. "Fuck, Eves. Looks like a little piggy came to visit."

Opening the door, she nodded a greeting to Eli. "Can I help you?" she asked, looking him over. He was unarmed and in plain clothes. Whatever he was doing there, it wasn't business.

Eli shifted awkwardly on the front step, his eyes falling on Evie for a brief moment, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Good morning, Mrs. Ortiz. Just wanted a minute. Got something I need to run by you," he started, holding up his hands when she went to speak, "Off the books."

Angela sighed as she conceded. "Fine. Come in," she muttered, taking a step in. "Look at the piggy, Evie. What do the piggies say? _Oink, oink, oink_. That's what they say, baby girl. _Oink._"

He chuckled, standing awkwardly in the living room while she strapped Evie in her little swing. "Nice thing to teach her," he teased good naturedly.

"Yeah, well, when cops try and destroy your family, you kind of get a little cynical towards them," she replied sweetly, smirking as he grimaced guiltily in response. "Can I offer you a drink, Lieutenant? Coffee? Water?"

"Water would be great, thanks," he answered, following her into the kitchen. "Your daughter, she, uh, she's beautiful."

Angela nodded in agreement. "She's a cutie," she commented, setting a glass of ice water in front of him. "Look, Eli, I'm going to save you some time and tell you that I honestly have no idea where Juice is."

Eli frowned a little, his thumb stroking over the condensation on the outside of the glass. "Do you know what an APB is, Mrs. Ortiz?" he asked, looking her straight in the eye. She blinked for a second, a confused look crossing her face, prompting him to answer his own question. "An all-points bulletin. A broadcast issued from one law enforcement agency to other agencies. Usually about missing or dangerous people we're trying to find to-"

"I know what an APB is," she cut him off quickly. "I'm just confused as to why you're telling me about it."

"The San Joaquin Sheriff's department has brought in a new sergeant to investigate Tara's murder. They wanted someone impartial, someone who wouldn't be…_swayed_ by SAMCRO," he explained slowly. "Sergeant Althea Jarry."

"_Okay_."

"Now, Jarry's been questioning the rest of the brothers, but there's one missing."

Angela's eyes widened in fear. "She wants to put out an APB on Juice," she finished softly. "Shit."

Eli nodded slowly. "I don't believe Juice has anything to do with Tara's murder, but him leaving the day she was murdered raises some red flags. I want to hear it from you before I step in."

"He didn't do it. He was…I gave Patterson the security camera footage. He was at the funeral home with me and Evie. That's concrete evidence," she defended fiercely.

"Jarry wants more than a tape. She wants to hear it from him. Now, can you get him to come back to Charming? The APB goes out, and we get him back using criminal charges. Violation of parole, all that stuff. He'll go straight to jail after he says his piece. But, if I can get him here peacefully…"

Angela swallowed hard, a large weight settling on her shoulders. Frustrated tears pricked at her eyes as she shook her head. "Eli, he can't come back. He can't…he didn't kill Tara. He'd never kill Tara. You have to know that."

Eli set his hand on top of hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I know, Angela. I do, but this isn't my investigation. I just want to give you a chance to bring your husband home before the APB goes out."

"He's dead either way," she said softly. She pulled her hand away from his, raking it through her hair as she sighed. "Fuck. This isn't fair."

"Why is he dead either way, Angela? What is he running from?"

She sucked in a deep breath, strengthening herself as anger replaced her frustration. "Why the fuck do you think he's running, Eli? Why on earth would his own fucking club be after him?" she asked, her voice louder than was called for in the small room. "Maybe because someone blackmailed him with the race of his father, forced him to almost rat, and then went and told the club's President that he was the rat! How's that for a novel idea?"

Guilt took over Eli's face as he listened to her lash out. "Angela, you know I never meant-"

"You went to Jax, Eli! _You_ told him there was a rat at his table! What the fuck did you think he was going to do?"

"I never gave him Juice's name. He…he figured it out on his own! I was trying to get back at the people who killed my wife!"

Angela whipped around to face him, her dark eyes flashing angrily. "And how did that work for you? Do you feel better now? Does it somehow make the pain go away to know they're dead? Is that what Rita would've wanted?"

"No, I-"

She shook her head slowly, trying her best to calm down. Being on Eli's bad side wouldn't help her any. She needed his help. "Fuck. Sorry, that was out of line. I just…he's all I have."

Eli's eyes softened a bit as he looked at her. "I know the feeling," he muttered on a frown. He cleared his throat after a moment. "What I did to Juice was wrong. I know it. It's one of my greatest regrets. You know I like you, Angela. Have since the day I met you. Rita did too. I want to help you here, but this can't be a one way street. I need you to cooperate with this investigation. Jarry will be coming to you soon. She's…she's likely to rub you the wrong way. Be patient, polite. I'll do my best to postpone the APB."

Her anger deflated at his last promise, a flicker of hope stirring inside of her. "Thank you."

"What is your endgame, Angela? This blows over and what…are you going to run?"

She smiled sadly at him and shrugged. "I don't know. I just want a fighting chance at being a normal family. That's all."

Eli patted her shoulder lovingly. "I'll see what I can do."

Angela gave him an appreciative smile and nodded. "Thanks, Eli."

"Uh-huh. And this," he said gesturing between them, "never took place. That guy sitting on your house asks what I wanted and…"

"I say you wanted to ask about Tara," she filled in quickly with a nod of her head. "I know how it works."

Eli smiled a little, nodding to Evie who was staring at him with wide eyes from her place in the baby swing. "You take care of your family, Angela. Life's short. Enjoy them while you can. You deserve it."

She nodded, following him to the door and letting him out. Closing it behind him, she leaned her back against it, sliding down the wooden pane until she was sitting on the ground. "Fuck, Juice," she murmured, looking at the ceiling, tears in her eyes. "Please be far away. _Please_."

Her phone went off from across the room, and she groaned. It was barely eight in the morning and already her day was turning to shit. She grimaced when she saw the sender of the text, Gemma. Apparently, she had to get to the SAMCRO Queen's house as soon as possible. She looked over at Evie in her swing and sighed. "Don't worry, Eves. You're going to hang out with Uncle Bones. Far, far away from all those assholes who made your daddy leave."

* * *

><p>After a quick stop at the funeral home, Angela parked in front of Gemma's house, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. The SAMCRO Queen had called her soon after Eli left to demand that she stop by the house. She gave in but only because she knew Gemma would hunt her down at the funeral home if she didn't. Taking in a deep breath, she pressed the doorbell, crossing her arms over her chest. She heard Abel for his Grandma before the little mail slot opened. Angela squatted down, smiling when she saw the boy's blue eyes looking back at her. "Hey Abie baby," she greeted.<p>

"Hi Auntie Gee," Abel drawled in his slow voice before he opened the door.

She swept him up into her arms giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "How you doin', you little monster?" she asked, smiling as he hugged her neck.

"Good," he replied, his hands finding her braid and playing with the end of it. "My Mama's in heaven."

"I know she is, Abie. You're lucky you have a special guardian angel watching over you, you know that?" she asked, kissing him again before setting him down on his feet as she entered the kitchen.

Gemma frowned at her. "He tells everyone that," she said, finishing washing a pot before turning to look at Angela. "Hi sweetheart. Thanks for comin'."

"Yeah, of course," she said, twisting at her ring nervously. She nodded to Brooke as the young girl walked in with Thomas in her arms. She'd heard all about the strange girl from Ellie, who was two years younger than her in school. Ellie resented the poor girl; she didn't understand why Jax was so willing to help her out yet avoided her, his best friend's daughter like the plague. Angela never knew what to say to that, but it made her sad to think that as much as Ellie didn't want to be in the club, she was jealous that they showed someone else attention. The club was still in her blood, still something she wanted to be a part of no matter how she denied it.

"Hi Angela," Brooke greeted timidly.

Angela did her best to give her a friendly smile. "Hi Brooke. How are you?"

The young girl muttered a response, grabbing Tommy's bottle and heading out of the kitchen with Abel trailing after her. Gemma smirked, shaking her head. "You scare her," she said on a light laugh.

"Can't imagine why," Angela muttered as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"It's the dead people thing. Creeps most people out, y'know," she replied, setting a mug of coffee in front of her along with sugar and creamer. She sat down opposite her, taking out a joint and lighting it up. "Where's baby girl?"

"With Ellie at the funeral home," she said, stirring her coffee slowly. "What d'ya need, Gem?"

Gemma blew out the smoke, tapping her thumb on the table. She grabbed a folded piece of paper from the center of the table and slid it to her. "Need you to call that number for me."

Angela gave her a confused look as she unfolded it and stared at the unfamiliar numbers written under the name, _Josephine_. "Who's this?"

"Juice's sister from back East," she explained, tapping on the paper. "Want to see if he reached out to her since _you_ are no help. You know her, don't you?"

She toyed with the little paper and sighed. No, she didn't know her. The year before she'd walked in on Juice video chatting with his sister, Jojo, when she called to tell him their mom was sick, but he hadn't introduced her; they'd been too busy bickering about him not being able to make the cross-country trip because of his parole restrictions. "Not really."

Gemma gave her a doubtful look. "She's the only _blood_ family he's got left."

"She's on the other side of the country, Gem. How the hell am I supposed to meet her?"

"I don't know! Don't you do that Stripe thing?"

"Skype," she corrected on a smirk. "And no, we don't."

Gemma pressed her lips together, shaking her head slowly. "Call her. Now. We need to find Juice to get those damn feds off our asses," she ordered. At Angela's reluctant look, she switched her game up. "Look, baby, I don't know why he ran off, but I _do_ know that he needs to be here. To help his family. If this Josephine girl knows where he is, maybe we can reach out to get him to come back. 'less you're tryin' to hide him."

"I _don't_ know where he is," she insisted through gritted teeth.

"Then call her."

Angela pulled her phone out of her pocket, glaring at Gemma as she punched in the numbers. For some reason, she felt nervous as the phone rang. It felt wrong to call Josephine without Juice there. Did his sister even know she existed, she wondered.

"Yeah?" came the answer on the other line.

"Um. Hi. Is this…Jo Ortiz?" she asked awkwardly.

"Yeah. Well, Dante now but Ortiz first, I guess. Who're you?" the response came, the words laced with a thick Queens accent that made Angela's heart ache.

Angela cleared her throat and sighed. "Um this is Angela. Jui-Juan Carlos'-"

"Wife, right? Yeah, I know all about you, Ang. Wonka wouldn't shut up about ya last time he called," she said on a laugh. "Heard you got a baby now too. Cute little thing. Bro sent me pics."

She smiled, really smiled at hearing that. "Wonka, huh?"

"Ma used to call him Juan-Ca when he was little. I always thought it sounded like Wonka," she explained on a laugh. "So what do you need, sis?"

Angela swallowed back the lump in her throat. How could a woman who hadn't even met her be so inviting and warm? "I uh…Juice left a few days ago. We…we haven't been able to find him, and I…I was wonderin' if you knew where he was."

Jo chuckled softly. "That Gemma lady ask you to call me?"

"Yeah."

"Figures. She called earlier. Probably thought I'd give you a different answer," she muttered before sighing loudly. "Look, I don't know where he is or why he ran. I'm guessin' you know both, though. Wonka wouldn't just up and leave you. Not in a million years. Not my brother. If that's the truth and that Gemma lady is there, say 'are you sure'."

Angela fought against the urge to smirk. "Are you sure you haven't heard from him?"

"Thought so. Give me your number. I'll call ya to check in, we can talk in private or somethin'. Think its weird this is the first time I'm talkin' to my brotha's wife."

"Right?" she asked on a light laugh, watching as Gemma pushed away from the table in favor of doing something else now that she got her information. "He doesn't talk much about his life over there."

Jo sighed lengthily. " 'cause it was shit. For both of us. He's lucky he got out alive, the idiot."

Angela frowned a little as she ran her finger around the rim of her coffee mug. She wondered if Juice had been called an 'idiot' his whole life. It would explain a lot about the way he thought about himself. "Guess so," she answered for lack of anything better to say. She heard a two little voices screaming in the background and smiled. "Those my nephews?"

"Yeah. Menaces, the two of 'em. I gotta go make sure they ain't killin' each otha. Nice to finally talk to you, Angie. Hope to actually meet ya some time."

"Yeah, you too," she replied, saying her goodbye before hanging up. Her heart felt heavy at the sight of her and Juice grinning back at her on her phone's background. A picture they'd taken at Opie and Lyla's wedding when he had a full head of hair and that damn mustache. It wasn't her favorite look on him, but his smile was at its maximum wattage in the picture, his light brown eyes lit up with happiness. It felt like she hadn't seen that smile in forever. How had they gone from this smiling, happy moment to being torn away from each other? And by people he considered to be family, no less!

Gemma walked back into the kitchen, car keys in hand. "Well, that wasn't helpful," she stated, on a sigh.

"I didn't think it would be. He hasn't talked to her in years," Angela said, raking a hand through her hair while she got to her feet. "Is that all you wanted from me?"

She nodded, reaching out a hand to touch her cheek. "That was a beautiful service you put on for Tara, sweetheart. Couldn't even see that gash on her head when you looked at her. She looked beautiful, at peace. We're all very thankful for what you did. Jax especially."

Angela blinked at her for a moment trying to remember if Gemma had come to see Tara before she cleaned her up. She must've come when she wasn't there and Bones must've shown her in. How else would she have known? "Yeah, 'course. Tara was my friend. We had our…disagreements, but I never stopped caring about her."

"You're a good girl, Angie. Glad you're a part of this family," Gemma said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "We'll find Juice, baby. He'll come home when his head's clear. I'm sure all of this stuff with Tara and being a new dad just spooked him a bit. He'll come back."

"You're probably right," she lied, smiling tersely. "Look, I gotta get back to work. The whole place falls apart if I leave the boys over there alone for too long."

"Skeeter doesn't help?"

"Please," Angela scoffed rolling her eyes. "He's just as bad as the other two! Spends most of his time playin' online poker and losing fake money."

Gemma chuckled, shaking her head. "Can't leave the men to do a woman's job."

"Ain't that the truth," she replied on a laugh as she made her way out. Standing at her car, she looked down the street to where Tara's house was, taking in a deep breath. What Gemma had said was still bugging her. She knew too much about what had happened to Tara. Way too much.

* * *

><p>Bones walked into the funeral home office to find Angela sitting at the desk with her head in her hands. He heard her sniffle a bit before he cleared his throat, catching her attention. She looked up at him, her dark eyes glassy though there was no evidence she'd been actually crying. "Hey," she rasped, rubbing at her tired eyes.<p>

"You okay?" he asked, plopping himself down at his desk.

She shrugged a shoulder, sucking in a quick breath. "Tryin' to be. I just…I'm…"

"You miss him," Bones filled in.

Angela nodded, letting out a long breath. "I do. So much. I can't…I'm going crazy here, Boner. The other day, I thought I _smelled_ him on Evie. I mean, shit, I held her for _hours_ just because I was sure she smelled like him. I didn't want to give her a bath because I didn't want to lose that smell, and it was probably all in my head."

He fought against the urge to grimace. Obviously bringing Evie to visit her dad wasn't his best idea ever. "Maybe she did smell like him. All his stuff is still in your house. Maybe you laid her on his side of the bed or something," he explained, grasping at straws.

"Maybe," she trailed off on a sad sigh. "This sucks. Even Evie misses him. She cried all through bath time since Juice usually showers with her, so she's not used to the tub. She hated it. I swear to God, she kept looking for him."

"She's a baby, Ang. She doesn't know what's going on," Bones reminded her, though he knew it wasn't true. He'd seen firsthand how much Evie missed her daddy. "Where is she anyway?"

Angela pointed up to where the appointment was located. "Ellie's got the day off of work. They're hanging out so I can do all of this paperwork," she said gesturing to the files. Her phone went off, the Imperial March from Star War filling the air. She glanced at the caller ID before grimacing. "Fuck me."

"No thanks," he shot back, earning himself the middle finger. "Who is it?"

"My mother," she muttered, rejecting the call. At Bones' surprised look she shrugged. "I cannot have a sit down with Gemma _and_ my mother in the same day. I'll kill someone!"

"Woah, Cujo. Calm down. What'd Gemma want?"

She sighed heavily. "To know where Juice is which is pretty much the only reason people from that damn club talk to me any more," she explained a bit bitterly. "Hey, did Gemma stop by before I prepped Tara, by the way?"

"Nope. Why?"

She shrugged. "She knew about that awful gash in her head, and I just was trying to figure out how."

"Autopsy reports are public."

Angela nodded slowly. "Yeah, but only after the case is closed. Her case is nowhere near being closed."

"Who know, Ang? Don't the Sons have all these law enforcement connections anyway? Maybe she got to see the scene pictures. Its not like she was there or anything. Gemma wouldn't kill her own daughter in law, right?" he asked, waiting for immediate assurance. She hesitated, biting on her lip as if seriously considering it. "Holy cow! Do you think Gemma _killed_ Tara?"

"No!" she stated quickly, too quickly. "No, of _course_ not. That's…that's _insane_. There's no way. I'm just…I can't _think_ straight any more. There's just too much going on."

Why don't you go for a run or somethin'? You need to relax," he suggested. At her heated glare, he backpedaled. "Not that you'll be able to relax because of all the stuff that's going down but…you should at least try, you know? Like take a deep breath, calm down and run it out or something. We're pretty dead right now if you haven't noticed. I think I can handle it."

Angela smirked at him as she pushed away from the desk. "We're always dead, buddy. 's how we make money if you haven't noticed."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious. Go away and run. Far, far away," he ordered, slapping her hand away when she went to muss his hair.

Once she was gone, he finished what little paperwork was left then headed up the stairs his apartment to find Ellie sitting in front of his TV with Evie, _The Princess and the Frog_ playing on the screen. The song Evie had been named for blared over the surround sound speakers while Ellie made the baby girl dance to it, humming softly along with the track. She looked up at him, a huge smile spreading across his face that gave him butterflies. He swallowed hard and gestured to the TV. "What's with the movie?"

Ellie sighed tiredly. "Its one of the only things that calms her down. She's never cried this much before. Ang came in, gave her some cuddles, then took Rigs and went on her run and Eves just started screaming bloody murder."

"She misses Juice," he answered on a sigh. "Probably makes her nervous when she sees Angela leave since Juice hasn't come back."

"She's not even a year old yet. How could she possibly know that?"

Bones shrugged a shoulder. "She's a smart cookie, huh, Monk?" he asked, taking her from Ellie's arms and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Ellie frowned, sighing sadly as she messed with the black beanie on her head. "This whole thing is such bullshit," she stated, shaking her head. "Why can't any of the damn club members just be happy? I mean, fuck, this is…so _stupid_! If someone's not dying, they're being fucking separated or…or running! What is _wrong_ with these people? Why can't they just be happy with what they have? Why can't they just leave well enough alone? Its not fair!"

He stared at her, slack jawed. It was the most he'd ever heard her talk in a single sitting, the most passion he'd ever seen from her. "I dunno," he answered, feeling a little useless. He didn't know what to say to calm her down. An angry tear slipped down her cheek, and he reached out to wipe it away. "But its going to be okay, El. Ang and Juice, they'll figure somethin' out. You know they will. They're meant to be. Separating them would be like separating Han Solo and Princess Leia. Its just not going to happen. They'll fight for each other until they get their happily ever after."

"Its not going to end well, Bones. It _never_ ends well."

Bones frowned and looked down at Evie, reaching out a finger to her and feeling his heart ache as her tiny fingers wrapped around his. "You can't think like that, El. You gotta…you gotta be positive. Everything will work out."

Ellie leaned over and kissed his cheek, making his face turn tomato red. "I hope you're right, Bones. I really, _really_ hope you are."

* * *

><p><strong>Kind of a filler chapter but there's a method to my madness, I swear! <strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! Love hearing from you! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	110. A Mess

**Gah! Sorry for the crazy long delay. This was a tough one to write. I had writer's block like no other. :p**

**But THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! Y'all rock! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Guest 1, Mary, Guest 2 (_**_Haaaa we'll see about the smut...**), ****Hannah (**Gah! I didn't even realize it! Can't believe y'all have stuck with me for three years now! Thank you!**), Mara, **and **Moxxi.**_

**Also, big thanks to _lizmynameis_ for helping me with this chapter! She's awesome, her stories are awesome, go check them out. Now! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, Chloe, and Bones!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 110: A Mess_

_By Love Ink_

Ten days. That was how long it had been since Juice had last seen his wife. Ten days. Eight since he'd last seen his daughter. He was keeping track now, storing it into his brain as if there were a certain number of days until he saw her again. There wasn't a countdown, though. This separation was open ended as they waited for a chance to get away, and it was driving him crazy.

He turned the shower on in the guest bathroom, pulled the door closed and waited for the steam to fill up the room as he sat down on the closed toilet next to it. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend she was there with him, taking a shower while he talked to her like he always did. "I'm going to figure this out, Angel," he promised her, tilting his head back against the mirror as he looked up at the skylight above him. "We're going to get out of Charming and go to the beach. Away from all of this shit, baby. You 'n' me 'n' Eves 'n' Rigs. The rest of the kids can come meet us there later. They're old enough to figure out how."

Sighing, he ran a hand over the sides of his head, his usually smooth scalp feeling prickly under his palms. It'd been awhile since he'd last shaved. He didn't have an image to maintain any more, didn't need the tattoos to make him look tough. "I just want to get out of here," he rasped, swallowing hard. "I want us to be a family. That doesn't make me a coward. I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not…I'm not running out of fear, I'm running because I just…I want to live. I want my family. There's a difference. There's gotta be. I'm not a coward. Not any more.

"I'm stayin' here 'cause I love you, Angel. I couldn't just leave like that. What if…what if something happened to you and I was…on the fuckin' beach waiting like an asshole while you and Eves were in danger? I'd never forgive myself. And I'm safe here. You know that. It feels better for me to be closer, baby. So much better."

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to imagine her response. She'd agree with him. Might even laugh a bit at how ridiculous it had been to try to make him leave. Then she'd open the shower curtain and reach her hand out to him, inviting him in. This time, he'd step inside and just hold her. That was all he wanted. Just to hold her close, to draw strength for her like he had in the past.

"Juice?" Bones' voice called from the living room.

And the illusion was shattered. Juice opened his eyes and stood, going over to turn off the water. Angela wasn't there. She wouldn't be there for a long time. He headed out to the living room and nodded his greeting to Bones. "Sup Boner?"

"Were you…_talking_ to someone?" he asked, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

Juice shook his head quickly. "No. Just…in the shower."

Bones looked him up and down like he was crazy. "Oh. Guess you dry like Aquaman fast."

He scratched at the back of his neck and smiled a bit at the comic book reference. "Somethin' like that," he muttered, before moving his head from side to side, cracking his neck just a bit. "What's up? Why you here?"

"Just checkin' in. Wanted to see if you needed food or anythin'. Ang 'n' I are making a trip over to Target," he explained on a shrug.

Juice loved going on Target runs with Angela. It was something they used to do often together as a way of escaping Charming for a bit. He'd leave his cut behind, put on a hat, and they'd wander the aisles filling their cart with more stuff than they ever intended to buy. Most of the time, she'd push the cart while he walked behind her, every so often kissing her neck when she stopped to look at something. People would glare at them, but Angela never seemed to mind. She never once pushed him away. They'd even had a quickie in one of the dressing rooms there once, without getting caught too. She'd been trying on swimming suits, and he'd gotten a little too excited about one of them. She'd laughed when he grabbed her, letting him have his way without a shred of hesitation. He loved that about her.

"Juice?" Bones' voice broke through his thoughts again.

"Yeah," he said, jerking his head up as he tried to get the image of Angela pressed up against the bright red dressing room wall out of his head. He blinked, swallowing hard as he tried to think of something, anything but her. "Yeah. Uh…let me get you a list."

"Here, just type one out on my phone. I'll lose the paper or Ang'll see your handwriting and flip out on me," he said, handing him his rather large phone.

Juice looked at the huge phone and raised his eyebrows before shaking his head, deciding it was better not to ask. He quickly made a list of the fresh fruits, veggies, and protein powder he needed before handing it back to him. "How's…how's she doing?"

Bones shook his head slowly. "Don't go there, man."

"Give me somethin', Bones. Please."

He ran a hand over his head, hesitating a bit before sighing. "She's going through the motions, y'know? She's had like four people stop by to ask about you. DA, Roosevelt, that scary Gemma lady, the dude with the scars on his face. She always tells 'em the same shit. That she doesn't know where you are…which is true, so that's good," he explained on a shrug. "She's always got a Son following her. Usually it's that big Gigantor dude, and she's nice to him, but sometimes its some random dude that she ignores. Only lets Gigantor or Bane in the house when they're on shadow duty. The others gotta wait outside."

Juice smirked at Bones' names for Quinn and Happy. He was a little proud of his Old Lady for keeping most of the club out of their house. "They still sitting on the weed shop?"

"Yeah, dude. I tried to go over and pull some cash out for you, but I chickened out. Don't think they'd give it to me anyways."

"I'll wire some shit into your account if you leave me the number. I got digital access to the weed shop cash anyway," he said on a shrug.

Bones waved away his offer. "Its all right. I got the money for it. Not exactly hurting for cash," he replied gesturing around to the mansion they were currently standing in. "Anyways, uh…that dude, Jax? He's out of prison. Ang wasn't too happy about that. Can't imagine you would be either."

He grimaced. Jax being out of county just increased the danger he and his family were in. "He stop by?"

"Nope, but I'm supposed to tell him she's busy if he does since she doesn't want to see him," he said on a shrug. "Gemma wanted her to go to some welcome home party for him at the new porn studio last night, and she wouldn't go. Blamed Evie for it. I think she's trying to stay as far away from the club as possible. Can't really blame her for it either."

Juice nodded slowly. That was good. He was glad she was staying away from the club and all the danger it brought with it; it was the smartest move for her. "Good, good. And Evie's okay?"

"Yeah. Totally fine," Bones lied, trying his best to smile. At Juice's doubtful look, he sighed. "Look, like I said before, I don't want to make this any harder on you, dude. They're safe, they're healthy, and they're…dealing. Just leave it at that."

He hung his head, sighing softly. "Yeah. You're right. I just…_miss _them. Can you…you think you could bring Monk by again?"

"I uh…I can try," he answered, though it was clear he didn't think it was a great idea. "Last time Ang said she could smell you on her though so…might not be the best idea."

"Fuck," he muttered, wishing his wife wasn't so damn observant of everything. "Yeah, guess not."

Bones patted his shoulder awkwardly in what he knew was meant to be a comforting gesture. "It's going to work, Juice. You'll all be together soon. I can feel it in my bones."

Juice smirked at that, letting out a long breath. "Hope you're right."

* * *

><p>Angela followed Bones around Target, deciding it was best to do his circuit instead of the one she and Juice used to do on their trips there. She made faces at Evie as they headed down the aisle of protein bars and vitamins, Juice's favorite isle. "Why are we in this aisle?" she asked. He didn't answer her, though. He was too busy looking from his phone to the large bottles of protein powders, studying their labels as if he was trying to decode them. "Uh, Boner, there something you want to tell me?"<p>

"Yeah. I'm uh…I'm trying to bulk up. Which is the one that Juice uses? Works well for him. Guy's practically StarLord fit," he questioned, squinting at his list again.

"Uh. This black one," she said, handing it to him before grabbing the phone out of his hand. "What kind of list is this?"

Bones scrambled to get it back, but she held him off. "Just a list of healthy stuff. I need to eat better and get fit. Obviously."

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest when she read the title of the list: _Juice's stuff_. "Why do you have a list of his stuff?" she asked, scrolling through it and finding each and every one of her husband's favorite snacks on there. She'd noticed Bones picking some of them out but had been too distracted by her daughter's crying to really make the connection. Now, she looked into the cart to find everything on the list laid neatly there. "Why are you _buying_ all of this stuff?"

"I dunno. He sent it to me a long time ago. I want to be healthier so I'm gonna buy all this stuff and eat it…all and work out and stuff," he explained on a shrug.

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "Bones, I've been trying to get you to go running with me since I met you."

"Well, yeah, but like…I want to bulk up not slim down, y'know? Like Juice is all buff, so I think I could be too with a little work."

"You're going to hurt yourself," she warned him, still a little suspicious of his intentions.

Bones waved away her concern as he pushed up his glasses. "Nah, I'll be good. I've got some free weights at home and Ken said he'd show me how to lift them since they taught him how to do it right in gym class."

"Uh-huh," she said doubtfully. "And what are you going to mix that with?"

He stared at the black bottle of protein powder in his hands and blanched a bit. "Um. I'm gonna make like a…a milkshake. Maybe I'll grab one from the diner and just stir some of this stuff in," he theorized. Angela made a disgusted face, so he corrected himself. "Or I could…find some recipe online. Can't be that hard, right?"

Angela laughed, grabbing Evie's tiny foot. If he only knew how hard it was to make that shit taste good. Juice had it down to a science, but she knew it'd taken him forever to get it just right. "Your Uncle Boner's gonna himself sick, Evie-doll. That or hurt himself. He's gonna get an owie, and I'm going to have to cover all of his cases," she cooed to her baby. Evie grinned at her, giggling a bit as she waved her arms about. Her mother smiled back at her, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "Yes he is, Eves. Yes he is."

Her phone rang, showing an unknown number on the caller ID. Her heart rose to her throat as she quickly slid her finger across the screen to answer. "Angela Ortiz," she answered feeling slightly out of breath.

"Need your help, kid. How fast can you get to Redwoody?"

She sighed at the sound of her cousin's voice. It'd been far too long since she'd talked to him, since she'd seen him. She hated the distance between them. Not having Juice near was even harder without having Happy at her side to support her. She was starting to feel alone, untethered. A part of her longed to just be with someone who was family. Who provided her with the same strength Juice did. While Happy wasn't her first choice, he definitely would make her feel better. " 'm out shopping. Be there in fifteen."

* * *

><p>Angela glanced at the dead guy laying on the plastic covered floor of the new porn studio. He looked on the younger side despite his beat up appearance. Whatever had happened to him had been brutal. There was a carving fork still sticking out of the poor man's head, some white powdery substance rubbed into his wounds. Salt, she assumed. She wondered what the guy had done to warrant such an awful death. "Jesus Christ. What the hell happened to him?" she asked, looking up at her cousin.<p>

"Don't worry about it," Happy explained before tossing her a yellow package.

She caught it easily, staring at it for a moment before looking back at him, one eyebrow raised. "The hell am I supposed to do with this?"

"Acid bath. Tig 'n' Quinn are busy," he stated, jerking his chin towards the vat of acid. "You used to do this shit for Bachman. Figured you could stomach it."

Angela smirked, opening up the package and shaking out the bright yellow biohazard suit. She had to admit, she was kind of excited to help; it'd definitely serve to get some built up anger out. "Got an ax?"

He nodded his head towards a decently size one on the ground by his foot. "Put the suit on. This too," he ordered, tossing her a respirator with a shield.

She caught it and set it on a nearby table while she pulled on the protective suit. "Who's respirator is that?"

"Tig's," he answered. At her apprehensive look, he chuckled, "It's clean. Don't worry about it."

Angela sighed as she zipped up the suit. The respirator was for later, anyway. She didn't need it until they started using the acid. "Gloves?"

Hap tossed her two heavy duty gloves before handing her the ax. "All you, kid," he said as if he knew she needed to blow off some steam.

She weighed the heavy ax in her hand for a brief moment as she stared at the dead man on the ground. She had a feeling Jax did this but only because the fork sticking out of the back of his head was in the exact same spot a similar wound had been on Tara's. Was this man responsible for Tara's death? Maybe. His death was certainly fitting for his crime if that was the case.

Would this be Juice's fate should Jax ever find him? The dead man had clearly been tortured before meeting his end. The shallow wounds covered in salt were evidence of that. Would Jax make Juice suffer like this? Rub salt in his wounds? Or would he do something worse? The President fully believed Juice had betrayed him. She had no doubt if Jax ever got his hands on Juice, his death wouldn't be quick; that asshole would make him suffer. The thought made her blood boil in her veins. After everything Juice had done for Jax, for the club, he'd be treated just like some traitor. All for what? Juice had done nothing wrong! He didn't deserve this shit!

With a growl, she swung the ax down, severing the man's arm at the shoulder joint. She lifted it up again, moving a little further down, her mind still reeling. She didn't deserve to be separated from Juice like this! They deserved better than being in constant fear for their lives! For the life of the _child_! They should be living happily! None of this hiding away bullshit! She shouldn't have to be torn away from her husband all because of a stupid miscommunication!

She swung the ax down again, cutting off his leg at the hip joint. Her anger fueled every movement, every swing. She hated the club, hated the situation it had put her in, hated that it had taken her away from her family, and hated that it was slowly tearing her apart inside. She kept hacking away, cursing Jax Teller and the Sons of Anarchy with every swing until her arms burned and her back ached. She swung the ax up one more time only to be met with resistance on the way down. She turned around to fin Hap holding it, keeping her from taking another swing right into the man's face.

Angela let it go as if it had bit her, taking a step away as she ripped off her gloves. She tossed them aside, swallowing back a sob that was trying to escape her throat. "Fuck!" she yelled, kicking at a nearby table. "Fuck this! Fuck all of this! I can't do this any more! I can't_…fuck_!_"_

Happy grabbed her wrists, stopping her little outburst, a concerned look in his eyes. "Hey, hey, relax, kid. Breathe. In, out."

Tears leaked down her face as she tried to catch her breath. He let her go, and she slowly sank down to the floor, her stomach churning. Her heart hurt as she tilted her head back against the wall staring up at her cousin. "This is so fucked up," she rasped, sniffling slightly. She wiped at her tears, grimacing when her hand came away red with blood that was not hers.

Happy squatted down in front of her, his eyes meeting hers. " 's just a dead dude. You didn't kill 'im."

She scowled at him. "No. Not _him_," she said gesturing to the bloodied pieces of the man she's just dismembered. That didn't bother her. It was everything else that was slowly breaking her. "I…if this is what Jax did to him. What is he going to do to Juice?"

"Not that," he said on a shrug. "Don't worry about it, kid. You're okay."

Angela shook her head, closing her eyes tightly as she pressed her lips together to keep herself from sobbing. Happy's assurance that Juice's fate would not be similar to the dead man's was not reassuring; there were a lot of other, more painful ways to die. Happy had a list of them in his journal. She knew because she'd found it when she was a teenager and went snooping through his room while he was in county. "No. I'm not," she managed to choke out. "I'm not. I'm….falling apart. A piece of me is missing, and I can't…I can't _deal_."

Disappointment flashed across Happy's face as he shook his head. "You're stronger than this. You were fine without him before. You don't need him."

She swallowed hard and smiled a bit as she wiped at her eyes again. She hated him for looking disappointed. How dare he? He didn't understand what it was like. He'd never been in her shoes. "You don't get it, Hap. I _do_ need him. He…he balances me out. He's…you know that game with the blocks where you pull one and they all fall down. Juice is…he's that block, Hap. He's gone and everything's falling down."

He took off his gloves, grabbing her chin in his hands and forcing her to look at him. "He left you. He ain't worth all this bullshit. He's a fuckin' rat and a traitor 'n' you're better than that."

"He wouldn't leave me if he didn't have to," she ground out through clenched teeth as anger replaced her frustration. The club thought he'd left her on his own volition. They didn't know that she'd sent him away. That he didn't want to go. "If your stupid club didn't royally fuck him over!"

He let go of her chin, standing back up to loom over her. "You don't know shit."

She scrambled to her feet to stand toe to toe with him. "No, _you_ don't know shit," she seethed, poking him in the chest. "Not a single fucking thing! Look at what Jax is doing! He's not…he's not _thinking_! He's after Juice for what? Do you even know?"

"He betrayed the club!"

"That's not true!"

"The fuck do you know?"

"A hell of a lot more than _you_," she insisted, glaring at him. "Jax is tryin' to cover-"

"Enough!" he shouted, cutting her off. "You don't know shit about the club, don't know shit about what that idiot did! If the Prez wants him out, then he fuckin' deserves it!"

Angela stared at him, her mouth open in complete shock. "You're an asshole," she growled, walking past him and making sure to hit him with her shoulder. He caught her wrist and pulled her back around so she was in front of him. Her dark eyes flashed with anger as she put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. "You're an asshole! I swear to God, Happy, you lay one finger on him, and that's the last you'll ever see of me and Eves! He is _everything_ to me, and if you love me, if you love your _niece_ even a little bit, you'd do your best to make sure your precious President keeps his dirty fuckin' hands off him!"

She stormed off, ripping off the bloody biohazard suit as she went and almost tripping as she tried to step out of it. Cursing softly, she shoved it in the nearest trash can.

"Kid!" Happy called after her, but she ignored him. "Angela Ines Ruiz!"

That stopped her in her tracks. He'd called her by her full name only twice before. Both times had been in circumstances where she was in deep shit. She turned around slowly, glaring at him. "It's _Ortiz_ now. Don't fucking forget it."

They stared each other down for a long while after that, his jaw ticking angrily while she clenched her hands into tight fists, both of them breathing hard. Her phone went off, the Star Trek theme song filling the air. Taking in a deep breath, she looked away, grabbing her phone out of her pocket. It was a text from Bones. A silly picture of Evie and Rigor, yet another reminder of what she was fighting so hard to keep.

"You gonna finish this?" Happy's voice intruded her thoughts.

Angela took one last look of the picture before taking in a deep breath. She wasn't sure if he was talking about finishing the fight or finishing the job. The answer was the same either way. "No. I'm fuckin' done, Hap. Don't—don't ask me for shit again. Not unless you wanna hear me out," she seethed, walking out before he had the chance to respond.

Sitting in her car, she wrapped her hands around the steering wheel in a white knuckled grip. She sucked in a deep breath, reaching over to turn on the radio before pulling out of the lot witha squeal of her tires. She didn't have a destination in mind as she headed pointed her car west. She just drove as fast as she could letting the roar of the wind coming through her windows drown out her thoughts.

She ended up in front of her father's headstone. He'd been in her thoughts a lot lately as she watched Evie grow, as she felt the loneliness of missing her other half. The longer Juice was gone, the more she understood what her mother must've gone through after her dad died. It would be easy to fold in on herself, push everyone away, but she couldn't do that. She didn't want to. It was hard enough to _feel_ alone without Juice, it'd be harder still to actual _be_ alone.

Slowly, she sunk down into the grass, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. The words on the stone stood out to her. _Husband, father, brother, son_. Words that would be on Juice's headstone if he…

"Stop," she whispered to herself, cutting off her own thoughts. "Don't go there. It's going to be fine. Right, Papi? We're going to be fine. We're meant to work out, right?"

She looked up at the sky as more tears tumbled down her cheeks. A soft breeze blew through the hair, tousling her hair into her eyes. She breathed in deeply, smelling the freshly cut grass and closing her eyes for a brief moment. A sense of calm washed over her as another breeze blew by. She could feel her father's presence there as strong as if he were really sitting beside her, reassuring her that everything would be all right.

* * *

><p>Happy walked into Chloe's house feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. After spending such an awful morning with Angela followed by all of the club shit with Indian Hills and deceiving Lin's crew, he was exhausted. Hades greeted him immediately, running up to him and setting his front paws on his stomach. "Hey boy," he greeted, scratching the dog behind the ears. He looked over to the couch to find Chloe sitting there with a glass of wine. He was glad he caught her on a night she was home; he needed her to help him sort out the noise in his head. Walking by the couch, he stroked a hand over her warm cheek. "Hey babe."<p>

She raised an eyebrow at the new nickname but didn't comment. He had no idea where the endearment had come from; it had just slipped out. He needed a beer, and he needed it fast. Grabbing a beer, he popped off the top and headed back to the couch, throwing himself down next to her. Stretching out, he draped an arm across the back of the couch. With a sigh, she shifted so she was leaning against him. "Sup, dude? How'd things go with Ang?"

He grimaced as he thought about what he'd gone through with his cousin earlier that morning. "Not great."

"Not surprised. She's a bit of a mess right now."

He sighed. That was a perfect way to describe her. A total mess. Up one minute, down the next. "Never seen her like that."

Chloe sighed, frowning slightly. "She's missing her other half. It's not easy."

"She's stronger than that," he said, voicing the thought that had been bugging him the whole day. He couldn't wrap his head around the torn up mess of a woman he'd seen earlier. That was not the girl he raised. "Taught her to be that way. She don't need him."

"She _is_ strong, but she still needs him. Its...its tough to explain. She draws her strength from others. Usually you or Juice. That's why she surrounds herself with family, people she loves, because she draws strength from that love, that...security. Its easy to be strong when you have people you love backing you, ready to pick you up when you fail. Juice is...he's her biggest source of that for her. The love they have for each other is..._insanely_ strong. Like _Romeo and Juliet_."

He wrinkled his nose, hating the idea that his cousin relied on that idiot for anything. Much less that she was bound for tragedy like the Shakespearean couple Chloe had mentioned. "Fuck that. Ends like shit."

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Still...when you love someone like Angela loves Juice, being separated from them...throws your whole life off kilter. Its like...like losing a piece of you. Like an arm or a leg. Its...indescribable the type of pain that comes with missing someone with every fiber of your being."

His dark eyes narrowed as he studied her face. He had a feeling she wasn't just talking about Angela and Juice. He knew she'd lost someone she loved too. "That how you felt when the pig got shot?"

"Michael," she corrected softly. "And yeah. I...I was lost for a long time. Took me awhile to come to terms with it."

"But you got over it."

She hesitated a moment, her finger slowly tracing over the rim of her wine glass in thought. "I didn't _get over it_. I just moved on. I still think about him all the time, and it still hurts, but I'm better now. It doesn't hurt as badly," she explained, looking up at him. "But we didn't have a kid. We didn't have the ties Angela and Juice have to each other. I think losing Juice for good will be a loss that she won't come back from."

"Said if the club hurt him, I'd never see her again," he rasped.

"Is that something you could live with?"

He considered her question for a moment. Could he? Angela was his kid, his girl. She'd been the only light in his life for a long time. He couldn't lose her. He knew that. She was the only thing keeping him from becoming the psychotic killer everyone already thought he was. She was his moral compass, the girl who kept him grounded. Losing her would be losing the only good part of himself. He couldn't handle that. "No."

She tilted her head back, her hazel eyes meeting his with a warmth that he felt down to his soul. "Then you know what you have to do, Hap," she said, her fingers brushing over his cheek. "You have to make sure Juice gets out of whatever mess he's in alive. That he can get back to his family, _your_ family."

"Ain't that easy." He sighed heavily. Chloe didn't know how hard it was for him to do that. Saving Juice would mean going against his President's orders. It would mean betraying his club, putting him in the exact same place Juice was. True, he didn't know precisely what the idiot had done-Jax had been vague about it the whole situation-but whatever it was, if the President and the VP believed he merited a Mayhem vote, it had to be bad. There was no he could help him and keep his place in the club. And he couldn't lose the club. They were just as much a part of his family as Angela was. There had to be a way to work it all out. To get the best of both worlds. He needed some time to figure it all out. He just hoped he wouldn't lose Angela in the process.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter honestly came out of nowhere, but it serves a purpose, I swear. ;) As always let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys!<strong>

**Happy Easter! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	111. Forget the World

**Thank you, thank you to every one who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! You all are what inspire me to keep writing! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Guest 1, stordec23, Mary _**_(The Mayans are coming soon, I promise!), **msnico **(Danke! So glad you're enjoying it! I hope my story doesn't spoil any of season 6 and 7 for you!), **Storylover00, ****Guest 2 **(See the note after the chapter about the smut...;) ), **Mara **(I'm so glad she comes across as strong! That's the biggest thing I try to convey!), **Guest 3, and Guest 4** _

**BIG thanks to _lizmynameis_ for letting me bounce ideas off of her! Go read her stories, they're fantastic! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Bones!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 111: Forget the World_

_By Love Ink_

Angela locked the door to the workroom and glanced up at the window, considering it for a moment. She could fit through there. Easily. She wouldn't be going far. Bones' parent's place was only twenty minutes away. They wouldn't notice she was gone in that time, right? She pushed herself up onto the counter and then laughed. What the hell was she doing? She was a grown woman with a daughter, she shouldn't be shimmying out of a window to sneak out. It was likely that she was crazy anyway. Juice was long gone. Bones had promised her he was. There was no way her apprentice was hiding her husband at his ranch house. That was just insane.

But still…she hadn't seen any of the groceries Bones had bought off of Juice's list in his apartment. She'd looked through every cabinet and that gigantic bottle of protein powder was nowhere to be found. She knew the ranch house had a gym and Bones said he was using it, but where did all the fruits and vegetables go? Those were perishable. He didn't go there often enough to go through them in two days. He didn't go to that place enough. She knew because he spent most of the time in the funeral or at her house since he and the Winstons decided to start sleeping over there. No way would he leave the fresh fruits and veggies in that beautiful kitchen to rot.

She knew it was unlikely that Juice was hiding out there, but she had to make sure for her own sanity. So she'd set her plan into motion. She'd grabbed Bones' ranch keys, told him and the idiot prospect sitting on her that she had a case to work on, and locked herself in the morgue, pumping the music as loud as she could to avoid any detection. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, pulling herself up and out through the window with a grunt. Once out, she stood and stretched, feeling her back pop with the movement; she was too old for this shit. Looking around quickly, she made a run for the cemetery where she'd left the funeral home van. Her hands shook as she stuck the keys in the ignition. She wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline that came with sneaking out that made her jittery or the idea that she might see Juice again.

Her heart was beating fast as she pulled up to the wrought iron gate and typed in the code. The large hacienda style house before her looked the same as it always did, totally pristine. Her hands fumbled clumsily with the keys as she unlocked the door's three locks and pushed inside. Looking around, she noticed a change from the last time she'd been there. All of the toys that had previously littered the floor were gone as were the old magazines and books. The remotes were lined up on the table in order of size, the kitchen immaculate. It looked like her house did after Juice stress-cleaned. Mini hand sanitizers and all.

Her heart was in her throat as she headed into the kitchen and opened a few of the cabinets. The first thing she found was the big bottle of protein powder. She slammed the cabinet closed as if she'd been burned. No, no this wasn't happening. They weren't that dumb. Bones wouldn't go behind her back. Juice was not there. He was away. He was _safe_. He was-

"Hey Bones, I…" the familiar voice interrupted her thoughts and she froze. All the signs pointed to him being there, but she didn't want to believe them. Slowly, she turned around, ready to chew him out for being such an idiot, but the sight before her had her forgetting all of the things she wanted to say.

Juice was shirtless save for a pair of basketball shorts, his tanned skin gleaming as if he'd just finished a workout. God, she wanted to jump him. Wrap her legs around those hips and let him take her against the nearest wall. At the same time, she wanted to punch him in his handsome face. How could he do this to her? How could he jeopardize his own life like this? He was supposed to be gone! He was supposed to be somewhere safe!

"Angel," he breathed, his doe eyes wide with shock as he approached her. "What are you doing here?"

She swallowed hard, remembering how furious she was supposed to be with him. "I could ask you the same fucking question!" she exclaimed angrily, pushing him away with her hands on his chest. "What happened to leaving Charming?"

"I couldn't leave you," he replied as if it was the most obvious answer ever. She went to push him again, and he grabbed her wrists, pulling her into him.

"You shouldn't be here!" she shouted, struggling against his hold. There were too many emotions warring inside of her, and his touch wasn't helping. In fact, it was making things worse. She couldn't think when his hands were on her. "No! Don't touch me! I can't…this is too..." She sucked in a deep breath, squeezing her eyes closed as she raked her hands through her hair, tugging slightly. "Don't! I can't…_process_ this. You're not supposed to be here! What the fuck are you _doing_ here?"

To his credit, Juice didn't touch her. He stood in front of her, arms hanging limply at his sides as he looked at her. "Angel, I had to stay. Where was I s'posed to go?"

"Away! That was the deal, Juice! You were supposed to go away so that they couldn't _take_ you away," she replied, hating the way her voice cracked at the end. She was losing steam, her anger slowly starting to fizzle away as sadness took its place. How could she be angry at him when she'd secretly been dying to see him?

"I'm safe here, baby," he assured her, lifting his arms as if he wanted to touch her but stopping himself at the last minute. "Who's going to find me?"

Angela swallowed hard and shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno," she answered softly. "I just…I have a really bad feeling about this."

Juice stepped closer to her but still kept his hands to himself. "Don't, baby. I'm safe here. Who knows about this place but you and Boner?"

She met his stare, taking in a deep breath while she considered what he was saying. He was right. She knew he was. Even if he was wrong, she was sick of fighting with him. It'd been far too long since she'd seen him, and he was standing far too close for her to really care about anything other than just touching him. It'd been months since they'd last been together, months since she'd been able to feel his skin against hers. The day before, her phone had gone off at six in the morning with the song "Pony" by Ginuwine, the alert text was laden with emojii's and huge capital letters that read: SEXY TIME. She'd been grumpy the rest of the day.

Now, there he was standing so close to her, she could feel the heat coming off of his body. She studied his face, taking in the tired bags underneath his eyes, the dark stubble that was blurring the tattoos on the side of his head. He looked like he'd been through hell, but he was still handsome as ever. Still made that familiar warmth pool in her stomach.

"Fuck, Juice," she said on a light laugh as she reached up to stroke a hand over the scruff on the side of his cheek. "I miss you."

He reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "Miss you too, baby," he murmured, his eyes leaving hers and looking at her lips. He leaned in, his nose just barely brushing her cheek as he breathed her in. "Goin' a little crazy here without ya," he admitted on a soft laugh.

Angela smiled, nodding slowly. "I know the feeling. Your stupid sex alert went off yesterday. Was it necessary to put that many emojiis?" she asked, sliding her arms around him, her hands sliding up over his back feeling the tight knots in the muscles there. She looked up at him, pressing a quick kiss to his jaw. "I was crabby all day wishing you were there."

He smirked, raking a hand through her hair and tugging gently so their eyes could meet. "You 'n' me both, beautiful." Then his lips came crashing down against hers, devouring them hungrily as he pressed her against the kitchen island. His hands fumbled with her shirt, pulling it open so the buttons went flying. She didn't give a damn, she was touching him anywhere she could, raking her nails over his back, through the short stubble of his hair, over his abs. She couldn't get enough of the feel of his skin under her fingertips. He unbuttoned her jeans, shoving them down to reveal her royal blue lace panties. He bit his lip, drinking her in. "God, I missed you."

She laughed, unsure if he was talking to her or her panties. She kicked away her jeans, grabbing his face in her hands and pressing a hot kiss to his lips. "You rip them, you die."

With a growl, he grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up onto the kitchen island, gently tugging down her the panties, kissing her thigh as he slipped them off. "I'm keepin' these," he murmured, kicking the lacy fabric aside.

" 's long as I get 'em back eventually."

He gave her a naughty grin, catching her lips in a hot kiss. " 'course baby," he murmured, his hands sliding around her hips and pulling her towards him. "Love you. So much."

* * *

><p>Juice felt the demons that had been plaguing him for the past days quiet as he lay there in bed with Angela's head on his chest, her hand on the tattoo just over his heart. After their frantic sex in the kitchen, he'd carried her to the bedroom and made love to her nice and slow, both of them getting reacquainted with each other. She traced the letters of his tattoo slowly while he followed the lines of the tattoo on her back. The room was silent save for their breathing and for once, he welcomed the silence, was comfortable with it. Still, he didn't know when he'd have a chance to talk to her again, and he wanted to soak up all of the Angie time he could before she had to leave. "What're you thinkin', baby?" he asked softly, curling a strand of her hair around his finger.<p>

"Mmm," she hummed, turning her head to press a soft kiss to his chest. "About how that stupid Snow Patrol song that always gets stuck in my head makes total sense. I want to lay here and forget the world."

He tugged on her hair lovingly. "You're a mush-head," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. He could feel her lips move into a smile against his chest. "But I know what you mean. It'll happen soon, baby. Soon we'll be on a beach in Maui watching Evie collect seashells. We'll have seashells all over the house. Sand too."

Angela laughed lightly, and he could feel it reverberating through his chest. "Seashells all perfectly lined up by size and shape," she teased, tilting her head back to meet his eyes.

He smirked, nodding his head as he raked his hand through her hair; he couldn't get enough of the silky feel of her tresses between his fingers. "So how'd you lose your shadow?"

A blush rose to her cheeks, an almost guilty look crossing her face. "I uh…I hid the van in the cemetery earlier then I locked the work room door and shimmied out the window," she admitted, a mischievous grin on her face.

Juice laughed then. He couldn't help it. The mental image of his wife shimmying through the window of her work room was too good. The sound of his own laugh was strange to his ears; it'd been so long since he'd heard it. "You _shimmied_ out the _window_?"

Her laughter joined his as she nodded. "I was desperate!"

They both laughed together for a minute before her grew serious. "Think you could do it again? We could make our getaway."

Angela considered his question, her brow furrowed as she thought it through. "What am I supposed to do with Eves and Rigs? Push them through the window and expect them to be quiet? Stealthy? I mean, Rigs could pull it off, but Eves…she's your daughter, Juice, stealth isn't really in her genes."

Juice sighed lengthily, hanging his head; she was right. There went his grand plan. "She's also half yours, and you're pretty stealthy. Would've loved to see that cute ass of yours shimmying out the window," he said, grabbing a handful of her ass and squeezing it lovingly.

She laughed with him, shaking her head slowly before resting it over his heart again. "I talked to Jo," she told him softly, her fingers going over the tattoo of her name again.

"Jo?" he repeated, trying to place the name. It took him a moment before a lightbulb went off in his head. "_Jo_! _My _Jo?"

He could feel her smile against his chest as she nodded. "Gemma found her number. Wanted me to call to see if I could find you."

Juice ran a hand over his prickly head, sighing heavily. "Shit, are they _that_ desperate to find me?"

"Mm-hmm. Roosevelt says the new Sergeant wants to put out an APB."

"_Fuck_. He talk to you too?"

Angela sighed softly. "Yeah. Everyone has. You're a popular guy, Juan Carlos."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and shaking his head. No, he was not going to let this ruin the short time he had with his wife. "How's Jojo?"

"Didn't get a chance to really talk to her, but I got her number to call her later when I get the chance," she explain, moving her head to set her chin on his chest so she could see his face. "I like her. She seems…awesome."

"Well, she is related to me so…"

Angela laughed, shaking her head at him. She scooted up closer to him, catching his lips in a hot kiss as she moved a leg over his hips to straddle him. "I love you," she murmured, smiling against his lips as his hands slid down her torso to squeeze her hips.

He sat up slightly to get a better angle, his tongue moving between her lips to taste her for a moment before moving his lips across her cheek, down her neck. He wanted to kiss every inch of her warm, tanned skin. Wanted to forever ingrain the feel of it, the scent of it in his memory for when she wasn't with him. "Love you, Angel. So much," he told her, his words coming out slightly muffled against her shoulder.

She rubbed her hands over the short hair on his head. A soft moan escaped her lips as he sunk his teeth into her shoulder, just gentle enough not to leave a mark. He knew he couldn't mark her now. It'd blow his cover completely. Blow hers too. How could she lie and say she didn't know where he was when she had fresh marks all over her that said otherwise? The guys who knew her knew better than to think she was cheating on him. Angela was just as loyal as Happy. It was in her genes.

Angela didn't have the same concerns, he realized when she sunk her teeth into his neck. He groaned at the feel of it, fire racing through his veins as she lathed her tongue over it to soothe the angry red marks her teeth had left behind. "Somethin' to remember me by," she explained with a wicked grin.

Juice gently tugged on her hair so their eyes could meet. "Baby, how could I ever forget you? You're all I fuckin' think about," he told her, putting a halt to their little make out session. He had to get it all out while he still could, while he still had time. "I want to give you the world, Angel. You 'n' Monk. And if somethin' happens to me, I want you to…"

She shut him up with a quick kiss. "Shut up," she ordered, a dark, almost angry look in her eyes as she framed his face with her hands. "Just shut up. You do not get to say goodbye right now. Right now, you have to make me one of your world famous omelets that I've been craving for days. Need to actually eat lunch on my lunch break."

Juice laughed as she slid off of him, enjoying the view of her round ass as she stood, stretching her arms over her head with a soft moan that had him getting hard all over again. "Come back to bed, baby. C'mon…" he tried, attempting to entice her.

"Food first!" she exclaimed, going over to his pack and grabbing out one of his wife beaters. She smirked when she saw two of her brightly colored panties mingled in with his dark clothes. "Oh look! Clean underwear. Thank God!"

He watched her slide them on before pulling the beater on over her head. Every little move she made was sexy as hell to him and not at all helpful in getting him out of bed. "You're killin' me smalls," he said on a groan.

She laughed, shaking her head at him. "C'mon, Juice," she said, grabbing his hand and tugging on it. "Your wife is hungry and misses your healthy omelets that you somehow make edible. I know you have the stuff, I saw Bones buy it at the store!"

Juice got out of bed with a grunt, pulling on another pair of basketball shorts before following after her. "That how you knew where I was?" he asked as he entered the kitchen. He toed her jeans out of the way as he pulled out a pan from one of the cupboards.

"Mm-hmm," she answered, pushing herself up onto the counter beside the stove. "He said he wanted to get buff like you and then proceeded to tell me he's planning to put the protein powder in milkshakes which meant he hadn't done his research and that kid does his damn research when he wants to do something. Shoulda heard him the first time he wanted to reconstruct someone's face. He had hours of material to go through. Think he even made a powerpoint."

He laughed, shaking his head at the idea as he grabbed eggs out of the fridge. "Nerd," he muttered, stirring the eggs in the pan a little distracted by Angela's long, tan legs as she kicked her heel against the cupboards below her. The bite mark he'd left on the top of her thigh was starting to darken. He secretly hoped it would stay there for a long time so she wouldn't forget him. He looked up at her smiling face, leaning over to catch her lips in a quick kiss. This was what he wanted in life. To be at perfect peace with his wife. The only things missing were his daughter and his dog.

Then her phone went off, breaking what was a perfect moment. She sighed softly, slipping off the counter and grabbing her jeans off of the kitchen floor to get her phone. "Bones," she explained before putting the phone to her ear.

Angela turned away from him, running her hands through her hair as she talked to him. She was too far away, he decided so he turned off the stove and walked up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and nuzzling his nose against her shoulder and kissing the wing of the tattoo there. He didn't know when he'd get to see her again, and he wanted to be as close to her as possible while he could be.

She leaned back into him, one of her hands covering his. He moved his hands on top of hers, playing with her engagement ring. "Boner, calm down…He's _there_?...And you're sure its him?...Fuck me," she said, suddenly tensing. "No, I'm not…I'm not in the work room. I'm…fuck, just…stall him. I'll be right there."

Juice sighed when she hung up the phone, kissing her shoulder again. "What's going on?"

He felt her take in a deep breath and let it out before clearing her throat. "It's Jax. He's…he's looking for me," she told him, her voice shaking. "_Fuck_ him, though. I hate that asshole. He's…he's the reason for all this stupid shit. If he wants to talk to me, he can-"

"You gotta go," he interrupted sadly. Angela sighed, turning around in his arms to look up at him. He could see the anger practically glowing in her dark eyes and knew it wasn't going to be easy for her to just leave; he had to give her a good reason to go. "He'll get suspicious, baby. You can't…you can't keep him waiting. 'specially if he has someone sitting on you. He'll know something's up if you just…disappeared."

She leaned her head forward, pressing her forehead to his collarbone. "I don't want to go."

"You can always come back," he assured her, knowing it was a lie the moment he said it. If Jax felt for even a minute that she'd gotten away; her security detail was going to increase. Whatever shitty prospect they had on her would be replaced with one of the bigger, smarter guys. Someone like Quinn that wouldn't let her out of his sight for a minute.

"Don't lie. You know it won't be easy to get away again," she replied, her voice soft and sad. She lifted her head to meet his eyes. "When does this end? When do we get out?"

"Give it time, Angel. We'll get our window," he promised her, kissing her lips quickly. "We'll be together again soon, okay? For real this time. But you gotta go now. You can't stay here. They'll come looking for you. Its already been too long."

Angela sniffled a bit, nodding her head slowly. "Yeah," she agreed, pulling away from him and going to get her clothes. He watched her wriggle into her jeans, then tug his tank off, tossing it at him before putting on her bra. She reached for her plaid button up shirt, running her fingers over the side that was supposed to have buttons on it and laughing lightly. "You ripped all the buttons off, goof."

He smiled despite the situation and shrugged, throwing his tank back at her. "Guess you'll have to wear this," he told her, liking the idea of her taking something of his with her.

"Guess so," she said, putting it back on before putting the plaid shirt on over it and pulling her hair out of the collar. She took in a deep breath as she looked at him, letting it out slowly. "So I guess I'll…see you later?"

Juice sighed and nodded slowly. "It's going to be okay, Angel."

She nodded too, a tear slipping down her cheek. She swiped it away quickly with a bashful smile. "Sorry," she apologized, shifting a bit. He moved closer to her, kissing her cheek softly while her hands rested on his chest. "Say it again."

He moved his mouth to her ear. "We're going to be okay," he whispered, kissing her neck. "I need you to stay strong for me, Angel. Don't lose hope. _Please._"

Angela clung tighter to him for a moment then letting go. "Okay. I got this," she said with a determination in her voice that hadn't been there before. She pressed her lips to his in a long, slow kiss. "I love you. We're going to make it through this."

Juice moved a stray hair behind her ear. "You know we will." She went to move away, and he pulled her in again; he couldn't help himself. "_Un beso mas_." (_One more kiss.)_

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Spanish?"

"Gotta do somethin' while I'm stuck here," he said on a shrug. Her responding smile made his heart ache. He tried his best to commit it to memory.

"_Te amo, _Juan Carlos," she said, kissing him again. "I gotta go." (_I love you_)

"You too, baby." He nodded, slapping her ass as he walked her to the door. She threw him a smile over her shoulder, and he shot out a hand to grab her wrist, pulling her back in with a growl. She giggled as he kissed her again, grabbing a handful of her ass and squeezing.

"_Juice_!" she squealed, pushing him away. "I have to go!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry. Go. Kiss Monk for me, all right? Tell her Daddy loves her."

Angela nodded, blowing him a kiss as she got in the funeral home's van. He watched the car pull away, staring as the gates closed behind her. Watching her leave like that felt like a shot to the heart. He'd gotten a taste of the normal, happy life he so craved and having it ripped away from him left him feeling like a piece of him was missing. He had to do something to fix it. Had to reach out to the club and see if there was anything he could do. He needed to get back to his family as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>Kenny walked into the office to find Jax sitting in the guest chair playing idly with his burner. He was flipping it open and back closed, an impatient look on his face. Sucking in a deep breath, the youngest Winston plastered on smile and cleared his throat to catch the other man's attention. "Hey Jax," he greeted, trying his best to sound neutral, like he didn't hate the man's guts.<p>

Jax sat up slightly, a sad smile crossing his face. "Kenny Winston," he greeted, standing and holding out a hand to him. "Nice to see you, kid."

He shook the Jax's hand, cringing slightly when he pulled him in for a hug. "Yeah, uh…good to see you too. What are you…what are you doing here?" he stammered, feeling like an idiot for being so intimidated by him.

"Waitin' on Ang," he answered, sitting down again. "You workin' here now?"

Kenny shifted awkwardly as he nodded. "Yeah."

"You know where she's at?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Workin'. She locked the workroom door 'n' turned up the music, so she can't hear us knockin' on it. Bones is lookin' for the key," he lied with ease. She'd done all of those things, sure, but Bones had they key. The only problem was that when they opened it, she wasn't there. He had a really good feeling he knew exactly where she was though. "Someone else die?"

"No. Just wanted to…thank her for what she did for Tara," Jax answered on a languid shrug.

Something about his tone told Ken that SAMCRO president was lying too. "I can tell her for you. You don't need to stay," he offered.

Jax shrugged again. "Somethin' I should say in person," he said as an excuse. "It always take so long to get her outta there?"

"Well…yeah. She kinda zones out when she's working. Doesn't notice anything else going on."

"Sounds like her husband."

Kenny laughed awkwardly, running a hand over his hair. "Ha. Yeah."

"Things with Lyla goin' all right? She takin' care of you and El?"

He bit his tongue to keep from asking why he was suddenly taking an interest in them. If he cared so much, he'd have asked Lyla. Then he would've found out that both of them spent more time at Angela's house than at hers. Not that Lyla minded much. Piper was easier to deal with; guy spent most of his time on the computer playing World of Warcraft. It was a good setup for everyone involved. He nodded slowly. "She's fine."

"Anyone ever tell you how much you look like Ope?" Jax asked with a small smile. "Sound like 'im too. One word answers 'n' shit."

Again, Kenny fought the urge to spit out more hate. Who could possibly tell him he looked like his father? Angela didn't know his old man well enough to comment, his mother was dead, his grandpa was dead, and the only other people who knew his dad well largely ignored him. "That a good thing?"

He nodded solemnly. "Your old man was the best man I've ever known," he told him. "You thinking of prospectin' soon? Club could use some of the Winston smarts 'round the table."

"I'm _fourteen_," he reminded Jax with a shake of his head, "and not interested."

Jax leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees. "Club's in your blood, Ken. Your grandfather was a founding member."

Kenny's jaw ticked angrily, and he closed his hands into tight fists, counting to ten like Angela had told him to do whenever he got angry. "Whatever," he muttered, taking out his phone and checking his texts. Bones had sent him message after message about stalling because he definitely couldn't find Angela. He texted him back quickly: _She's wit him_.

Bones response was quick: _We're screwed._

"You ever think of callin' her?" Jax asked, interrupting what he was doing.

"Her phones upstairs. She leaves it there when she's working," he lied again. "No distractions."

Jax nodded slowly. "She ain't worried her old man's gonna call?"

"Guess not," he answered on a sigh. "She doesn't know where he is. None of us do."

He shifted in his chair a bit, his blue eyes revealing his doubt. "Sure she doesn't. Where's baby Ortiz?"

Kenny had a bad feeling in his gut at Jax's question about Evie. He had a feeling the question had nothing to do with Jax worrying about the baby and more to do with him making sure Evie was nearby. That Angela hadn't taken her and split. "Evie's upstairs with El."

"Must be gettin' big."

"Yup."

"Big enough to travel now, huh?"

Kenny's hazel eyes met Jax's blue ones, his eyes a little wide as he processed the meaning behind that question. "Oh. Um. I don't know. Farthest Ang takes her is to her Mom's place in Bakersfield."

He rubbed at his beard as if in deep thought. His burner went off, and he stood walking out of the office as he went to answer it. Kenny tapped his fingers nervously on the table. After a minute or two, Jax walked back in. "Gotta go. Tell Ang I'll see her later," he ordered, shoving his phone in his pocket.

He followed after him slowly more to make sure he really left than to be polite. "Yeah," he replied, on a nod. A van pulled in through the front gates, and he watched with dread as he recognized who was behind the wheel. He approached Jax's bike fast, trying to hold his attention so he didn't see. "Hey Jax! What kind of bike is this? Is it the same as my dad's?"

Jax's brows furrowed in confusion, clearly caught off guard by his sudden barrage of questions. "Uh. It's a Dyna Super Glide. Your dad's was a few years older than mine but same make."

"Oh cool. I uh…was thinkin' of learning how to ride," he commented honestly, scratching at the back of his neck. It wasn't a lie. He really did want to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Just not from Jax.

Jax smirked at him as he put on his helmet. "Maybe those SAMCRO genes are in ya after all, Ken. I'll teach you how some time."

Ken managed to smile at him as he nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks, Jax."

The President nodded before starting up the Harley and riding away. Kenny watched him leave, breathing a sigh of relief and praying like hell that Jax hadn't seen Angela come in. It would totally blow her cover. He headed back inside slowly, practically running into Angela.

"Is he gone?" she asked, her eyes wild.

He nodded, looking her up and down for a brief moment. He noticed a small mark on her neck and was even gladder that Jax hadn't seen her. Clearly, she'd somehow managed to find Juice. He was kind of happy they'd been able to see each other though; she'd needed it. Looking at her now, she looked stronger, a little more relaxed than she had earlier. "Said he'll see you later."

She raked her hands through her hair, letting out a long sigh. "_Fuck_."

"What does he want, Ang?"

"The same thing they all want, Kendo," she answered softly, reaching out to muss his hair.

Kenny sighed softly. "You found him didn't you?"

Angela nodded, toying with the hem of Juice's wifebeater. "Took me awhile to connect the dots, but I just had this…this feeling that he was close. I couldn't shake it," she admitted, shaking her head. "I kept telling myself that he'd gone but it just…it didn't feel like something he would do, y'know?"

"He left too easily."

She smiled a little and nodded. "Wasn't like him."

He dug his hands in his pockets, looking over at her for a moment. They were the same height now, but he was growing more and more every day. "Jax said I reminded him of my dad. Asked when I was going to prospect. I wanted to tell him about you adopting me 'n' shit, but I…I didn't think that would help your case," he mumbled, toeing at the grand. "Don't know if I want to be like my dad."

"You do," she replied, setting her hand on his shoulder. "I didn't know your dad well, but I know he was a good guy. Everyone said so. You could feel it when you stood next to him, this calm, quiet strength. You exude it, Ken."

He smiled bashfully, looking away. "When we get away, you think…you think Juice'll teach me how to ride a motorcycle?"

Angela gave him a warm smile. "I think he'd love that," she replied, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Kenny's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, surprised to see the unknown caller ID. "Yeah?" he answered, earning him a scowl from Angela.

Juice's voice came on the other line. "Need you to do me a favor," he stated, a desperate tone to his voice. "Mama Bear can't know about it."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah! Reunited! :) There are a few small hints in this chapter about what's to come... ;)<strong>

**The Snow Patrol song she's talking about is "Chasing Cars", and it never fails to get stuck in my head. :p**

****ALSO!** If ya'll are interested, I'll be posting an "extended" smut filled version of this chapter that the lovely _KupKakes09_ co-wrote with me on my other story either later today if I have the time or tomorrow so keep an eye out! :) Also, you should check out her stories. They're awesome! :)**

**As always, let me know what you think!**

**~Love Ink**


	112. A Flicker of Hope

**Thank you, thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! You all rock my socks! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Guest 1, Guest 2 _**_(Good luck on your English exam! Hope it goes/went well!), **Mary, Storylover00, and stordec23!**_

**Huge thanks to the lovely _lizmynameis_ for being my sounding board! If you haven't read her stories yet, you should go do that. Now!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Evie!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 112: A Flicker of Hope_

_By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the ugly green house in front of her, holding Evie close to her chest. Her stomach was churning with indecision as she shifted from foot to foot. She had a busy day ahead of her, chock full of funerals and appointments. Bones was busy, Kenny said he had plans with some new friends, and Ellie had work. Her mother had been overjoyed when she'd called, something that worried her just a little bit. Evie let out a loud fart making her mother laugh. "I know exactly how you feel, Eves," she said with a grin. "This is real shitty, but I don't have a choice. Wasn't about to leave you with Gemma."

She pressed a kiss to Evie's head, laughing as Evie tugged on the necklace around her neck, a huge smile on her small face. Juice's smile. "You think you could be quiet during a funeral? Because smilin' at me like that makes it really hard to leave you, Monk," she told her daughter, only half joking.

"Angie Ruiz as I live and breathe!" a French accented voice said from behind her.

She turned around and grinned as Vivica came up the walk flanked by her two huge sons, a huge basket of tomatoes in her arms. Angela had always admired and secretly feared Ms. Vivica. She was a strong woman, known for selling electronics and other things that had "fallen off the back of a truck". What most people didn't know is that along with growing some awesome tomatoes, Viv grew some killer marijuana too. Juice was obsessed with her shit. Paid top dollar every time they came to visit, even bought some stuff to sell out of Clear Passages. Vivica adored him. "Hey Ms. Viv. Boys."

"Look at this little one!" she exclaimed, touching Evie's head lovingly. "She is so cute! Looks just like you and Mohawk Man! Congratulations!"

She smiled a bit, holding Evie a little closer at the mention of her husband. "Thanks."

" 'ow is your man? 'appy to be blessed with two beautiful girls, no?" Vivica asked, setting her hand on Angela's cheek.

Angela sighed softly, shrugging a shoulder. "He's…lots of shit is going on with that whole club and stuff. He's busy a lot."

Vivica frowned, shaking her head as she clucked her tongue at her. "That's no good. You two are young! You need to make more of these babies!"

She laughed incredulously. "Let me deal with this one first, Ms. V. Then we'll see."

"All righ'," she conceded with a nod. She held out the basket to her. "Here, tomatoes for your Aunt. I'll let you two go in there. I know the two of 'em will want to spend all the time they can with their babies. You let me know if you need anything, Angie."

Angela's smile widened as she balanced Evie to take the bag of tomatoes from the older woman. "Actually…" she started, glancing over to where Luther and Vandross were standing at attention. They were Viv's soldiers. Always ready to protect their mother. "Eves is staying over here for the day so I can work. I uh…her dad's in some deep shit, and I'm worried it'll…"

"Overflow to your family. I'll have my boys keep an eye out, '_chere_," she promised, kissing her cheek lovingly. "Vandross! I want you and Luther scoping Lena's house every half hour. Undastand?"

"Yes, Mama," both boys answered in unison.

A wave of relief flooded through Angela. She wasn't worried about her daughter by any means, but it made her less anxious about leaving Evie behind knowing people that weren't affiliated with the club were keeping an eye out. Luther and Vandross might be Mama's boys, but they were also cold, hard killers. And they weren't the only members of Viv's crew either. She had a group of men at her disposal, ready to do what she said, when she said it. If she told them to protect Evie, then that's exactly what they would do. "_Merci_," she thanked Vivica with an appreciative smile.

"Don't butter me up with French, _'chere_. I already said I'd do it," Vivica stated, waving away her thanks. "You have a good day. Work hard and don't worry about the _bebe_. She'll be fine with her grandmas and her Aunt Viv."

* * *

><p>Juice felt dread fill him when he pulled up to the little cop-stop diner and saw Angela's Mazda sitting in the parking lot. He knew Kenny and Angela were close, but he thought he made it clear that she should not be involved in this whole endeavor. He walked in to find Kenny sitting at one of the tables with a cup of coffee in front him. He didn't look nervous. In fact, he looked a lot like Opie as he sat there playing aimlessly with a butter knife. He even had the black beanie on his head just like his Old Man. Juice knew that beanie got passed back and forth between Kenny and Ellie. When one wasn't wearing it, the other usually was. The sight of Kenny in that beanie made Juice miss the old days. Days before all the shit went down. When the club was still intact, when his family was still whole.<p>

Kenny greeted him with an up nod. "Sup, Juice?" he asked, his hazel eyes betraying the nervousness that his body language did not.

"Hey Ken. Angel here?"

"No. You told me not to tell her," he replied, a confused look on his face. "Was I supposed to…"

Juice shook his head rapidly. "No. No. You did good! I just…the Mazda's here…"

Kenny scratched at his head under his beanie. "Uh…I kinda…stole it."

"You _stole_ her car?" he repeated incredulously. The kid had a lot of nerve pulling a stunt like that. "She loves that thing more than me!"

"Well, that's not true," he muttered, scowling slightly. "I needed a ride 'n' she 'n' Bones are out on a body pickup with the van. How else was I supposed to get here?"

Juice chuckled, shaking his head at the balls on little Kenny Winston. "Do you even have a license?"

Kenny shrugged a shoulder. "Not yet, but I know how to drive. 's not hard. As long as I drive safely, I should be fine. Probably drive the Mazda slower than its ever been driven since she got it."

"Probably," he conceded with a nod.

He shifted a bit in his seat, rubbing his chin for a moment before asking, "You sure this is a good idea?"

"Need to know what I'm up against, Ken. Only way for me to figure out an exit strategy for us," Juice answered confidently.

"It could go badly. Like really, _really_ badly."

He sighed, knowing he was right. "I'm well protected, Ken. Nothing's gonna happen," he assured the young teen.

"I got a gun too, but still-"

"Woah, woah, woah, where'd you get the gun from? You shouldn't have a gun. Angel would kill me if she knew I let you out with a gun," he interrupted, doing his best to keep his voice at a low volume despite how irked he was.

Kenny shrugged again. "Grabbed Angela's spare outta the safe. I know how to use it. 'sides, what she doesn't know won't hurt her," he explained, playing it cool once again. Juice wondered where he'd hidden the gun and if it was the reason he was sitting up so straight. The young teen sighed and messed with his beanie again. "Should be here any time now. You should go sit over there. Let me prep him for this…thing."

Juice nodded, sliding out of the booth. He reached out and set a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "Thanks for doin' this, Ken."

"Just…" he hesitated for a second, sucking in a deep breath before continuing. "When you leave with Ang and Eve…promise me you'll take me too, okay? I don't…I don't want to lose my family again."

For a moment, Juice felt a lump rise to his throat. He knew exactly how Kenny was feeling. Knew what it was like to lose a family. He'd lost a few "families" in his lifetime. Now, he was working as hard as he could to keep his own family close. " 'course," he answered, tugging the kid's beanie down over his face. "Wasn't about to leave you behind, kid."

Kenny nodded, fighting against a smile as he righted his beanie. "Okay, okay. Go away."

Juice slid into a booth, careful to keep his back to the door, his hat tugged low over his face. He'd put his cut on but only to show that he still felt as if he was a part of that brotherhood. Maybe if Chibs saw him in the cut, he'd remember all the good stuff he'd done as a Son. The records he'd changed to get them out of jail, files he'd hacked to give them a heads up about the feds, the little things that the club used to depend on him for. The reason why he was given that cut and those patches in the first place. If Chibs could remember him as the intelligence officer he used to be, maybe he'd hear him out. He tugged on the leather collar of it, wincing a bit. The edge of the caller kept brushing up against the hickey that Angela had left behind, annoying him like no other. It was another reminder that his two worlds no longer worked well together. That the more he tried to make them fit, the more likely he was to get hurt.

He heard Chibs' sound of surprise when he finally spotted Kenny sitting there and buried his hands deep into the pockets of his sweatshirt, his adrenaline pumping while he listened for Kenny's cue. As soon as he got it, he got up and walked over to the table, taking a seat next to Kenny across from the Scot. His brother's dark eyes looked over him, the hatred in them surprised Juice just a little. He hadn't done anything to deserve that hate. Not a damn thing.

"Jesus Christ. You dumb bastard. Got a lot of nerve usin' Ope's kid to get to me," Chibs stated, venom dripping from his words.

"Only way I could get you to come alone. I need to talk to you," he explained, hating how desperate he sounded. Chibs was his last hope. His last way to get an easy, safe out for him and his family. The Scot was unsympathetic though. Told him he should've run when he had the chance. It was then he knew without a doubt that he was stuck. That his last sliver of hope was not going to prevail. He was going to have to fight to get his girls out of Charming."I got no place to run to. My _family_'s in Charming. I _need_ to get back to my girls."

Chibs didn't look happy, but he also wasn't pulling out his gun to shoot him. At least it seemed like he was going to hear him out. "What do you want?"

"Did the club vote for Mayhem or is Jax doin' this on his own? Is my family in danger?"

He scoffed softly. "That's none of your business."

Juice sat forward slightly, getting annoyed by Chibs' vague answers. He needed to know if his family was in danger; if Jax was going to go after them to get to him. "I need to know if there's something I can do to get back to my girls. I'll do anything, man. _Please._ Just let me get back to my family."

Chibs leaned forward, his voice deathly low as he replied, "If I were you, I'd take that gun, put it in my mouth and pull the trigger. Ain't no way you're _ever_ gettin' back to those girls."

Kenny stiffened beside him, his hand reaching behind him. Juice knew what he was going for and put a hand on his arm to stop him. This was between him and Chibs; he didn't need the teenager getting in on it too. His fate was officially sealed. He'd thought better of the Scot. Thought he'd understand since his own girls were taken away from him once before. He was wrong, though. Chibs would rather him dead than allow him and his family to escape to freedom, to the life they deserved. He'd been naive in thinking that he'd be different. That he'd go behind Jax's back to help him. Bobbing his head, he grabbed his keys out of his pocket. "You follow me out, I'll put a round in your tires," he threatened Chibs softly. "I'm sorry, brother. I never meant to hurt the club. I just want to get back to my girls, my family."

Chibs didn't say anything, wouldn't even look at him. He stared at his scarred face and realized that man sitting across from him wasn't his brother anymore. It was the man who'd beaten him within an inch of his life. Who'd hit him again and again without mercy. He'd taken it then. Taken every punch, every cruel word tossed his way because he felt he deserved it. This new isolation, the Mayhem vote, Jax going after him personally, were things he did not deserve. He knew it in his gut. Whatever old sins he had in the past, he had made up for them already. Jax had said so. When had Jax changed his mind? When had they all turned their backs on him?

He nodded his goodbye to Kenny before standing and walking quickly towards the door. He knew Chibs wouldn't follow him. Not with all the police that surrounded them and with Kenny sitting right there across from him. No, he'd tell Jax and find another way to get back at him. He just hoped it didn't affect his girls.

He jumped into Bones' parents' Escalade, starting it quickly and pulling out onto the main road. He made sure not to pass the windows on the side where Chibs and Kenny were sitting. Though there wasn't a single Son that knew how to run his plates—that had been his job-they could easily reach out to another crew who did have someone with the know-how, and that was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

Grabbing his burner, he dialed the ten digits he knew by heart. The phone was picked up quickly. "Angela Ortiz," came her tired voice, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe.

Sucking in a shaky breath, he let it out slowly. "Hey baby," he rasped around the lump in his throat. How could he tell her what he'd done? That his fate had been sealed. That he'd just put them in danger.

"Hello sir. What can I help you with?" Angela replied in her most formal voice.

He grimaced; she wasn't alone. He wondered which Son was there with her. "Are you at the funeral home?"

"Yes. We'll be here until six."

"Are you…are you alone?"

Angela sighed softly. "Hold on one minute, sir. Let me head inside," she told him. "Hey Quinn! I'm going to go work on something in the morgue, okay? Tell Bones to come down if he needs anything!"

Shit. She was with Quinn. That wasn't good. Jax wouldn't give up Quinn's muscle for him to guard just anybody. "Leave the side window open, baby. I'm comin' to you."

* * *

><p>Angela quickly locked the door to her workroom, drawing the shade, and sprinting across the concrete place to open up the window she'd just used to escape a few days before. She turned on her speakers, turning the volume up and turning it towards the door so that it was even louder if anyone tried to listen in.<p>

She heard the sound of boots hitting the concrete floor behind her and turned slowly. Juice straightened up from his crouch looking very pale despite his tan skin. His dark eyes were wide with fear, breathing hard as if he'd just run a mile. "Juice," she breathed, running to him. She threw her arms around his neck, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to-"

He pressed his forehead to hers, his arms slipping around her waist. "We gotta go, baby. I met with Chibs…"

Her eyes widened in shock, her heartbeat kicking up a notch. He'd met with Chibs! How could he be so stupid? What had he been thinking? "Juice…"

"He told me I was better off dead. That I would never…that I would never get back to you, Angel," he explained, his voice a low croak as he fought back tears. "I can't…we gotta go. _Now_."

A loud bang was heard in the funeral home before someone pounded on the door. The accented voice told her it was Chibs, and he sounded furious. "Shit," she cursed, looking desperately around the room. They were trapped. The only place Juice could hide was… "Get in the casket."

Juice looked at the black casket and then back at her. "What? Are you crazy?" he asked, not fighting against her as she pushed him towards it.

"No. Get in. He is going to find you here and kill you, Juice. Please," she begged. He nodded, kissing her once more before getting into the casket. He lay down, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Angela felt sick to her stomach because, for a moment, he looked as if he belonged there. As if she'd lost him already. She smacked, jolting his eyes open. "Don't _do _that!" she threatened quietly.

His eyes opened, and the smallest hint of a smile turned up the corners of his lips. Sitting up, he put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for another kiss. "'m sorry. 'm here. I love you, Angel," he murmured, his thumb swiping over her lower lip. "So much."

She nodded, taking a deep breath as Chibs' banging continued. "Love you," she whispered, closing the lid on him. She carefully lifted the end of the casket, sticking a piece of wood there to let some air in. Sucking in a deep breath, she made sure to calm herself before turning off the stereo and opening the door. "Hey Chibs," she greeted on a tired sigh.

"'ey there, Angie-girl," he replied, nodding to her. His dark eyes surveyed the room before looking back at her. "He here?"

"Who?"

"Ye know who I'm talking about."

Angela felt that overwhelming frustration that she'd been feeling for weeks now. "I'm going to tell you what I told the DA, what I told Roosevelt, and what I've told every fucking person who has come through that door to ask me that damn question. I. _Don't_. Know."

"Angie…"

"I don't know where he is!" she shouted, angrily. "And it_ kills_ me not to know! Every day I wake up with this empty feeling that doesn't go away! If I knew where he was, I wouldn't be here. I'dd be with him. I'd…I'd do _anything_ to get to him."

She felt tears slip down her cheeks and ducked her head to hide them. Honestly, she didn't know where that outburst had come from, but it seemed to be convincing since Chibs' look had softened a bit. He reached out a hand and hooked his fingers under her chin, lifting it so their eyes could meet. "He ain't comin' back, lovey," he said softly. "Saw him today, though."

Her breath caught in her throat. She'd already known that, but the surprise was real; she didn't think he'd tell her. "What?"

"Idiot used Kenny Winston to set up a meet," he explained, his hand dropping from her face and going into his pockets as if he knew he shouldn't be touching her.

Angela fought against the pride that was threatening to show on her face. That was her boy. Kenny Winston, always willing to help out his family. She'd wondered where he'd taken the Mazda. "Is he…how is he? Is he okay?" she asked, swallowing hard. "How'd he look?"

Chibs frowned, his dark eyes sad as he shook his head. "Not good, love. Misses his girls. Wants to get back to ya," he told her, regret in his voice. She gave him a hopeful look which he quickly shot down. "Ain't gonna happen, Angie-girl. He's done too much."

She shook her head. "Why? Why can't you just let him be? Let him come back, and we'll leave, Chibs. I swear it. We'll go…fuck, we'll go anywhere! You won't hear from us again. We just want to get out. Just want to get our daughter out of this...this _mess_. Please just let us go!"

"He had a chance to run. He didn't."

"Because of us!" she interjected loudly. "You and Jax have had me and Eves shadowed by a fucking Son every day since he left. He won't leave without us, Chibs. You've got to give him the chance to find us. For us to leave with him. _Please_."

Chibs shook his head again. "Can't. APB is going to go live. Juicey-boy's going to be wanted across the country. He's dangerous, love."

Angela felt helpless as she took a step away from him. She ran a hand through her hair, trying her bets to keep her frustration and anger at bay. She did not need to give Chibs' anger any more fuel. "Why are you even here, Chibs?"

" 'cause I thought you'd be his first stop. He left 'fore I could follow, but I thought for sure he'd come straight to his girls."

"Evie's in Bakersfield. You got someone goin' out there?" she asked sarcastically.

"Aye. Hap just went up to check in on the wee one. Make sure she's safe at her gram's."

"Make sure she's safe or make sure she's _there_?"

Chibs shrugged. "Bit of both. Can't have her goin' anywhere now can we?"

Fear gripped at Angela's heart. They were sending someone after her _kid_? True, it was just Happy but still…she didn't like that they were involving Evie. She was just a baby; she didn't deserve to be hounded. "Leave her out of this," she demanded, her hands closing into fists. "She _needs_ her dad, Chibs. Don't take him away from her. She deserves better than to grow up without him."

Chibs leaned in closer to her. "Then I suggest ye find a replacement. I love ye, Angie-girl. Club loves ye. We'll always be here for the two of yous. But Juicy's not long for this world. He contacts ye, ye best tell him that."

"No," she growled, narrowing her eyes at him. "He contacts me and my daughter and I are getting the fuck out of Charming and going wherever _he_ is."

The Scot's eyes darkened as he looked her over. "Ye should rethink that plan, love. 's only going to put the two of ye in danger."

"Is that a threat?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He gave her a half smile, shrugging his shoulders. "Is what it is. Ye have a nice day, love."

Angela watched him walk away, her hand curling around the trocar that was sitting on her instrument tray. The end was sharp as hell, and if she threw it with just the right amount of force, she could pierce that stupid Reaper on his back right through its smiling face. The door slammed closed behind him, and she dropped the trocar, practically running to lock the door. She leaned against it, closing her eyes as she waited for the sound of his motorcycle to start up. Once she heard him drive away, she flicked the stereo back on before opening the casket. "Juice?"

He sat up quickly, scrambling out of the coffin. Clearly, he didn't like being in there any more than she liked seeing him in there. "Holy shit, Angel," he breathed, his chest heaving up and down. "That was-"

She silenced him with a searing kiss, her hands fisted in the front of his hoodie, pulling him towards her. It didn't take him long to kiss her back, his hands tangling in her hair. She pulled down the zipper of his sweatshirt, pushing it off of his shoulders. And then stopped, jumping back as if she'd been burned. "The fuck?" she asked, her dark eyes glaring daggers at his cut.

"Angel…"

"Why are you wearing that?" she spat, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "After everything they've done, after what they're _doing_, how can you-"

Juice shook his head rapidly, cutting her off. "Needed it to talk to Chibs," he interjected, closing the distance between them with a kiss to her lips. "Soon as we're safe, its being burned. Promise. I'm done with it, Angel. Didn't do shit for me. Hasn't done shit for me in a long time. Just one more thing for you to take off, right?"

"That's what I always thought," she replied on a smirk. She let him pull her into his chest, sliding her arms around his back as she leaned into him. "What do we do now?"

He turned his head to kiss her temple, swaying a little to the music in the background. "Now, we figure out a way to get the fuck outta here," he said on a sigh.

"Get a hotel somewhere outta county," she told him, closing her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat. "Text Ken the address, and we'll find a way to get to you, baby. We'll figure this out. Bones 'n' Ken are apparently masterminds at this shit."

Juice chuckled at that, and she felt the vibration of it through her chest. "I love you," he murmured, kissing her temple. "We're going to make it, Angel. Promise."

She leaned into him, breathing in the scent of leather that still clung to his skin despite the absence of his cut. Leather, soap, and weed. That was Juice. "Mmmm," she hummed noncommittally. Getting away was getting harder and harder every day. "Juice-"

The door unlocked and both of them froze. Juice instinctively stepped in front of Angela, pushing her behind him as he went for his gun. Kenny opened the door, not even flinching at the gun that was pointed at him. "Just me," he said calmly.

"Shit, kid. Scared the crap outta us," Juice breathed, tucking his gun back into his pants.

"Sorry," he replied on a shrug. "Quinn is…hovering closer to the front door than normal. Think Chibs told him to come in. Scope the place. Can tell he doesn't want to though. Bones is chatting him up. Explaining who Gigantor is."

Angela laughed shakily, leaning her head forward so her forehead was between Juice's shoulder blades. "You should go," she said softly.

Juice turned around, taking her face in his hand and gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek. "Yeah, I know. Its temporary, okay? We're going to figure this out."

"Right, of course. We'll...we'll figure it out," she repeated, though she didn't really believe it. It was becoming too hard, too much. She felt like she was drowning with no way out. Trapped in a town where it felt like everyone was against her.

"Angel…" he said, worry creeping into his light brown eyes. "Don't do that. Don't go there. We're going to get out."

Angela shook her head slowly. "And what if we don't?"

"Don't do that. No 'what if's', remember?" he said determinedly. "That's what you always say."

She sucked in a breath and managed to give him a smile as she thought of all the times she'd reminded him of that. "Right. You're right."

He pulled her in close then, kissing her softly. "I love you, okay? Remember that."

Angela nodded, letting out a slow breath. She drew strength from his embrace, trying to absorb as much of it as she could to hold her until she saw him again. "Love you too."

"You should go," Kenny said, glancing at his phone as he shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Bones says he's running out of material and Quinn is getting impatient."

"Yeah, okay. Fine," she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. She pecked Juice's lips once more before nodding to the window. "Go."

Juice smirked back at her. "You gonna watch me shimmy out the window?"

"You know it," she said on a laugh.

He kissed her again before jogging over to the window and hopping up onto the counter. He nodded to her once before pulling himself out with a grace she didn't know he had. Kenny went over to the window, sliding something through it to Juice before closing it. He turned to Angela. "Go talk to Quinn. I'm gonna text Juice when we got him distracted so he can make a run for it."

"Thanks, kiddo. Love you," she told him. She started walking away before turning around to face him. "Don't think you're off the hook for stealing my car and gun, Mister. You 'n' me are going to have a nice chat about trust and stealing."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I did it for my family," he muttered, smiling when she pulled him into a side hug as they headed out of the morgue. "You woulda done the same thing."

She kissed his temple. "You're totally right, Kendo. Still gonna make you clean out the morgue disposal for that, though."

He stuck out his tongue. "Ugh. Gross."

* * *

><p>Angela got to her mom and aunt's house completely exhausted. As she walked in, the smell of food hit her hard. Her mouth watered as her stomach growled. "<em>Ropa vieja<em>," she murmured, walking into the kitchen. A plate filled with shredded steak over rice doused in tomato sauce was waiting for her on the countertop with a note that told her how long to put it in the microwave for. She stuck the plate in and went to the fridge, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw the Pacifico lined up neatly in the fridge. It was her and Hap's favorite beer. "Fuck yes," she whispered, popping the top before grabbing the small tupperware container filled with cut limes. She watched the numbers tick down on the microwave as she sipped on her beer, pulling open the door just before the timer went off. As soon as it was out, she grabbed a fork and dug in.

"Slow down, kid. No one's gonna take it away from you."

She tensed at the sound of Happy's voice but ignored him, continuing to eat like he wasn't even in the room. After their last conversation, she wasn't feeling too loving towards him.

"Chibs saw the idiot today," he baited, waiting for her to react. She didn't take the bait, just grabbed her beer and took another pull of it before putting more food in her mouth. He took a step closer to her, leaning against the kitchen counter. "You saw him too."

Angela jerked her head up, meeting his gaze for a moment and raising an eyebrow in question.

He reached out to touch the light mark on her neck. "Think I wouldn't see that?"

She looked away, back at her food, fighting the urge to take the plate and launch it at his face. The mark on her neck was barely noticeable to the naked eye. Throughout the day, she'd been able to cover it make up, but she'd spent the last few hours at work in the room with the ovens and it was hot as hell. She must've sweated off the concealer. Her fault for using the cheap shit.

"He's in deep shit, kid," he told her.

She snorted in reply, as if she needed the reminder. Grabbing her beer, she finished it off before setting the bottle down and walking away.

"Ang!" his voice called after her. "You gonna clean your shit?"

Angela answered him with a one fingered salute thrown over her shoulder. She trudged up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her and smiling at the little crib in the corner. It had been passed down through a few generations in dad's family. He, Chico, Hap, and she had all used it when they were babies. Evie was no exception. She peered over the edge of the crib, that familiar warm and fuzzy feeling taking over her heart at the sight of her baby girl asleep, that ugly bulldog Kozik had won for her tucked into the corner of the crib. She stretched out a hand and ran it over Evie's chubby cheek. "Hey Monk," she murmured. A part of her wanted to wake her up so she could hold her, but she knew better than to mess with Evie's sleep cycle like that; she'd be awake soon to eat anyway. "Hope you're having sweet dreams, baby girl."

She switched off the baby monitor before kicking off her work boots and going to her drawers to see if she could find something that fit her to sleep in. What she found there made her laugh. An old Mayan t-shirt that was Esai's and a pair of Happy's old basketball shorts that she'd stolen when he'd gone to county. Items from what felt like another lifetime. Smirking, she changed into them, knowing the dark green t-shirt was likely to piss off Happy the next morning.

With a sigh, she climbed into bed and stared up at the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, counting them like she used to the nights she actually slept there. Nights when Esai was away or when she'd come home from Tacoma for holidays. The number never changed, but she'd still count them, over and over again until they stopped glowing or she fell asleep. It was surprisingly easy to fall asleep, though. Her stomach was full and after a stressful day, she was exhausted. What she didn't expect was the nightmare that invaded her sleep.

She was walking right down the middle of the main highway that led out of Charming at night. Looking around, she noticed people lining the street. The first person she recognized was her father looking gaunt as he stood next to her Uncle Chico who was clutching his chest. "Papi? Cheeks?" she asked approaching them cautiously. They said nothing, just pointed farther down. Donna was next, the wound in her forehead open and bleeding, then bruised and beaten Luann, Half Sack with a bleeding abdomen, Piney with a gunshot wound to the chest, Opie with his bloody and bleeding head, all of the pointing down the road. She started walking faster, the 'Welcome to Charming' sign growing closer and closer as she passed by V-Lin and Phil, Greg the Peg, Gogo, Frankie, and Clay. Each one of them alive though the way they died was clear, their wounds still fresh.

Then came Esai, his blue eyes sad as he stepped forward. "We can't help him, _chiqui_. Just you."

Angela shook her head; she didn't want his help. She just wanted to get out, wanted to get free. She started running, running straight into Kozik. Her heart ached as she stared up at his familiar face. He hugged her as best he could with his one arm, kissing her forehead. "You gotta go. Run. Get out of here. It's not safe for you," he whispered urgently in her ear, pushing her towards the sign.

Angela hesitated, staring up at him while she tried to convey to him how much she loved him. How much she missed him. He pushed her harder though making her stumble a bit before she took off. Mel caught her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back as he tried to convince her that she'd be safe with him. "No! Let go!" she shouted, kicking him away before sprinting farther down.

She stopped short at Tara. Her bright hazel eyes were filled with tears as she shook her head. "I told you," the doctor said, her voice cracking. "I told you. She'll kill everything you love."

"What? Who?" she asked, but Tara had already disappeared.

"Angel." His voice caught her attention, and she looked up to find Juice waiting just beyond the city limit, arms outstretched, a huge smile on his face.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she walked towards him, he was safe. He was whole. As her foot crossed the city line, she spotted three figures standing behind him. Jax, Chibs, and Happy. All three had guns leveled at Juice's head. "No! Juice!" she screamed as the gun shots went off. "Juice!"

She held him in her arms, watching as blood slowly seeped through his shirt and onto her hands. There were only two wounds though. Looking up, she noticed Chibs' and Jax's guns were smoking while Happy had taken a step back, his gun lowered. She looked back down at Juice who was struggling to breathe. "Juice!" she cried, holding him close to her. "Don't go. Don't...don't leave me. We're almost out, baby. Almost out."

Jax took a step closer to her, his blue eyes glinting with malice as he leaned over to whisper, "He'll never get out alive."

"Kid! Wake up!" Happy's voice broke through as she was viciously shaken awake. "Angela!"

She jolted awake, breathing hard as she sat up. Happy was sitting on her bed, a concerned look on his face. "They killed him, Hap! They just killed him. I couldn't…we were almost out. We were almost safe, and they…" she trailed off, pressing her hand to her chest as she struggled to breathe. It was too much for her to take. Seeing all the people she'd lost, seeing the light leave Juice's eyes as she held him.

Happy moved in closer, putting his arms around her and letting her lean into him. "Breathe, kid. It ain't real. Just a dream," he assured her. Angela's shoulders shook as she cried into his chest, fisting a hand into the front of his wife beater and holding onto him for dear life. He ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it down like he had when she was younger and had a nightmare. "You're okay. Idiot's not dead."

The unspoken 'yet' hung in the air. She tensed, pulling away from him. "Did you vote Mayhem?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, his jaw clenched as if he was considering his answer carefully. "Can't vote 'til we can bring him to the table."

"That's bullshit, and you know it," she said on a scoff. She sniffled a bit, running a hand through her hair and letting it out. "Koz was in my dream. Told me its not safe for me here."

"It was a dream," he reminded her. "You think I'd let anythin' happen to you?"

Angela swallowed hard, feeling helpless. She wondered if he knew about Jax coming to visit, about her brief conversation with Chibs. Both were threats. Subtle, of course, but there. "I don't think you'd have a choice," she replied honestly. "The only way Jax will ever get to Juice is over my dead body."

Happy nodded, a flicker of pride in his eyes. "Made a promise a long time ago to keep you safe. Not backin' out of it now," he told her before kissing her forehead. He stood, squeezing her shoulder lovingly. "Change outta that shirt, kid. 's fuckin' ugly."

She stared at his back as he walked out of the room, trying to make sense of what he'd said. Was he implying that he was going to help Juice if it meant keeping her safe? A flicker of hope filled her as she realized that Happy was on her side. That he would not let any harm come to her or Evie. Maybe, just maybe, they'd make it out of Charming safe and sound.

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><p><strong>Lots of twists and turns in this chapter! If you don't remember Vivica, she and her sons are from Season 4, episode 3. ;)<strong>

**As always, let me know what you think! Love hearing from y'all!**

**~Love Ink**


	113. Help in Unexpected Places

**Sorry this took so long to get out! Work got in the way! :p **

**Thanks so everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Mary, Guest 1, Storylover00, SOABikerChick_**_ (Lots of stuff in the works! I can promise you there will be no jail, Tully, or pie for Juicy-boy!)__,_**_ and Guest 2! _**

**HUGE thanks to _lizmynameis_ for her constant help and advice! Also to _Kupkakes09_ for helping me find and write Venus' voice! Both of these lovely ladies have AMAZING Juice/OC stories that you should check out! Now! :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Evie!**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 113: Help in Unexpected Places_

_By Love Ink_

Juice paced the floor of the living room of Bones' house nervously. After his little talk with Chibs, staying within Charming lines put him on edge. Though he knew the ranch house had good security and no one knew he was there, he still jumped at every little noise. He'd heard a motorcycle go by and practically crapped his pants. He couldn't stay in Charming. He realized that now. He had to find a new place to hide out while Angela figured out how to get them all out. There just weren't any options. He didn't feel comfortable checking into some random hotel. He needed some place safer than that. Somewhere Angela would be able to get to him easily.

Then it hit him. It wasn't the smartest idea, but it'd put him close to his girls and out of Charming. He just hoped it worked. He grabbed his pack, pulling his hat low over his head. His hair was slowly starting to grow in, and he wasn't doing anything to stop it. He'd gotten the tattoos on his head to look tougher than he was, to fit in with SAMCRO. Now, he didn't feel they were necessary. He knew he was strong without them. He had Angela, he had Evie, he had a family to draw that strength from. He didn't need to look tough to fit in with them.

He picked up Evie's little monkey stuffed animal with its tiny blanket attached, bringing it to his nose to inhale the warm lavender scent that he would always associate with his daughter. He'd thought about giving it back to Angela when he'd last seen her, but he couldn't part with it. It was the only thing pushing him forward, a tangible item that reminded him what he was fighting for.

With the blanket safely tucked into his pocket, he got into the big black Escalade and started it up. He didn't play any music, just headed out of the gate with his mind on his daughter. "We're going to be okay, Monk. Promise you that," he said, his eyes glancing at the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following him. "This plan's going to work. It has to. We're meant to get out, I know we are. Your Mama's losing hope, but I'm not. I know we can do this. Angel will see. We're going to be a family. We're going to be happy. Its just going to take some work, that's all."

A sense of relief washed over him as he finally passed Charming town sign. If it weren't for the APB that was out on him, it would be easy for him to just keep going, to find that safe spot where he could wait for his girls. Now with the APB hanging over his shoulders, there was no place that was safe for him. Maybe Hawaii wasn't the best choice anymore. Mexico could work though. If they could find an easy way to get south of the border, they could set up in a nice little place in Puerto Vallarta or Cabo. He had more than enough money saved up for them to live large down there. Maybe get a beachside cabana or something. His Spanish was getting better, and Angela was pretty fluent so communicating wouldn't be too hard. It wasn't a great idea, but it wasn't terrible either.

"Mexico's not the safest place, but your Mama's got connections, Monk," he said, putting one hand in his pocket to touch the soft blanket there. "Alvarez will help us. He's got to. Angel always said she was a part of their family. Why wouldn't he help us? If he wants shit on the Sons, I'll give him somethin' old or wrong. Just skate by. 's not ratting if it won't hurt the club. If it'll save my family. Think even your Uncle Hap would agree with that. It's a risk, but its gotta be done. We gotta get out, Monk. That way we can be a real family, make you a sister or brother, get a real nice house with a pool 'n' shit. Yeah, that'd be good. Your Mama would like that."

He drove by the dark green house he'd grown so familiar with over the past couple of years, slowing at the sight of the new baby swing hanging from the tree in front. He bet Evie loved that thing. He drove down the block and up the street behind the green house. Parking the car a few blocks down, he tugged his cap down and walked up the street slowly, not worried about being found out there. Cops weren't an issue. They knew better than to drive down that block. He paused in front of the house with the gorgeous garden, the '#1 Mom' sign hanging crookedly over the door. Taking in a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

It opened slowly, a large man standing behind it, his light green eyes looking him over as he crossed his arms over his chest. Juice was familiar with the cold greeting, Luther always treated people who visited his mother like a bouncer would treat shady looking people trying to get into their club. "Can I help you?"

"Ms. Vivica around? Need to talk to her," Juice asked, shifting nervously. The longer he stayed out on the front steps, the bigger chance he had of getting caught.

"About what?"

Juice hesitated, looking over his shoulder when a car drove by. "I'm in some deep shit, Luther. Like, _really_ deep shit with the club."

Luther nodded slowly. "Your girl mentioned that. V 'n' I have been checkin' up on your other family. Making sure that baby stays safe."

Relief flooded through him upon hearing that. He couldn't thank Vivica and her family enough for looking after his girls. "Thank you," he said, hitching his backpack up on his shoulder a bit.

He nodded again before looking at one of his younger brothers over his shoulder. "Warwick, go ask Mama if we can let Mohawk man in."

Warwick ran inside only to re-appear a few seconds later. "Yeah, Mama says let him in."

Luther nodded, reaching out to shake Juice's hand and pull him into a half hug. "C'mon, she's in the garden," he said, showing him to the back where Vivica was kneeling by a garden plot. "Mama, Mohawk man is here."

Vivica lifted her head and gave Juice a toothy smile. "Alo, '_chere_. What brings you here?"

"Need some help, Ms. V. I'm in deep shit," he admitted, holding on tightly to his backpack strap and trying to look as calm as he could.

She stood, nodding to him and clapping a hand on his shoulder. "All right. Come, tell Ms. V everything."

And he did. He explained everything from what happened with Roosevelt to why Jax wanted him dead. He kept out everything about Darveny, knowing it wasn't needed; he was in enough shit without that little detail. After he was done, he let out a long breath, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "All I want is to get back to my girls, Ms. V. I don't wanna hurt the club or cause you any trouble, I just want to get outta here with my family all in one piece."

Vivica's dark eyes softened a bit as she nodded. "You can stay here, in our guest room, for now," she allowed with another nod. "I expect you to help with the chores. _Inside_ the house. 'Appy's always nosin' over the fence to see what we're growin'. Don't want him to find you out now, do we?"

"No, ma'am," Juice said with a relieved smile. "Thank you, Ms. V."

"Think nothing of it. Like I said, family is everything. I can see how much you want it. How much you love them. Who am I to get in the way of that?"

He sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "Thank you," he repeated. "You got no idea how much this means to me. I'm…I'll clean the whole house, Ms. V. I swear."

Vivica stood, patting his cheek. "I'm 'oldin' you to that, Mister Mohawk."

* * *

><p>Angela eyed Quinn warily on her way out of the funeral home, Evie held tightly in her arms. He'd just gotten there to relieve whatever idiot SAMTAC member they'd had following her around earlier that day. Something was off about the large former Nomad, though. She recognized the look on his face as carefully veiled worry. Her heart dropped in her chest. "What happened?"<p>

"Need you to get everyone outta the funeral home. Fast as you can. We're headin' to your place for the night," he ordered, nodding to the light that was coming from Bones' apartment.

She furrowed her brows together. "Why?" she asked, opening the back of the hatchback to let Rigor in. He jumped up and stretched out with a tired yawn.

"A grenade was just launched through the window of the shop. Worried they'll hit this place next."

Angela swallowed hard, immediately handing him her daughter. "Put her in the car. I'll go get the kids out," she instructed before practically running to the upstairs apartment. She threw open the door to find the boys deep into Halo. "We gotta go. Someone just tossed a grenade into Scoops 'n' Sweets. They're worried they'll come here next."

Kenny immediately got up to go grab his back pack, calm and cool as ever while Bones scrambled to his feet, his eyes huge behind his glasses. "A _grenade_? Like a real grenade? Seriously?" he exclaimed in incredulously.

She was surprised by his disbelief for a moment, then she realized that she shouldn't be; normal people weren't used to this kind of thing. Though she was proud of Kenny for keeping his head, she knew Bones' reaction was the normal one. That hearing a grenade had gone off somewhere remotely close should be shocking. "Yeah. Really. You two go grab Ellie and bring her back to my place. I'll meet you there. Let's go."

Angela waited until Bones had left in his Jetta before pulling out of the parking lot. She rolled down all of her windows as she drove, trying to relax as the cool air blew across her face. She'd give anything to have Juice riding shot gun at the moment, have his hand in hers as she drove to their spot. Letting out a long breath, she tried to distract herself from that thought. It wasn't going to help her to get all sad again. She let out a long breath and glanced up at the rearview at her daughter. Evie wasn't sleeping, she was staring wide eyed at the world around her, her Harley Davidson pacifier moving up and down as she sucked on it. She was completely unaware of the grenade that had gone off, unaware of the bomb she'd survived. Totally naïve amidst the chaos that colored her life. She was just a happy baby.

How would her life continue if she kept her in Charming? Would she grow jaded like Kenny who hadn't even questioned the fact that a grenade was thrown into the shop? Angela didn't want that. Not for her girl. No, she wanted her to grow up blissfully unaware of that kind of violence. She wanted her to react like Bones did at the mention of grenades and bombs and guns. Despite the many times they'd practiced, Bones was still uncomfortable holding and shooting a gun while the Winston kids both handled them as if it were no big deal. As if they were born to use them. Angela didn't want that life for her daughter. Sure, she would teach Evie to shoot and to protect herself, but she didn't want her daughter to ever have to even think of using those skills in a real life scenario.

Before she'd left her mother's house that morning, her mother had mentioned leaving Evie there to keep her safe. Angela had freaked out about it, called her mom selfish and accused her of wanting to steal her daughter away for herself. It was a rash reaction to be sure, but she'd already had her husband ripped away from her, she couldn't bear to be separated from her daughter too. But now, she was starting to see that her mother might just be right about taking Evie out of Charming just for a little while especially since an attack on the makeshift clubhouse would inevitably mean a club lockdown. A lockdown she was sure Hap would force her to take part in, and she definitely wasn't going to put Evie through that again. Not after the explosive way the last lockdown had ended. She could deal with being away from her daughter if it kept her away from SAMCRO, if it kept her out of danger. "_Abuela_ Graci and _Nana_ Lena are goin' to be so fuckin' happy, Eves. Get you all to themselves for a couple days," she told her baby girl, trying to make light of her decision. "No way is Mama letting you anywhere near a SAMCRO lockdown again. Just temporary, though, Monk. You're definitely not going to stay there. Mama wants you with her as soon as its safe, okay? I love you so much."

Her stomach churned in her chest once she rounded the corner and saw their little house in the distance. She'd once loved driving home. Loved the excitement that came when she spotted Juice's Dyna sitting in the driveway. Now, she dreaded it. It had become a prison, complete with its own guard. She pulled to a stop in front of it, frowning when she saw that all of the lights were on. That was odd. She usually turned them all off before she left.

"Tig's there with his...special friend," Quinn explained as he walked up the drive. His bike stayed parked at the end of it, blocking her car. "He caught a bullet earlier 'n' needs a place to rest. Gemma's got a full house, so we brought him here."

Angela grit her teeth together. Not only was she a prisoner in her own house, but apparently, it was also being used as a care unit without her permission. "You didn't think to ask me first?"

Quinn shrugged a shoulder as he let Rigor out of the back. "Was Hap's idea. Gave us the key 'n' everything."

Angela sighed, lifting Evie out of her carseat and grabbing her diaper bag. " 'course he did," she muttered, walking towards the front door. "Better not be bleeding all over my furniture."

"Nah, we got towels 'n' shit," he said, patting Rigor's side affectionately while he waited for her to open the door.

With another heavy sigh, she opened the door and frowned at the sight of Tig stretched out across the couch. Rigor immediately ran to him, going to lick his face. "Hey doll," he greeted Angela, his ringed hand stroking through Rigor's fur. "Sorry 'bout this. Figured it was the safest place."

"No worries," Angela replied on a sigh. Honestly, if they'd have asked her, she would've been okay with Tig staying the night. She liked Tig. He had a good heart. And he was one of the only members that had yet to ask her about Juice.

"Alexander, baby, I got you some water. I want you to drink it _all_. Do not want you gettin' dehydrated on my watch," a woman said as she walked in from the kitchen.

Tig sat up with a grunt, taking the glass from the woman's hands. "Thanks, sweetheart," he said with a sigh. "Angela, this is Venus. Venus, this is Angela."

Venus held out one well-manicured hand. "It's so very nice to meet you, Angela. Alexander here has told me all about you and the kindness you've shown him in the past."

Angela smiled a bit. "Nice to meet you too, Venus," she replied, shaking her hand.

"And who, may I ask, is this precious little angel?" she asked, stroking a hand over Evie's soft hair.

Evie looked up at Venus with her big dark eyes, her hand clutching tightly to the crow skull that hung around Angela's neck. Angela smiled down at her daughter. "Evangeline," she answered, feeling weird saying her full name since she used it so rarely. "Evie for short."

"Aren't you just precious?" Venus asked Evie, stroking a finger of Evie's chubby cheek.

The baby girl squirmed in her mother's arms, snuggling her face closer into Angela's neck. Despite being constantly surrounded by people, Evie was a little wary of strangers. "Thank you," Angela replied, rocking back and forth to make Evie stop squirming. She knew she was tired, that she'd fall asleep at any moment. "How you doin' Tiggy?"

Tig gave her a weak smile. "Been better, doll," he answered, his blue eyes landing on Venus. "Got an angel of my own to take care of me."

Angela glanced over at Venus with an eyebrow raised but didn't comment anymore on the matter. "I got the Winstons and my apprentice comin' over in a minute. You want to claim the futon in Evie's room before they get here? I've got air mattresses and stuff for them, but I don't think it'll be too comfortable for you, old man."

"Futon sounds nice," he said, sitting up with a grunt. Venus was at his side in a hurry, helping him stand. "Where's baby doll gonna sleep?"

"With me," Angela replied, showing them the way to the baby room.

Tig laid down on the futon with a grunt, stretching out a hand to Venus. She sat down at the edge of the futon, talking to him in that low, loving tone that made Angela yearn Juice. The strength of that emotion hit her like a freight train, and she had to excuse herself before she ended up in a crying mess on the middle of the floor.

She pressed her lips to Evie's head as she headed to the bedroom, rocking the baby slowly so as to help her fall asleep. Evie's little pop up crib had been set up in their bedroom since Juice had left. She was too afraid to let her actually sleep in the bed with her, but she didn't want her baby girl to be any farther away from her than she had to be. "Time for bed, Monk," she murmured, kissing her again before laying her down in the crib. "Love you, baby girl."

She grabbed the baby monitor and turned it on, putting it in the little pocket of the crib. With a heavy heart, she sat down on her bed, staring at her daughter. How could she just leave Evie with her mother? What kind of mother did that make her? Abandoning her child like that? On the other hand, what kind of mother let their child live in a place where bombs and grenades were going off on a monthly basis?

Sighing, she raked a hand through her hair. "I need a drink," she muttered, standing and heading to the kitchen. She opened the cabinets, rooting through them for a bottle of tequila. It'd been awhile since she'd last drank anything harder than beer, but tonight, she needed something stronger.

She frowned when all she came up with was a dusty bottle of wine that Chloe had left behind after one of their girl's nights. "You'll have to do," she muttered, studying the top. It was a twist off. Chloe was just as cheap as Happy sometimes. Twisting it off, she grabbed both glasses and headed back to Evie's room.

Venus was perched on the edge of the futon next to Tig, her fingers running through his hair as she murmured things to him. "He's sleeping now. Poor little lamb," she told her as she rose from the bed.

Angela wasn't surprised Venus had known she was standing there; she seemed to be very aware of her surroundings. She was willing to bet Venus didn't get caught off guard much. "Good," she said on a nod. "I've got two glasses and a really cheap bottle of wine, if you're in the mood."

"Oh God bless you, baby. You really are an angel, you know that? After a night like this, a glass of wine sounds like perfection," she replied with a grateful smile, following Angela to the living room. "May I ask which of those ruggedly handsome ruffians belong to you?"

She handed her a glass of wine before taking a long sip of her own. "Hap is my cousin," she stated simply. Juice wasn't a part of them any more. Jax had cast him aside like a used tissue, ready to throw him away after he'd served his purpose.

"Mean looking? Deep, knee-weakening voice? Big ole snake on his head?"

Angela nodded, running her finger over the rim of her glass. "That's the one."

Venus' hazel eyes studied her for a moment as she took a sip of wine. "And which one is that sweet baby girl's father?" she asked. At Angela's surprised look, she smiled. "Sugar, I know your house isn't covered in Harley stuff because its your style. You got a huge rock on your finger with a nice tattoo right above it. You're somebody's girl. Just curious as to whose."

She was wrong about the Harley stuff. Angela had grown up surrounded by Harley Davidson gear and accessories. She loved the logo and had no problem decorating her house with it. It was one of the few things she and Juice agreed on decorating-wise. "Juice," she answered softly, a sad smile on her face as she thought of her husband. "Mohawk, tattoos."

"Big smile?"

"Huge," Angela answered on a nod. "My daughter has the same one."

"Now that smile will get her in heaps of trouble if I remember it correctly," Venus said on a laugh.

She laughed along with her. "Oh, I know," she said, smiling genuinely for what felt like days. "He's already worried about that, I think."

"And where is this handsome young man at the moment? I find it hard to believe he would let two beautiful girls such as yourselves out of his sight for too long."

Angela looked down at wine in the glass for a moment before clearing her throat. "He's uh…he's not in good standing with the club right now. It's not safe for him to be here, so he's…away."

"Oh sweetheart," Venus clucked, rubbing a hand over her shoulder. "I'm so very sorry to hear that."

"Thanks," she said, sniffling slightly.

Her brow furrowed in concern. "What's a matter, baby?" she asked, reaching out to brush a stray hair away from Angela's face. When she hesitated in answering, Venus smile. "You can tell me, angel baby. I won't tell a soul, I promise. Just let it all out, sweet girl. Venus is here for you."

She wiped at her eyes and let out a long breath. It'd been a long time since she'd been able to talk to someone truthfully. She kept things from her mom and aunt out of fear of worrying them, Kenny, El, and Bones were too young to understand, and she didn't trust Chloe or Happy like she used to any more. But here was this woman, asking her to tell her how she felt with no judgement in her eyes, no ulterior motive. She couldn't stop herself from complying. "I'm just…scared for Evie, y'know? She's so little, and she's already survived one bombing. Then a grenade goes off 'n' I'm starting to think…"

"That its unsafe here for your baby?" she filled in.

Angela swallowed hard as she nodded. "Yeah," she breathed, wiping at her eyes. "My mom…she offered to take her for awhile. She's far from Charming and well protected. But I…what kind of mother abandons her child?"

Venus wiped a stray tear from her face. "The kind that loves their child very, very much," she murmured. "It takes an awfully strong, selfless mother to realize their child is unsafe and then let them go."

"I don't know if I can do it, Venus," she admitted softly as she looked down at her hands. "I already lost him, I can't…I don't want to lose her too."

"She's not going anywhere, sweetheart," Venus assured her, stroking a hand over Angela's hair in a motherly fashion. "I assume your mother's not some…crazy woman? That she truly loves your little girl?"

Angela smirked, wiping at her face. "God, yes. She's going to spoil her rotten," she replied on a sad laugh. "Her and my aunt. They love her. So much. I just…"

"Don't want to let her go. I know the feeling, angel baby," she confided, putting her arm around Angela's shoulders and pulling her closer. "I'm afraid I've had to let my own dear, sweet baby boy go so he could be safe as well. Twice. I just want a better life for him than what I can offer in my current situation. That's all. I want to see him _thrive_. Sometimes the best thing you can do for them is to let them go. It doesn't make you an incompetent mother by any means. Makes you a good one, a strong one."

She nodded slowly, letting out a long breath as she glanced up at Venus. "Thank you."

Venus kissed her temple, smoothing a hand over her hair again. "Happy to help, Angela. Alexander has told me so much about you and your little Evangeline. He really does love the two of you so very much."

Angela raised an eyebrow in surprise. She didn't interact with Tig much, but she knew he had a soft spot for Evie. "Really?"

"Oh yes. He said you helped him in his hour of need. You provided a perfect place to rest for the daughter he lost, and I do believe he sees you as a bit of a replacement, in a way."

She smiled a bit at that, wiping at her eyes and taking in a deep breath to keep from crying more. "And what about you, Venus? What's going on with you and Tiggy?" she asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"I'm afraid I don't quite know just how one would classify the nature of our relationship just yet, but I care for him, and I've been led to believe that he reciprocates those feelings," Venus replied, a fond smile spreading across her face. She stood then, grabbing the wine glasses and heading to the kitchen. "Now, I really must go. I have a few early engagements and Venus needs her beauty sleep. Will you be okay on your own?"

"I've got my back up crew on their way soon. I'll be fine, thank you," she said, standing up and following after Venus.

Venus pulled her into a tight hug, holding her close before pushing her back, her hands on her shoulders. "Sleep on that decision, Angela. It won't be easy, but if it's the right thing to do, your heart will let you know," she assured her. "And please, keep an eye on Alexander. He's doesn't like to admit he's injured. See to it that his dressing is changed at least once, please."

Angela nodded. "Promise."

"I feel quite sure I'll see you around, angel baby. If you need anything don't hesitate in asking him for my number. I've been told I'm a great listener," she told her with a wink.

"Thanks, Venus...for everything," she said, truly meaning it. She needed to hear that it was okay to let Evie go from someone who wasn't a part of this whole mess. Who would tell her with total honesty and without being tainted by the club views. She knew now that it was the right decision to let Evie go. Just for a little bit. Especially if it meant that she'd be safe. Venus headed out, saying a quick hello to Bones, Kenny, and Ellie as they walked in. The two teenage boys stared after her, a mixture of awe and confusion on their faces. "That would be Venus. A friend of the club, I guess. She's…pretty awesome."

Kenny shrugged it off and headed into the house while Bones stayed staring at the little hot rod Venus got into. "You have the weirdest group of friends, Ang," he muttered, shaking his head as he walked into the house.

"Yeah, and you're one of 'em so shut up," she teased, pushing him forward a bit before closing the door behind her. "Spread out in here. Tig's got the futon in Eve's room. El, you can share my bed."

* * *

><p>Once the boys were all settled in, Angela walked back to her bedroom where Ellie was already under the covers, reading a book from some series she was newly into. Ellie was always reading something. She said it was her way of escaping the real world. After setting Evie down in her crib, she climbed in next to Ellie. "Good book?" she asked the younger girl.<p>

"I've read better," Ellie answered on a shrug.

Angela sighed, snuggling her face into Juice's pillow. She always slept on his side of the bed when he was gone, comforted by his scent. His smell was almost gone now; he'd been away for too long. "You see what happened at Scoops 'n' Sweets?"

Ellie sighed and nodded. "Huge explosion. It was insane. Firetrucks everywhere. The dress shop wasn't touched by it, but they made us evacuate anyway. Questioned all of us at the dress shop. 's why it took so long to get down here. That new Sergeant is a _bitch_."

"Holy shit. Sorry, El."

"Is it weird that I watched this place blow up and I got this…sick sort of pleasure in it?" she asked softly. "Like I saw it go up in flames and kind of hoped Uncle Jax was hurt or killed in the process because of all the shit that he put my family through. I mean, think about it, Ma, Pops, Grandpa, Piney, you 'n' Juice, all of it leads back to him in one way or another. I just want him gone so that we can all go on living our lives in peace. That's wrong isn't it?"

Angela sighed softly. She knew exactly how Ellie felt. "Objectively? Yes. Its wrong to want someone dead. Subjectively, I totally agree with you," she admitted on a frown. "But Jax loved your Dad and your Dad loved Jax, El. And if you or Ken needed something, I know Jax would help you. He got Lyla that nice new house, didn't he?"

Ellie gave her a small smile. "You're too nice, Angie. I know you hate him."

She smiled a bit at her perceptiveness. "Yeah, but I don't want you to because I do."

"What I feel for Jax started long before he messed with you," she replied, staring up at the ceiling. "I still think its weird you guys have a mirror up there."

Angela laughed, rolling onto her side to turn off the light. "You'll understand when you're older."

* * *

><p>The sound of a burner going off woke Angela up. In her sleepy haze, she reached out to smack Juice only to remember at the last second that it wasn't Juice sleeping next to her. That it wasn't his burner that had woken her up. Luckily, Ellie was curled up on her side, her back to her, out of reach of Angela's hand. Groaning, she got out of bed to go check on Evie. Her daughter was awake, just starting to squirm. "Hey Monk," she whispered, leaning in to scoop her up into her arms. The distinct smell of dirty diaper filled her nostrils, and she pulled a face. "Gross, Eves. We gotta get you all cleaned up, huh? How about we visit Uncle Tiggy so I can change your diaper?"<p>

Evie snuggled her face into Angela's shoulder, her little hand grabbing tightly onto the front of her shirt. She smiled when she realized her daughter was snuggling close to the t-shirt because it smelled like Juice. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who felt his absence. "I miss him too, Eves," she told her, kissing her head. "But we'll see him soon…I hope."

She walked into the nursery, nodding her greeting to Tig who was currently on the phone. She did her best not to listen as she changed Evie's diaper, but a few things caught her attention. Something had happened at Diosa. Something big. Tig hung up the phone and cleared his throat. "Hey kid," he greeted on a tired sigh. "Baby doll all right?"

"Just needed a diaper change," Angela explained, buttoning up Evie's onesie. She grabbed her little foot as she kicked it in the air, pressing a kiss to the arch of it."Huh, Monk? You little stinker."

Evie giggled back at her, two little white specs apparent in her bottom gums. Tig smiled at the sound of the baby's giggle, reaching out an arm. "Mind if I hold her?" he asked, sitting up slightly. Angela hesitated for a moment before crossing the room and helping Tig situate her against his chest. He smiled, stroking a ringed hand over her back. "Don't know why Jax has got such a hard on for your old man, doll," Tig stated out of nowhere. "He's keepin' us in the dark about whatever that idiot did. Chibs knows. He's pretty damn hurt about it."

"I don't know where he is, if that's what you're fishing for," she replied, going to fold some of Evie's onesies she'd left in a laundry basket to keep her from grabbing Evie back from him. She'd been so thankful that he had never asked about Juice, and here he was, baiting her.

"I'm not askin'. I don't care. Don't really think what Jax is doin' is fair, to be honest. Don't know why Chibs 'n' Hap 'n' Bobby are all jumpin' on that ship. Doesn't make sense. We've all broken rules. Dunno why Jax is goin' after him so hard."

Angela raised an eyebrow at that, turning to face him. She wondered if he was still drugged or drunk to be speaking so frankly to her, but his blue eyes were clear as day. "If they brought him to the table for a Mayhem vote, it has to be unanimous right? Would you vote against it?"

He shook his head sadly. "Can't. Jax has got my balls in a vice, I don't go along with him, I sign my own death warrant," he admitted on a frown. "My life ain't that great, but I ain't ready to give it up just yet. Sorry."

"That's okay," she murmured, sitting on the edge of the futon. She was quiet for a moment, just watching Tig interact with her daughter. Biting her lip, she hesitated before asking, "Why won't Jax just let us leave?"

"APB went out on Juice. We let you leave 'n' he gets scooped up, Jax doesn't trust him to keep quiet. Thinks he'll rat to get back to you lovely ladies," he explained, nuzzling his nose into Evie's hair. "Thinks he'll want to come back to you, baby doll. And who wouldn't, cutie?"

Angela sighed, knowing Tig was right. Juice was done with the club. If it meant getting away from Charming safely, there was no telling what he might do. "I don't think he'd give them anything…prevalent."

"Don't matter. RICO needs old shit and new shit. Anythin' is dangerous at this point 'n' that new Sergeant might be sweet on Chibs, but she ain't gonna do shit for your idiot. She's the one that put the APB out in the first place."

"Its just the APB that making Jax do this? 'cause its starting to feel real personal."

Tig narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. "Dunno, doll. Might be he doesn't want Juice to have somethin' he's always wanted. A way out, a wife, a family. 's all Jax wanted with Tara."

She considered that notion for a moment, wondering if Jax could really be that vindictive, that petty to keep a man from being with his family because he couldn't be with his own. It wouldn't surprise her, though. Nothing Jax did ever surprised her any more. What did surprise her, was that Tig had picked up on it. "Y'know, you're very astute for a badass biker," she told him with a small smile.

"Yeah, don't let that get out," he said on chuckle.

Angela looked down at her hands and then back up at Tig. "I like Venus," she offered, changing the subject to one she stated, changing the subject to one she was more comfortable with. He supported her and Juice, and she wanted to let him know that she was in full supported of whatever it was he had going with Venus.

"She ain't bad, huh?" he mused, playing with Evie's hair. After a moment, he sighed and glanced up at her. "Look, doll, don't want you to get blindsided but that call I just got? Was 'cause a bunch of Chinese just shot up Diosa."

Angela blinked at him, trying to wrap her head around the curve ball he'd just thrown at her. "What?"

"Blew all the girls away. Every single one 'cept Lyla. She was at Redwoody workin' on shit. She's okay."

"Shit," she breathed, raking a hand through her hair. "How many?"

"Dunno. Rat's pickin' me up in the van tomorrow mornin', so I'll know more then. Means a lockdown, though. For you 'n' baby doll."

She shook her head slowly. "Not Eves. She's going to go spend some time with her Grandma and Aunt. Safely away from all this insanity."

Tig nodded in agreement. "Smart move, undertaker," he agreed on a nod. "Wish I could help you. If I can find a way, I will. You don't deserve this shit."

Angela felt a lump rise to her throat at his words. She'd never imagine in a million years that it would be Tig wanting to help her instead of Happy. Words couldn't explain how much she needed to hear that someone other than the little trio in her living room was there for her. She smiled at him, swallowing hard. "You have no idea how nice it is to hear that."

" 'ey, 'ey, no tears, doll. 'm just statin' the truth," he said with a smirk. "You helped me with Dawnie. Came right when I called you. No hesitation. That's somethin' I'll never forget."

"Yeah, well, I knew Hap put you in charge of lookin' after me. Figured I'd return the favor," she explained on a shrug.

He smiled a bit at that, shaking his head. "Knew you were goin' to be trouble when that idiot couldn't stop talkin' about ya that first night. Called Hap, told him you'd caught his eye. Hap wanted to come down and rip out his throat. I told him to hold off on it. Nothin' with Juice ever sticks 'n' you didn't seem interested. 'course I knew it'd stick. Juice would talk about you, but he never gave us details. No bedroom talk. _That's_ when I knew he was serious. Meant he didn't want to share."

Angela laughed a bit. She'd never really thought about Juice telling his brothers stories of what they did behind closed doors. To be honest, she was grateful he kept it to himself. Probably saved him from a few beat downs from Happy. "Thanks for keepin' Hap away."

"Don't mention it," he shrugged, carefully lifting Evie off of his chest and handing her to her mother. "Figured as long as the idiot was respectful, I'd let you two be."

Evie stirred a bit during the exchange but fell asleep again quickly. "Do you think we'll get out?"

"The three of ya?" he asked, looking up at her. She nodded, holding her breath for the answer. Tig's blue eyes studied her for a brief moment before he sighed. "I dunno what to tell ya, kiddo. I hope so. Just be careful with whatever it is you got planned. Don't want anythin' to happen to you two."

Angela pressed a kiss to Evie's head as she nodded. "I'll do my best."

* * *

><p><strong>Big things are in the works. Big, <em>big <em>things! **

**As always, let me know what you think! Your thoughts, ideas, critiques, etc. are well loved and appreciated! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	114. Crazy Girl

**Just finished this and was too excited to wait until next week to post it! :) **

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you, thanks also to: _Guest 1, Storylover00, Mary, Mara, and Guest 2! _**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 114: Crazy Girl_

_By Love Ink_

The loud engine of a motorcycle made Juice wake up with a start, his heart in his throat. He scrambled to the window, peeking out through the blinds only to see a familiar Mazda pull up in front of his mother-in-law's house, a very large man on a motorcycle pulling in behind her. His heart was beating fast in his chest when she pulled to a stop just a few feet away from her mom's front door, giving him a perfect view of her.

He saw Angela pick Evie up out of her car seat, holding her close to her chest for a moment and pressing a kiss to her temple. She headed inside, disappearing from view, and Juice stood there watching, his face against the glass trying to see if he could get another glimpse of his little family. After a few minutes, Angela came out, and he watched curiously as Quinn pulled her into a big hug, holding her tightly for a moment before pushing her away. She wiped at her face before getting in the car, waiting for Quinn to ride off before following after him. She was clearly upset about something. His guess was she hadn't wanted to leave Evie behind, and his heart ached with the need to be with her, to comfort her. This was all his fault. They shouldn't be separated like this. They should all be living happily together. Now all three of them were in spread out in different places. His heart raced in his chest as he quickly made the bed before running down the stairs and into the kitchen where Vivica was at the stove making breakfast.

"My girl is…she's…" he couldn't find the words as he breathed hard. Angela had left Evie. Angela was crying. Evie was probably crying. His girls were falling apart. "My Monk is…"

"Calm down, Mohawk Man," Vivica said with a scowl as she moved the bacon around in the pain. "Say it again, slowly."

"My baby is over there," he explained, pointing towards Graciela and Elena's house. "Saw Angela drop her off this morning. Ms. V…"

Vivica turned around and set him with a small smile. "I 'ave a plan. It's not goin' to be easy, but I think I got it figured out. In the meantime, I'll call Ms. Lena and have her come pick up some fresh vegetables. Tell her to bring the _bebe_. That way, she can have some time with her Papa."

Juice let out a sigh of relief, hanging his head as he took a seat at the kitchen table. "Thanks, Ms. V."

She nodded to him before gesturing to the cupboards. "Set the table for six, _mon lapin_. Jumpy as a rabbit you are," she said, picking up her home phone and dialing a sequence of numbers she seemed to know by heart. (_my rabbit)_

He smiled a bit, getting up and grabbing the placemats, silverware, and plates while he listened to Vivica talk to Happy's mom. Luther and Vandross came up from their room in the garage a few minute later, both grumbling as they started putting different condiments on the table, paying Juice no mind as they went about their business. Warwick and Dionne, the youngest of the bunch, started fixing mugs of coffee. They all helped each other, working in sync and absorbing Juice into the fold without any issue. Whatever made their Mama happy, they followed along with without complaints.

Vivica hung up the phone, gesturing for them all to sit down. "Late this afternoon, Lena's going to bring your baby girl ova. I told her Evie would like the garden."

Juice's heart rose to his throat. He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face at the idea of seeing his little girl. "She's going to love it! I know it, Ms. V."

She nodded, taking a seat at the head of the table. "Now let's talk escape plans."

* * *

><p>Angela sat on the floor watching Abel play with his blocks. She was doing her best to calm him down after his little episode in the closet with Thomas. Jax had been gracious enough to let Kenny avoid lockdown to work at the funeral home, and Ellie go to work at the bridal shop. A part of her thought it was to hurt her even more while another part thought it was just him letting the kids live a normal life. "Auntie Gee? Does my daddy do bad things?"<p>

Oh, how she wanted to tell him the truth. Tell him his Dad did the worst things. Hurt and killed everyone in his path. But she couldn't do that to him. Couldn't break his little heart like that. Instead, she smoothed a hand over his hair. "I don't know your dad very well, Abie," she dodged on a sad smile. "But I know, I _know_ that you don't have to be like him if you don't want to."

Abel seemed appeased by this and went back to his toys. Angela watched him, her heart aching for her own little girl. Leaving Evie had broken even more of her already bruised and beaten heart. "Where's my godbaby?" Chloe asked as she dropped down to sit next to her.

"At my mom's," Angela answered on a soft sigh. "I don't want her here in this…cesspool. She's safer there anyway."

Chloe frowned a little, picking up one of Abel's toys and messing with it. "Fair enough," she said on a small smile. "I'm sure Graci and Lena were over the moon about that."

"Thrilled," she agreed miserably.

Happy came over, his eyes dark with anger. "Need to talk to you, kid."

Angela smirked up at him, knowing exactly what he wanted. She'd expressly told Kenny, Bones, and Skeeter not to help with the funeral arrangements for the Diosa girls. SAMCRO was to be charged full price for every single girl without a family that they brought to Dubrowski's. No way was she going to help them out when they were putting her through hell. Not even for Happy. "Not gonna change anything," she shrugged.

He reached down, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet forcefully. Chloe quickly scrambled to stand up. "Happy," she warned, her hazel eyes fierce.

Happy ignored her, pulling Angela outside with a firm grip on her arm. "The hell you thinkin'? Makin' us pay shit in full?" he seethed, getting in her face. "Got you that job so you can help us out!"

His words were like a blow to the gut. She'd always been a little sensitive about how she'd gotten the job at Dubrowski's. Kozik had assured her she'd gotted it out of her own merits, but Happy was singing a different tune now. Whether he was being honest or just trying to push her buttons, she wasn't sure. Either way, it had worked. Anger surged through her like poison. "You got me this job now, huh? That how you want to play it?" she asked rhetorically. "Well, fuck you! SAMCRO tore my family _apart_. You really expect me to help you?"

"I _am_ your family," he growled, getting in her face. "I've done everythin' for you. Do this to help _me."_

Angela shook her head. "No. I'm fuckin' done with you and the Sons and all of your bullshit. If you were family, you'd be helping me find a way out not signing off on all of this bullshit shadowing to keep me close, to see if you can trap my husband!"

Happy threw his arms out to the side. "The fuck you want me to do?"

"Something! _Anything!_ Help me get the fuck out of here!"

He slammed his fist against the wall by her head; she didn't even flinch. "I can't do that!"

"Then I can't help you," she seethed in return. She turned around to head back inside, and he grabbed her arm again, swinging her around so that her back hit the wall. Pushing herself away from it, she took a swing at him.

He was expecting it though and caught her fist in his hand. "You gonna fight me, kid?" he threatened, holding her fist tightly.

Angela's eyes were itchy with tears as she struggled against his hold. She thought of everything she'd lost. Kozik, her husband, her daughter. All because of the club. All because of Hap. "Yeah! What more do I have to lose?" she asked, her face just inches from his. "Huh? Go 'head! Hit me, asshole! Can't hurt me anymore than I've already been hurt!"

"Hey! Stop it! Both of you!" Chloe shouted, running over to them. Happy's jaw ticked while he held Angela's stare, neither of them daring to look away. The nurse looked between the cousins, her eyes wide. "What the hell is going on?"

"Don't concern you," Happy growled, his eyes never leaving Angela's.

"Go away, Chloe," Angela snarled, her teeth bared.

Chloe shook her head. "And let you two kill each other? I don't think so!" she exclaimed, looking between the two as if they were crazy.

Angela didn't back down, though. Not this time. She wasn't going to let him win. "We're going to get out," she declared with conviction, "With your help or not."

Taking in a deep breath, she puffed out her chest and walked away, letting out her breath as she did so. Tears clouded her vision, but she wiped them away with a rough hand. Stepping inside, she ran into Chibs. She let out a long breath, shaking her head at him when he tried to grab her arm. "Don't fucking touch me," she muttered, pushing by him and heading straight for the bar.

* * *

><p>Happy took a step to go after her, but Chloe stopped him with a hand on his chest. She knew in the state of anger he was currently in, going after Angela would only make things worse. "Stop. Going after her is going to do <em>nothing<em>," she told him sternly.

"The fuck does she want from me?" he shouted, taking his anger out on her. "I can't help her! This ain't on me! She got herself into this fuckin' mess! 'n' I can't fix it this time!"

Chloe took in a deep breath, taking a step towards him, unafraid of the murderous look in his eyes. He'd never lay a hand on her; she was sure of that. This was her time to step up. To be the support that he wasn't going to get from Angela. She could see in his eyes how much this was bothering him. How much he wanted to help his cousin. "I'm sorry, Hap."

He looked at her like she was insane. "What?"

"I get how hard it is. I understand what its like to see someone you love hurting and be…helpless to fix it. It sucks and its hard, and I'm sorry that you have to go through it," she replied, hesitating a bit before setting a hand on his arm. "But you either have to help her or back off. You keep pushing her without giving her anything in return, and you'll lose her forever. You already said it was something you can't do."

Happy shook his head slowly, running a hand over his buzzed head as he cursed. "How the fuck am I s'posed to choose? Huh? How? That's my girl! My kid! Think I like seeing her like that? All fucked up in the head? Hurtin'?"

She scowled at him. The frustration in his voice, the pain in his eyes were all reasons why she'd fallen for him. No one cared about their family more than Happy Lowman. "No! Of course not! But she's…you can't play both sides here, Hap. You hurt her more by playing hot and cold than by choosing one side or the other."

"Wasn't supposed to come to this. Ever. 's why her dad wanted her away. Why Chico kept her separate. Lines start bleedin' and everything goes to shit," he growled, violently kicking at an empty beer bottle. It sailed across the concrete, shattering in the distance. "Shoulda kept it that way. Knew better than to bring her in."

Chloe sighed softly, running a hand through her hair. "Shoulda, woulda, coulda," she said, knowing she was pushing it when he gave her a dark glare. "The Sons are a huge part of your life, Angela's a huge part of your life, keeping them separate and close was _never_ going to happen. To keep them separate, you'd have to move Ang far, far away. You had your chance for that before you chose to move her here. Remember why you made that choice, Hap."

Happy nodded slowly, his shoulders sagging a bit. "Made that choice for my Ma."

"Uh-huh. You sure it wasn't for you?"

A guilty look crossed over his face. "She's my kid. Couldn't just let her leave."

Chloe took a step closer to him, thinking about the whole situation in a new light. "You don't want her to leave," she said in disbelief. "Hap, you're playing with fire if you're keeping her here because you don't want her to go. That's a selfish asshole move!"

" 's not it," he denied, shaking his head again. At her doubtful look, he scowled. "You don't get it, Braun. I let her leave 'n' the club finds her, finds _him _'n' they run? Both of 'em go down, 'n' they go down bloody. Then what? Where does the brat go?"

"You think Jax would shoot Angela in cold blood like that? Just for running?"

Happy sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Wouldn't be aiming at her."

Chloe felt a shiver of fear run through her. He wasn't kidding. She knew without voicing it that if Angela and Juice were physically running away from the Sons, they'd go down in a hail of bullets, all aimed at Juice. No doubt Angela would get caught up in the process. If not on accident, then because she threw herself in front of one to save him. "Jesus Christ," she breathed, shaking her head slowly. She understood now why Happy was so hesitant to push for her leaving. Why he was keeping them apart. It was to protect her more than anything because he saw the writing on the wall and knew that it would not end well. "This is _insane_."

" 'ey," he said, grabbing her face in his hands and moving it so their eyes could meet. "You're safe here. I got you. No one's gonna touch you. Ever. Understand?"

She nodded, her hands wrapping around his wrists. "I know."

His lips met hers in a rough kiss before he pulled away and kissed her forehead. "Go," he said, pushing her towards the door. "Keep 'er outta trouble 'n' away from Jax 'n' Gemma. She's in a fightin' mood and that shit won't fly with the Pres."

Chloe nodded, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek again. "Roger that."

* * *

><p>Juice couldn't stop smiling as he helped clean the kitchen. His daughter was going to be there soon. His daughter who he hadn't seen it what felt like years. Vivica laughed at him, shaking her head. "You keep smilin' like that 'n' your face is goin' to crack right down de middle, <em>lapin<em>."

"Sorry," he murmured, ducking his head to try and hide it.

She set her hand on his shoulder, smiling at him reassuringly. "No, its good to see. I know what I'm doin' is right when I see that. You love those girls. No shame in that. Don't ever let anybody tell you different."

The doorbell rang, and Juice practically jumped out of his skin. Vivica chuckled again, setting a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to sit back in the kitchen chair. "Relax," she told him, running a hand over his head affectionately. "I'm going to go answer the door."

Juice's knee bounced as he waited. He could hear Elena's voice in the other room and then it got closer and closer until she was rounding the corner with Evie balanced on her hip. His baby girl was hiccupping a bit, fresh tears on her cheeks. The moment her dark eyes fell on him, she reached her little hand out towards him, whining a bit.

Elena looked surprised for a brief moment before she smiled. "Eva, who's that? _Quien es? _Is that Papi?"

He grinned at his daughter, holding out his arms to her. "Hey Monk! Look at you! You're so big, baby girl!" he said, taking in her full head of hair that curled at the ends, the pretty pink flowered head band on her head with the pink dress to match, and the small golden ball earrings in her ears. "Pierced ears and everything."

"We just did those," Elena told him, handing her over. "That's why she's upset. She did not like it one bit."

Juice frowned as he took Evie into his arms, kissing her head and breathing in her lavender scent. The little girl grabbed onto his t-shirt, holding it while she snuggled her face into his neck. "I'm sorry, Monk," he murmured, rocking with her against his chest. "Daddy's here now. No one's going to hurt you, baby girl. I got you."

Evie sniffled a bit, squirming around and lifting up a hand to grab his nose. A smile spread across her face, revealing two tiny teeth. Juice felt his heart melt at that smile. "Look at those teeth! Ferocious little Monkey, aren't you?" he asked, mouthing her little fingers.

She giggled in response, her happy shriek filling the air and making both of the older women grin. Vivica approached them, setting her hand on Evie's curls. "Why don't you take sweet Eva outside? Show her my garden while I fill Elena in on our plan? Take one of my blankets."

Juice nodded, grabbing one of the blankets and carrying Evie out to the beautiful garden. He found a little space in between the flowers and the vegetable plots and stretched out the blanket. He sat down, laying Evie next to him. She giggled, reaching for her little toes as she rolled a little to the side.

He picked a nearby flower, touching it to Evie's nose and laughing when she wrinkled it. "Like that Evie? It's a daisy. Now, your Mama, your Mama likes those over there. Lilies. Daddy used to send her lilies every week when he was inside. All different colors. But Mama likes the orange ones best. Tiger lilies. I'd pick one for you, but I'm pretty sure Ms. Viv would kill me."

Sighing, he picked Evie up, flying her in the air. He hummed a soft tune as he did so, smiling up at his beautiful baby girl. _"Aren't you lovely? Aren't you wonderful? Aren't you precious? Less than a year old. I never thought through love we'd be making one as lovely as you, but aren't you lovely? made from love,_" he sang, changing Stevie Wonders' words to fit in better with Evie. He brought her back down, drawing his knees up so she could sit up on his stomach. He played with her tiny little hands, smiling as she held onto his fingers. "We're going to be okay, Monk. You're going to hang out with Abuela Graci and Nana Lena for a minute or two, but then you'll come back to us? We're never gonna let you go, baby girl."

* * *

><p>Angela was sitting on the floor of the ladies room at RedWoody, her knees drawn up close to her chest, a beer dangling from her hands. She'd been sitting there for awhile now, hiding out from the rest of the club. Tilting her head back, she looked up at the ceiling and wondered how her whole life had managed to turn to shit. How she'd ended up using the porn studio's bathroom floor as a place of refuge from the craziness that was her life. Her phone went off beside her, an unknown number showing up on the screen. Frowning, she picked it up. "Angela Ortiz," she answered flatly feeling tired beyond belief. She just wanted to be left alone for once.<p>

"_Angelita, mi vida. _You need to come here now," Elena's voice came over the other line sounding incredibly stressed.

Angela could hear Evie screaming in the background. "_Que paso_? What's going on, _Tia_? Is she okay?" she asked, scrambling to her feet in a panic.

"Eva has a terrible fever! 102! She's been sick all morning, _mija_. We might have to take her to the hospital!" she explained sounding equally as distressed as Angela felt.

Her stomach churned as her heart pounded in her chest. She had to get out. As soon as possible. No one was going to keep her from her little girl. Not if she was so sick. "I'm coming, _Tia_. I'll be right there! Keep her cool!" she said, raking a hand through her hair as she ran out to the main room. Hanging up the phone, she looked around for Gemma. If anyone was going to be able to get her out, it'd be her. "Gemma! I need some help!"

Gemma's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Probably because she'd been avoiding the Queen of SAMCRO all day. "What's wrong, undertaker?" she asked calmly.

"Evie has an insanely high fever! They might take her to the hospital, and I need to be there right now!" Angela exclaimed, not at all able to keep her cool. She was scared as hell. Her little girl was sick, and she wasn't there to make sure she was okay. "Please, just let me go! You can have whoever the hell you want tail me, but my baby is sick and I…"

"I get it," she cut her off quickly. "Call your little assistant, cut us a deal for taking care of the Diosa girls', and I'll see that you get to your baby girl."

She looked at her in disbelief. Her daughter was sick, and Gemma was going to use it as a bargaining chip? "Are you serious?"

Gemma nodded solemnly in return. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

'_Fuck you_,' was Angela's immediate reaction, but she bit her tongue. Clenching her teeth and mentally counting to five to calm herself down. Grabbing her phone, she pressed the speed dial, showing Gemma Bones' name on the caller id.

"Leonard Kelley, how can I help you?" Bones answered cordially just as she had taught him to do.

"Bones, give the Sons a deal on the burials," she instructed through gritted teeth. At Gemma's goading look, she corrected herself. "_All_ the burials."

"But you said..."

"Just do it, Boner! Please! I'll explain later," she said in a rush before hanging up the phone. She glared at Gemma. "There. Now, help me get to my daughter. _Please_."

Gemma nodded, patting her shoulder lovingly before clearing her throat. "Montez, follow Angela to her mom's place," she ordered the shortest Son. "Make sure she _stays _at her mom's house too, got me?"

"Yes ma'am," Montez answered with a short nod. "C'mon, Angie."

Angela nodded, following quickly after him and running to her Mazda. She knew if she really wanted to, she could run now, but with Evie sick, she wasn't even going to try it. Instead, she sped to her Mom and Aunt's place, not even bothering to check if Montez was still on her tail.

It took half the time it usually did to get to her mother's house. Throwing the car in park, she jumped out, sprinting to her mother's house barely aware of Montez following behind her. "Mama!" she shouted, walking slower when she heard Evie laughing instead of crying. She rounded the corner to the kitchen to see her daughter sitting in Vivica's laugh, a bright smile on her tiny face. "What the hell?"

Vivica stood, carrying Evie over to her mother. "Look at that. Here's your Mama," she cooed, smiling when Evie reached out to her mother. "_Bebe_ girl spiked quite a fever, but we gave her some medicine, and now, she's feeling much better. Aren't you, sweet girl?"

"Hey Evie-doll," she murmured, holding her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She wasn't hot at all. She glanced at Vivica in confusion. V nodded a bit, goading her to play along. Angela nodded, swallowing hard. "Still feels a little warm. My poor baby. Mama's here now. I'll take care of you, baby girl."

Montez looked confused for a brief moment, but Graciela quickly stood. "_Mijo,_ why don't you get a nice cold beer out of the fridge?" she said grabbing his arm and pulling him into the kitchen. "I can only imagine what a wild ride you must've had trying to keep up with Speedy Gonzalez over there."

He chuckled in response, letting the older woman lead him into the kitchen. "She's a crazy driver, but I think I did okay."

While he was distracted, Vivica guided Angela up the stairs to the room with Evie's crib in it. "Your _beau _is at my place. Waiting in a suburban. End of _my _block. He's got your pack already. You take this," she explained, holding out a gun to her, "climb that fence, you go down de alley, and you jump in that car."

Angela's eyes widened in surprise. Juice was _there_. He was _waiting _for her. This whole thing had been an elaborate set up to help them get out. "Are you serious?" she breathed, fighting hard against the grateful tears in her eyes. No one else had wanted to help them. No one else had tried. Leave it to Vivica, her mom, and her aunt to get it done. She couldn't believe it. "But what about Evie?"

"Eva's going to have to stay here just for a little while," Vivica replied, her big dark eyes growing a little sad. "Once you get out and free, me and the boys will bring her and the other boy to you. Undastand?"

She hesitated, holding Evie close to her chest. "I can't…"

"Don't worry 'bout it, _chere. _Eva won't remember any of this," she assured her, tucking the small gun into the back of Angela's pants for her. "If it works out, me and the boys will take her and your other boy and the four of yous will be living large in Mexico in no time. Yeah?"

The plan wasn't the best, but if it got them out of Charming, Angela would follow along with it. They weren't safe there anymore. Plus, knowing Evie was safe at her mom and aunt's place with Vivica watching over her, would give her piece of mind as they made their getaway. As much as she didn't want to leave her, Angela could see the logic in it. "Shit. Yeah," she muttered before pulling Evie in closer, kissing her softly. "Mama's going to leave for a little bit, Eves, but I'll be back, okay? I promise. Daddy and I will find a safe place and Aunt Viv will bring you out to us. You and Kenny. Okay? We'll all be together again soon, baby girl. I love you so much. Always remember that, Evangeline. Everything I do is for you. Mama loves you.

She nuzzled her nose into Evie's hair, breathing in deeply, trying to ingrain the scent in her memory. This wasn't goodbye, she told herself. She'd see Evie later. This was going to work. Kissing her head, she pulled away just to look at her daughter's face. "_Nana_ Lena finally pierced your ears, huh?" she asked on a sad laugh. Elena had been on her case to pierce Evie's ears for awhile now. It seemed she'd finally just gone and taken her to get it herself. A milestone Angela was a bit sad about missing. How many more milestones would she miss if she left Evie behind? She looked over at Vivica and shook her head. "Tell me what I'm doing is right, Ms. V. Tell me that this doesn't make me a bad mother."

Vivica set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "_I _am a good mother, no?"

Angela nodded slowly. Vivica was one of the best mothers she'd ever seen in action. It was obvious by the way her children worshipped her. "Yeah."

"If I was in your shoes, I would do this," she assured her with a nod. "It is your best chance for being a family. There is nothing bad about it. You go down, put Evie in her chair, sneak out back, and _run_. For you, for your husband, for _her_. She deserves a family."

She nodded again, taking in a deep breath and slowly building up her strength. With Vivica's blessing, she didn't feel so guilty for leaving her daughter safely behind. "Thank you."

"Good luck, '_chere_," Vivica replied, kissing her cheek.

Wiping at her eyes, Angela slowly carried Evie down the stairs, aware of her own mother talking Montez's ear off. She kissed Elena on the cheek before putting Evie down in her high chair. Elena reached out to squeeze her hand. _"Va con Dios, mija. Te quiero mucho_." _(Go with God, my daughter. I love you very much_)

She nodded, slowly making her way to the backyard door. Getting up onto the chair, she tried to remember how Kozik had gotten over the fence when he'd gone to play ball with some of the local punks. It came to her quickly, and she smiled as she scrambled up onto the table, jumping to reach the top of the fence.

"Hey! Stop!" Montez shouted from behind her. She cursed, doing her best to use as much arm strength as she had to lift herself up over the fence. She landed in a crouch on the other side and stood. "Angela! Don't fuckin' move!" the Son shouted after her as he scrambled to get over the fence.

Angela took off, sprinting down the alley towards the car waiting on the other side. She could just barely make out Juice sitting in the driver's seat. Unable to wipe the smile off of her face at the idea of finally being free, she pushed herself to run faster. She could hear Montez's heavy boot falls behind her and knew there was no way in hell he could catch up to her, not with his baggy pants and heavy cut.

"Angela! Stop! Stop or I'll shoot!" Montez shouted, his voice shaking.

She knew he wouldn't dare, but just in case, she started zig-zagging. Montez wasn't known for his shooting skills. He was a fighter, sure, but she'd heard his skill was with a knife, not a first warning shot went off, and she looked over her shoulder to see him holding his gun pointing up in the air. She smirked and kept running; it'd been a long time since she was afraid of gunshots. Finally, she hit the mouth of the alley and grabbed the handle of the SUV, throwing it open and jumping in. "Go, go, _go_!" she shouted, slamming the door shut behind her.

The SUV sped down the lane, and she laughed, glancing over her shoulder to see if Montez had followed. He hadn't; he hadn't been fast enough. "Holy shit," she said, still laughing as she looked over at Juice. Her chest rising and falling as she tried to slow down her breathing. "That was fun!"

Juice grinned at her, stepping on the gas while shaking his head as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. He took her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze before saying, "Crazy girl."

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><p><strong>Re-united and on the run! :) This was a super fun chapter to write! As always let me know what you think! Any and all thoughts, predictions, etc. are welcome! I love hearing from y'all!<strong>

**Disclaimer 2: I don't own "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder, but I love that song.**

**~Love Ink**


	115. Making Plans

**Sorry for the delay in posting! Real life got in the way! :p**

**Big Happy Birthday to Mr. Theo Rossi! Can't believe he's 40 years old today! He certainly doesn't look it! **

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Mary, Storylover00, Redkazi, Guest 1 _**_(Nope. Juice did not help Gemma with Tara in my story and Roosevelt is alive and kicking too! ;)), **Karina, Stordec23, DarkChild21, Guest 2, and Guest 3.**_

**HUGE HUGE thanks to _lizmynameis _and _Kupkakes09 _for previewing the chapters and always giving me awesome feedback! These ladies both have amazing stories that you should definitely go read as soon as possible!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe!**

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 115: Making Plans_

_By Love Ink_

"She _what_?" Jax's voice was loud in the small office. Happy's eyes were on him immediately. There was only one person he could be talking to. One _'she'_ he could be talking about. The other important Old Ladies were all safely at RedWoody...except for Angela. He sat up a little bit straighter, straining his ears to see if he could hear Montez on the other line. Jax paced the room looking pissed off beyond belief. "You serious? You just let her go like that?...And the baby?...She just left her?...And you're sure it was him? You get plates?...No. No...stay there. I'm sendin' Hap."

He snapped the phone closed, his blue eyes furious as he slammed the phone on the table. Happy leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he looked at Jax. "What'd she do?"

"That stupid, idiot Montez let her get away," Jax exclaimed, running his hands through her hair. "Said she jumped the backyard fence, got into some SUV."

The rest of the club made sounds of disbelief while Chibs kicked at the leg of a chair. "Had to be Juice," the Scot spat out angrily. "The boy's gone mad pullin' her into this shite!"

"No kiddin'," Jax muttered, shaking his head. The rest of them made sounds of agreement, cursing and shaking their heads as if they agreed with Jax and Chibs' outrage. All but two. While Bobby, Jax, and Chibs were cursing and pacing, Quinn and Tig both seemed to be trying to hide looks of pride. Clearly, Angela had wormed her way into their hearts, and they cared about her just as much he did.

"Evie okay?" Tig asked from his seat in the corner. If Happy wasn't mistaken, it seemed like the wild haired man was trying to hide a smile.

Jax nodded slowly, sighing. "Yeah. Left the baby with her Ma and Aunt," he muttered before looking to Happy. "You know anythin' about this?"

Happy shook his head. He honestly didn't know a damn thing about what had happened with his cousin. He'd been pissed when he'd heard they'd let her out of lock down to begin with. Gemma had said Evie had been running a fever, and that she'd made a deal with Angela about the Diosa girls' funeral in return for her being able to go take care of her kid. Had he been there, he wouldn't have let her go. His Aunt was a licensed nurse; if anyone could take care of Evie it'd be her. Angela wasn't needed there. He'd have smelled that plan cooking a mile away. "Was with you the whole time, brotha," he reminded his president.

"Well, get over there. See what you can find out," he stated, running a hand over his face and tugging on his beard. "Someone's gotta know where they're going."

He nodded, getting up from the chair with a grunt. On his way out the door, Chloe caught his arm. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"The kid split from Ma's house. Goin' over there to see what the hell happened," he stated, keeping his voice low so no one else could hear him. Chloe didn't seem that surprised. He smirked at her. "You knew?"

"Evie randomly gets sick and Lena calls for Ang to come over when Graciela can easily handle it? Didn't sound right. Little too convenient," she replied on a shrug. "If it helps, I don't think Ang knew what was going on before she went over there. She was flipping out."

Happy raised an eyebrow; so his Ma and Aunt were working together to help Angela. That didn't bode well for him. It meant he had one hell of a lecture coming his way as soon as he walked into that house. "We'll see," he said on a shrug. "I'm headin' out."

"I'm coming with," she stated, grabbing her purse off a nearby chair. When he went to protest, she held up a hand. "There is no way in hell I'm staying here without Ang and without you. Either you let me go home or you take me with you. You leave me here 'n' I'll go. No one will stop be either."

He sighed, rubbing at his temples as he felt a headache coming on. "Braun..."

Chloe shook her head. "I'm not takin' 'no' for an answer, Hap," she hissed, keeping her voice just as low as his. He was appreciative for that. At least, she wasn't causing some big scene. "You've told me time and again how safe I am. There's no reason for me to be here. Now, I can keep fighting you and you can keep wasting time or you can just take me with you."

"C'mon, pain in the ass," he muttered, giving in because he was tired of hearing her. "We're takin' my bike."

She grinned at him in triumph, following him out the door with a slight skip in her step. "Thank you!"

* * *

><p>Happy parked his Dyna in front of his mother's house, waiting for Chloe to get off of it before dismounting. Montez met him on the porch. "I'm sorry, man! One second she was takin' care of the baby, the next she was gone! That girl is fuckin' <em>fast,<em> man," he exclaimed, waving his hands about as he went. "Shot at her to get her to slow down 'n'…"

Happy pinned him against the side of the house in one quick move. "You shot at my _kid_?" he growled, getting into his brother's face.

"No! No! I shot in the air! Thought she'd freak! She didn't even flinch!" he shouted, his dark eyes wide.

When Happy didn't let him go, he looked at Chloe for help, but she scoffed instead. "Ang isn't afraid of bullets."

If he wasn't so pissed at Montez, Happy would've laughed at her comment. "Who'd she leave with?" he asked, still holding him against the house.

"I dunno. Saw her jump into a big black SUV, but it was gone 'fore I could get the plates," he explained. Hap let him down, and he straightened his cut with a glare at the Tacoma Killer. "Had to have been Juice."

"No shit," Happy grumbled, knocking his shoulder against the shorter man's before walking into the house. He was surprised to find Graciela, and his mom seated at the kitchen table playing dominos. Evie was in her high chair next to them, messing around with what looked like a gigantic foam domino. Neither of them looked at all concerned that Angela had literally run away.

Graciela noticed them first. Her dark eyes lit up as a smile graced her face. "Chloe! _Que sopresa_! What are you doing here?" (_What a surprise!)_

Chloe walked over, kissing Graciela's cheek and then Elena's before going over to Evie. "I'm here to escape the hell that is SAMCRO lockdown," she replied, picking up the baby. "Just like this little one. Huh, Evie? You lucked out getting to stay here."

Happy glanced as Evie squirmed in Chloe's arms, her dark eyes looking around the room, searching for her parents, no doubt. When she didn't find them, she settled on smacking Chloe in the face with the foam domino. He smirked; the kid was growing to be more and more like her mother everyday. Sighing, he set his hand on his Ma's shoulder. "Need to talk to you."

Elena sighed, gesturing to Chloe for a moment. "_Veni. _You finish for me, _mija_," she said, nodding to her dominos. Happy was a little surprised by her invitation; his mom didn't trust anyone with her domino game. Once Chloe was settled in at her seat with Evie still perched on her lap, Elena grabbed his arm, using him as support as they made their way to the living room together. "_Y_? _Que paso_? Why are you here?" (_Come...And? What happened?)_

He gave her a doubtful look. There was no doubt in his mind that his mother knew exactly why they were there. She was playing him just to piss him off. It was just the start of what he was sure would turn into one hell of a guilt trip. "Where'd she go?"

"Who?" she asked, clearly playing dumb.

"Angela," he answered, clenching his teeth together in annoyance. Getting information out of his mother was like pulling teeth. It was where he'd learned how to keep such a tight lip on things.

Elena blinked at him, the slightest hint of a smile on her face. "_No se_. Don't know where she went. One minute here _con la beba_, _y _the next she was gone. Poof! _Y ese chico_, Montez, shot off a gun! In my backyard! _Suerte que_ Vivica was here _porque si no_, the police would've come! _Te imaginas?_" (_I don't know...with the baby and...and that boy, Montez...Lucky that Vivica was her otherwise...Can you imagine?)_

Happy scowled at her, knowing she was trying to distract him from what had really happened. "C'mon, Ma. Know she didn't just up and leave the brat. Not without help. Where did she go? Was she with Juice?"

Disappointment seeped into his mother's features as she looked up at him. She shook her head slowly, clicking her tongue as she did so. "Where she went is none of _my_ business. I just did what _you _should've done_, mijo_," she told him bluntly. "_Sangre es todo._ Her blood runs through my veins, through _yours_. If she needs my help, I help her. Nothing changes that. She is my blood. _Mi familia_." (_Blood is everything...My family)_

"Ma, my club…"

"No. I raised you better. I _know_ she came to you for help _y no hicistes nada_. Vic _y_ Chico would be so disappointed. Your family comes first!" Elena said calmly, her dark eyes blazing with fire. She grabbed onto the collar of his shirt. "_Ves_? You live, you die, you kill, for your _family_. Not your club. Your _family_. Blood first. Always. You promised to take care of her. What happened?" _(...and you didn't do anything. See?)_

Happy shook his head; she didn't get it. By keeping her close, he _was_ taking care of her. If she was close, the club wouldn't touch her. Not on his watch. "I _was_ takin' care of her. Keepin' her close. Makin' sure she didn't get in any more trouble."

"You were slowly killing her, _y lo sabes_!" Elena snapped with a scowl. "I don't know about you, _pero_ I like to see my _Angelita_ happy because I love her. _He_ makes her happy, being with him makes her happy. So I help her get to him for that. For Eva." (_And you know it!...but)_

He sighed, hanging his head guiltily. His mother was right about that. He'd seen how much staying in Charming without Juice hurt his cousin. It was a look he remembered from her first couple of days in Tacoma when all she wanted to do was go back home to the people she'd left behind. He hated seeing her unhappy, but he also hated the idea of her getting hurt because of something the idiot did. He could protect her just fine when they were apart but putting her and Juice together added another element of danger. Juice was a dead man walking, and Angela was determined to walk at his side. He wouldn't let that happen. He wasn't going to lose his cousin because of the sins of her husband. "I love her too. 's why I'm protecting her! The club wants him dead, and she'll follow him right into that six foot hole!"

"Then keep your club away from them!" she stated as if it were the easiest thing in the entire world. "Make your uncles proud, _mi amor_. I know you can do it. Protect her by hiding them. Then help us get Eva to them once they're safe."

" 's not that easy, Ma. Can't just..."

"You can and you _will_. This is _Angelita_ we're talking about. It is your _job_ to keep her safe," Elena said, a hard look in her dark eyes. "She would do it for you."

With those words, she hobbled away before stopping at the door. "I'm going to bed. You make sure Chloe finishes my hand well. You two stay the night, and _she_ in _Angelita's_ room with Eva. Alone. She's not one of your little _putas_. She's a lady."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, already aware of the rules. His Ma and Aunt were old school when it came to their children's' relationships. The only people allowed to share a room were people that were married. It never bothered Hap, though. Growing up, he never brought girls home to begin with. He'd go to their place so that he could leave whenever he wanted. Chloe was different, though. She was as close to a significant other as he'd had in a long, long time.

He sat down heavily on the couch, leaning forward to put his head in his hands. This whole situation was fucked up. How had it come down to this? He'd finally lost his cousin. Literally. She'd been slipping through his fingers for years now, and he hadn't been able to stop it. It wasn't Juice's fault either. He knew that. If anything, the idiot had brought her in closer. It was the club that had gotten in between them. The club that had put that wedge between them. Jax had been the driving force pushing her away.

Nails raked over the back of his head, and he looked up to find Chloe sitting beside him, a sad look in her hazel eyes. She didn't say a word, just sat next to him, her hand smoothing over his back in a soothing motion. "The brat okay?" he asked after a moment.

"She's fine. Her grandmas are spoiling her," she replied on a shrug.

"I fucked up," he stated, swiping a hand over his face. "Tried too hard to keep her close, keep her safe."

Chloe sighed softly. "She's like sand," she murmured, her nails scraping over the back of his neck again. He closed his eyes at the feel of it, trying to relax. "You hold onto it too tightly, and it'll slip right through your fingers."

Happy smirked; she'd hit the nail on the head with that one. Angela had always been that way. The moment she felt trapped, she'd find a way out. The only way he'd ever been able to deal with her had been with a logical "loose" hand. She understood logic; she didn't understand force. There was no logic behind keeping her in Charming, which was why she fought so hard to get out. Why she'd come to him and asked for his help to get out. And what had he done? Nothing. He'd followed Jax blindly because that's what made the most sense to him. Jax had told them all that Juice had betrayed them. Juice needed to be taken care of. That's it. Black and white. But Angela had always brought out those gray areas in his life. The worst part of it was, she'd wanted to explain it to him. Had practically begged him to listen, and he hadn't. He didn't want to blur those lines. Jax was his club's president. When it came to SAMCRO, he was right. That's what Happy always believed. Now, with Angela gone, he wasn't so sure.

"You think I pushed her away for good?" he asked, voicing his one big worry.

Chloe pondered his question for a moment, something that made him nervous as hell. "I don't know, Hap," she answered softly. "You hurt her. Badly. Gonna take something big for you to get back into her good graces."

Happy rubbed a hand over his head again. "I know."

"She loves you, Hap," she told him, setting her chin on his shoulder. "She's not going to cut you out forever. You're part of her family. Part of her blood."

He grimaced when he remembered everything his mother had just said about blood. "Dunno how to fix it."

"Yeah, you do," she stated, a knowing look in her eyes. "When the time comes again-and it will come-you gotta choose her. Stop followin' Jax just 'cause its easy. Take the road less travelled. Do what you feel is right."

Happy let her words sink in for a moment before smirking. "What hospital poster did you get that shit from?"

She smacked his arm, scowling at him. "I'm trying to help you sort through your bullshit and you just give me shit. You're the worst."

He leaned over and kissed her temple, breathing in the citrusy scent of her hair. "Thanks, babe," he murmured, standing slowly.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes and taking the hand he offered. "You're sleeping with Evie tonight though. No sneakin' into my room either. I do _not_ want to be on Elena's shit list."

"This my punishment?" he asked, watching her ass as she walked out of the room.

Chloe shrugged a shoulder and nodded. "Your Ma went _way_ too easy on you."

* * *

><p>Juice almost felt guilty at how content he felt stretched out in the back of the SUV, Angela tucked into his side. They'd driven for most of the night, stopping only because they were too exhausted to drive any farther. He'd found a truck stop and pulled in, making sure to park in the darkest corner of the lot before they'd folded down all of the backseats and lay down in the empty space they left behind. They'd left the sunroof open so they could see the stars that shone brightly in the sky. He trailed his fingers up and down her arm, deep in thought. "You think they're following us?" he asked softly.<p>

"Not yet. We got a good head start, and they're missing their intelligence officer," she answered, tilting her head back to look at him. "You shoulda seen the look on Montez's face when he caught me jumpin' over that fence. He's going to be in some deep shit."

He chuckled in response, nodding his head. "You pulled a Gemma. Like a really, really good Gemma. When she wants to shake her shadow, she always manages a way to do it. It's like a rite of passage almost. Only one who hasn't been conned is Hap."

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked on a smirk. After a moment, her expression grew sad, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Its too quiet. I miss Evie. I feel horrible for just leaving her behind like that."

"We'll get back to her soon, Angel," he murmured, kissing her forehead as his fingers raked through her hair. "You did what you needed to go to keep her safe. Sleeping out here in a car is not ideal for a baby. She'd hate it. Then you'd be wishing for some quiet. She's fine being spoiled by her grandmas just like I'm sure Rigs is having a blast with Boner and Ken."

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Our kids are getting spoiled rotten," she mused, looking over at him. She reached a hand up to her neck, her fingers playing with the gold chain that hung there. It was the one he'd given her with the crow skull charm on it. He watched her tug it out of the collar of a shirt, grinning when he saw the two platinum bands hanging with the charm. Sitting up slightly, she unhooked the chain and held the rings in her palm. "So I got a package in the mail the other day…"

He picked them up from her hand, smiling while he inspected them. "Thought we needed real wedding bands, y'know?" he said, turning to his side to face her. "The tat's are nice and permanent, but I wanted something more normal."

"Juice, nothing we do is normal."

"I know," he replied a little sadly. "That's kinda why I wanted to get them."

She gave him a warm smile, brushing a hand across his cheek lovingly before taking the smaller of the rings and examining it. He knew she was trying to figure out the pattern etched into the silver metal. It took her a minute, but she got it. "Its a fingerprint."

"You got mine, 'n' I got yours," he explained on a nod. "Lifted your prints off a glass a while ago when I saw these online. Wanted to surprise you with them. Take you on a ride out to our spot. Get down on a knee…"

"You know we're already married, right?" she reminded him on a laugh.

He shrugged a shoulder, grabbing her left hand. Sliding off her engagement ring, he slid the band on before putting the other ring on top of it. They stacked perfectly, the dark whorl and surrounding lines of his thumbprint looking beautiful next to the sparkling black diamond. "I know," he replied, a little bummed he hadn't been able to go through with his plan. "Just wanted it to be something special."

Angela grabbed his hand and his ring, sliding it onto his ring finger and smiling when it fit perfectly under his tattoo. "This _is_ special," she murmured, kissing the band on his hand.

Juice rolled onto his back with a groan, looking up at the ceiling. "We're running away from the club and the cops, at a truck station, in a car that isn't ours, laid out on these uncomfortable seats. Nothin' special here."

She rolled her eyes, sliding her leg over his hips and straddling him. "We're together," she replied, leaning over to press her lips to his. "_That's_ special."

He set his hands on her thighs, rubbing over her jeans as he looked up at her. "Guess so," he muttered. He looked up at her smiling face and felt a little better about the whole situation. As long as she kept smiling at him like that, he had faith that they'd get through it. That they'd find their own happily ever after together. It was still shocking to him that after all those years of being together, she was still with him. That she hadn't left his side once since the very beginning. A memory hit him, making him smile up at her. "You remember that time like a year into us being…together when I got super drunk and told you that we should get married some time because we'd make pretty babies together?"

Angela nodded, a surprised smile on her face. "I'm shocked you do, drunkie. If I remember correctly, you wanted to name them Anarchy and Mayhem," she said on a laugh. "Seems your plan didn't work out quite as well as you thought it would."

"Oh shit! I forgot about that," he said, chuckling. "We'll save those for the next ones."

She shook her head at him. "You were right, though. We did make a pretty baby."

"I know," he said, swallowing hard as he reached up to brush a stray hair from her face. "You didn't freak back then. Didn't run. Never mentioned it again. I was talking about the future, and you didn't even flinch. Why?"

"Because you were drunk and cute as hell, and I…I really liked the sound of that. I could see it. If I had brought it up again and you shot it down with some bullshit excuse, it would've really hurt," she admitted with a shy smile.

Juice sighed softly. He could see where she'd think that in the beginning. He'd never given any reason for her to think he'd been faithful to her. He had been, of course. Once they'd gotten together, he hadn't had another girl. The only person he'd touched since Angela was Carla, and he wasn't about to bring that up. "I meant it, y'know. Even then," he replied honestly. He sighed again, hating that he hadn't given her everything she deserved. "I'm sorry about all of this, Angel. It's not what I wanted for us."

"Wasn't really expecting a white picket fence," she told him on a shrug.

"But that's what I want to give you."

Angela smirked, shaking her head at him. "I've been riding Harleys since I was old enough to hold on, Juice. My dad wasn't an outlaw, but the two men that raised me were. When they were gone, I fell in with Esai and the Mayans, after that back to the Sons," she explained. "I don't think there's been a time in my entire life that I haven't been surrounded by outlaws. That white picket fence was never something I wanted."

Juice put his hands on her hips and wrinkled his nose. "Why you always got to bring up that douche?"

"Esai?" she asked on a laugh. "Really? That bugs you?"

"Kinda," he admitted, feeling a little ridiculous about it. He still was uneasy when it came to talking about her past. Sure, he'd had dozens of girls, but none had ever meant anything. Not like Esai did to Angela. There was a history there that ran deep. Sometimes when she talked about him, he could feel how much she'd cared about him, and he hated it. Hated to think he wasn't the first person to touch her, to love her. He was thankful the guy was six feet under, or there'd be some serious issues.

"Are you jealous?" she questioned, her eyes glistening with curiosity. He shrugged a shoulder in response, and she laughed again. "Baby, E's dead. Has been for a long time."

He shrugged again, playing with the waistband of her jeans. "But I'm not the first person you've ever been in love with. You loved him, right?"

"Not like I love you, Juice," she told him sincerely. She ground her hips against his, giving him a sexy smile when he groaned at the friction. Leaning over, she caught his lips in a hot kiss. "I haven't loved _anyone_ like I love you."

Juice smiled up at her, tugging open the button of her jeans. "Good," he murmured against her lips as he kissed her again. She sat up, pulling her shirt over her head. He bit his lip as he looked her over. She wasn't wearing the sexiest lingerie he'd ever seen on her, but she still looked hot as hell. "You're beautiful."

She threw the shirt at his head. "Goof," she said on a laugh. She slid off of him, trying her best to work off her jeans. "You. Pants off," she ordered.

He watched her struggle to get out of her jeans while he did the same with his pants. Her head smacked against the roof in the attempt, and he laughed. She sent him a heated glare before laughing when he did the exact same thing, smacking the top fof his head against the roof. "That hurt," he said on a scowl.

"What that hair didn't cushion it at all?" she asked, reaching out to run a hand over the short hair on the top of his head. He hadn't shaved it in a while, and it was really coming in thick.

He threw his jeans at her face on a laugh. "Shut up."

She threw her top back at him. "Goof," she said, squealing when he leaned up to grab her around the waist and pull her on top of him. Laughing, she pressed a kiss to his lips, her hands rubbing over the short hair on his head. "I love you, Juice."

Lifting his head, he placed a sweet kiss to the tip of her nose. "Love you too, baby. We're going to figure this out, Angel. I know it."

"Of course we are," she said confidently, a shining smile on her face. "The two of us together are unstoppable."

Juice chuckled, smacking her ass. "Damn straight."

* * *

><p>Despite the ache in her back, Angela couldn't help but smile when she woke up with her head pillowed against Juice's bare chest. She kissed his pec, right over the tattoo of her name before sitting up and grabbing her back to get changed into clean clothes. Juice was still out like a light, snoring loudly and drooling just a bit. In his sleep, he looked so young. Gone were the worry lines on his face, the tension in his shoulders. He was totally at peace. She wondered how long it'd been since he'd slept so peacefully. Leaning against the front seat, she pulled her knees up into her chest and let out a long sigh. She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Like she could finally breathe. They weren't safe by any means, but at least they were together.<p>

Raking a hand through her hair, she pulled it up into a messy bun and grabbed her sunglasses and Juice's wallet. She got out of the car with a grunt, stretching her arms up over her head and groaning in satisfaction as her back cracked. Car keys in hand, she headed over to the small diner. It was pretty much empty save for a few truckers and a brunette waitress with a name tag that read 'Gertie'. Leaning against the bar, she caught the girl's attention. "Can I help you?" the waitress asked, a friendly smile on her face.

"Sure. Two coffees, a breakfast burrito, and two chicken club sandwiches. To go, please," Angela replied, opening Juice's wallet and smirking at the neatly ordered cash in the billfold.

Gertie nodded, writing out the order before putting it on the counter for the chef. She turned back with a tired sigh. "There's fresh pie if you're interested," she said, nodding to the glass display case. "Cherry."

Angela wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. "Not a big fan of cherry pie. Thanks though," she said, reaching for the coffee cups she'd set in front of her. She fixed Juice's just the way he liked it before doing the same to hers.

"Safe travels," Gertie told her as she handed her the bag of food.

"Thanks," she replied, shelling out a few extra bucks for tip. She grabbed the bag, grinning when she saw the back of the SUV open, Juice's boots dangling over the bumper. "Hey you," she greeted with a big smile.

He gave her a sad smile in return, reaching out his hands to grab her hips and pull her towards him. "Scared me for a second there. Thought it was all a dream," he admitted, catching her lips in a quick kiss.

Angela set a hand on his cheek, her thumb brushing over the scruff on his face. "I'm here, baby. Just needed some grub," she said, taking a seat next to him. "A breakfast burrito to share, coffee, and sandwiches for later."

Juice laughed, grabbing for the burrito. He bit into ferociously as if it were the best thing he'd ever tasted. At her laugh, he shrugged a shoulder. "You wore me out last night, baby. Need to replenish my fuel," he told her around a mouthful.

"That was the most fun I've had in a _long_ time," she mused, sipping at her coffee. Juice offered her the burrito, and she took a big bite. They'd share one and then save the sandwiches for later since she wasn't big on breakfast.

"I think I got a plan," he stated, taking a swig of his coffee. "You still talk to Diana Alvarez and your friend Rosa?"

Angela almost choked on her food at that. She couldn't believe he knew about those visits! It wasn't that she was hiding them from Juice, per se, but she liked having her freedom. It irked her a bit to think he was constantly keeping tabs on her. "Just how much of my shit do you monitor?" she asked, trying her best not to get mad.

"Just GPS locations. You've been taken from me twice. 's not happening again," he assured her on a shrug. "Don't give a shit who you text or call. I trust you. Just want to know where you're at."

Leaning over, she pecked his cheek, all her anger forgotten. She didn't mind that he knew where she was as long as he didn't come barging into her meets or get angry with her because of it. "Yeah, I still talk to them. Tessa's getting really big now. Dia gave me some of her old clothes for Evie 'n' Ro's pregnant now too, so I promised to give them back for her. Dia called it the circle of life," she explained, smiling a bit. For a long time it'd been just her and Dia getting together in San Jose every month. Then Dia started bringing her daughter and when Evie was born, Angela brought her along. Then Rosa started showing up out of nowhere. It was nice to get back to her little circle of trusted women that she'd always had while growing up.

Juice looked a little relieved that she wasn't angry. "That mean they still see you as part of the family?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, I guess."

"What if…what if we asked Alvarez for help?" he asked, his brown eyes hopeful as they studied her face. "He's got connections in Mexico, right? He's gotta be able to help us get over the border."

The idea made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, a chill roll down her spine. Something about it didn't feel right. "Juice, I don't know…"

"C'mon, Angel," he coaxed, handing her the burrito. "You say they're like family to you all the time. Why wouldn't they help us?"

"My connections with them aren't as strong as they used to be. It's been more than ten _years_ since I was with Esai. Yeah, Dia and I get together every so often, but not nearly enough for me to feel comfortable asking for their help. Last time I talked to Alvarez was…" she trailed off, remembering the day she'd found him visiting his son in the same cemetery her father was buried in. He'd helped her then without an ounce of hesitation, but this somehow felt different.

Juice set his hand on hers. "I know, baby. But he helped you then, didn't he?"

"That's different. This…this could jeopardize whatever peace he has with the Sons. Jax isn't going to-"

"You think Alvarez is afraid of _Jax_?" he asked in disbelief.

There wasn't a single part of her that thought Marc was afraid of Jax. It was almost laughable to even think that. Jax was intimidating, sure, but Marcus had age and wisdom on his side. Jax was derailed, fueled only by his need to avenge Tara's death. Marcus was different. He _always _put his club first. Even before his family. Esai's fate was evidence of that. "No, but he…he killed his own son, his _blood_, to keep the peace with SAMCRO. What makes you think he'd go out on a limb for us?" she asked softly. " 's not like we have a lot to offer him. An old Escalade and a couple bucks. Not really a tempting offer."

"Doesn't hurt to try. Alvarez is our only hope. Call up his Old Lady. See if you can get her to put in a good word," he suggested, an earnest look in his eyes. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "It'll work, baby. They love you. You're _familia, _right? They're gonna help us, I can feel it."

Angela shifted uncomfortably before reaching behind her for her cell phone. She opened her contacts and stared at the names, her thumb hovering over Dia's. Hesitating, she looked over at him wishing he didn't look so damn hopeful. It wasn't a bad idea, in theory, it just had a huge potential to blow up in their faces. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she admitted softly.

"Don't, Angel. It's gonna work," he assured her, kissing her temple. "It's _gotta _work."

"Yeah. Okay," Angela breathed, nodding to herself. She swallowed hard and pressed the call button, putting the phone to hear ear and praying like hell he was right. Alvarez had the power and knew the right people to help him. It was just a matter of whether he would do it or not. She glanced up at the crystal blue sky, praying like hell that someone up there was watching over them and somehow it would all work out.

* * *

><p><strong>Short-ish, filler-ish chapter. Lots of little details to set this plan in motion. Fasten your seatbelts, readers, its going to be a bumpy ride! Thanks for sticking with me! :) <strong>

**Let me know what you think! As always, your thoughts, critiques, etc. are welcome and cherished! **

**~Love Ink**


	116. Old Memories

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you, but thanks also to: _Mary _**_(Haha love that! Ang with a shotgun would be a force to be reckoned with! ;)), **stordec23, Guest **(Good idea! Might come in to play later...), **AnarchyLover, and **_

_**Hailey** - (Oh. That's a bummer. Would you mind telling me which fic it is, please? Just want to make sure there's nothing weird going on again. I've had people try to steal this story before, unfortunately. I'll reiterate what I said before: I only post on this site. If you see this story somewhere else, **please, PLEASE** let me know.)_

**BIG thanks to _lizmynameis_ and _KupKakes09_ for their constant support! If you haven't read their fics yet, GO READ THEM NOW! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, and Chloe!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 116: Old Memories_

_By Love Ink_

Happy opened one eye as the sound of Evie's crying filled the room. He glanced at the alarm clock that was sitting on her bedside table. It was barely five o'clock in the morning. Groaning, he got out of bed and trudged over to the small bassinet in the corner. Evie was squirming around, her hands balled into fists. "What do _you_ want, brat?" he asked the baby.

Evie just kept right on screaming, her cute little face all scrunched up as she wailed on. Rubbing a hand over his face, he scooped her up into his arms. "You shit yourself, didn't ya?" he asked, going over to the changing table his Aunt had set up in the corner. He laid her down on it and stared at the diapers and wipes. "Look, I haven't done this shit in years, you sleep for an hour or two more, 'n' I'll get your Aunt Chlo over to clean you, yeah?"

She cried on, not giving a shit about his deal. Grimacing, he undid the little buttons of her onesie and opened her diaper. "Your Ma would get a kick outta this," he muttered, cleaning Evie up before tossing the dirty diaper in the diaper genie and putting a new diaper on her. Now clean, Evie was giving him big smile around the little fist she had in her mouth. "Feelin' better, princess?"

Evie cooed back at him, kicking out her little legs. He had to admit she was a pretty baby. Shining dark eyes, a head full of soft curls, and a smile that was going to break a lot of hearts. "Look like your Ma," he told her, picking her up and cradling her against his chest. "Smile's all his though. Fuckin' idiot."

"Are you cursing at your niece?" Chloe's voice came from the doorway.

He smirked, setting Evie back in the bassinette. She started to whine again, so he picked her back up. "You're s'posed to be in my room," he told Chloe, sitting down on the bed with Evie on his chest.

"Heard her cryin'," she explained on a shrug. "Didn't know if you could handle it."

Happy scoffed, rubbing his hand over Evie's back. "I got her. 's not difficult," he murmured, fighting against a smile when Evie yawned and snugged in closer to his chest. "Likes to be held."

"She's a cuddler," Chloe said, sitting down next to him.

"Like her Ma," he said softly. Angela loved being held as a baby, loved being cuddled into his side during the movies when she was a kid, it wasn't until she was older that she realized he wasn't a big fan of cuddling or hugs and started to pull away. "Huh, brat? You got your Ma's genes. Not that idiot's."

She scowled at that, leaning her head against Happy's shoulder and stroking her hand over Evie's back. "You're worried about her," she stated softly before pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder.

He was still getting used to how well Chloe could read him. Of course, he was worried about Angela. He spent most of his life worried about her. "Don't like not known' where she's at," he muttered, turning to kiss Evie's head. "Never happened before."

Chloe sighed softly. "Wherever they are, I hope they're okay."

* * *

><p>Angela had a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel of the Escalade as she pulled up to the front of the small liquor store. She hadn't gotten through to Diana, but Rosa had answered and had managed to get a hold of her dad, Oso, the newly appointed president of the Mayan's Stockton charter. Oso told them to meet with him and the rest of the Oakland chapter at the Oakland warehouse. The same Oakland warehouse she'd spent hours in with Esai. Those had been her favorite days when they were together. Just hanging out there with him, watching him work on his bike, playing cards with him and the younger Mayans, and just messing around with him. She didn't want to go back in there and relive those memories. Didn't want to have Juice in there surrounded by Esai's ghost.<p>

She had a terrible feeling about the whole situation. The fact that Juice was about to rob a liquor store for more cash wasn't helping ease the feeling either. Her leg bounced up and down as she sat there nervously. Juice set a hand on her thigh, squeezing it gently. "Relax, baby," he said, one side of his mouth turning up with a hint of a smile.

Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly as she tried to look strong. If she fell apart, Juice would be right behind her. She needed to act strong for him. "I'm fine," she assured him with a nod. "I got this. Go 'head. Do what you gotta do. Just don't…kill anyone."

His smile grew a bit as he nodded. " 'course not," he said, leaning over the console to kiss her cheek. "You want anythin'?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Somethin' sweet and cheap?" she requested. A wry grin spread across his face, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "If you say 'like you', I will smack you so fuckin' hard, Juan Carlos Ortiz."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied on a chuckle. "Be back in a minute."

"Wait!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto his sweatshirt and tugging him closer to her again. She gave him a searing kiss, her tongue sliding into his mouth for a moment. He leaned in, his hand moving to the back of her neck to hold her in closer. She pulled away after a moment, swiping her thumb over his lips with a small smile. "For luck."

Juice nodded, squeezing her hand before reaching for the door. "Keep the car runnin'."

"On it. Be safe, baby."

He winked at her. "Always."

Angela watched him head into the store, his hands deep in his pockets. Once he was gone, she let out a long breath, trying her best to calm down. She'd tried to be strong for him but inside, she was a mess. She missed her daughter and was terrified that they were going through all of this crazy shit only for it to blow up in their faces.

It didn't take long for Juice to come running out of the store, a brown bag in his hand. He jumped into the passenger's seat, slamming the door behind him. As soon as it was closed, she floored it, speeding down the commercial area like a bat out of hell. A thrill went down her spine as adrenaline coursed through her veins. For a minute, she forgot all of her worries and just rode the rush, weaving through traffic on their way out of town.

"Adrenaline junkie," Juice teased on a laugh as he pulled two lollipops from his pocket. He unwrapped the strawberry one and handed it to her, keeping the cherry one for himself. "Hope Evie doesn't get those genes."

Angela laughed at that. "We're totally screwed if she's anything like I was."

" 'specially if she's into Mayans," he muttered, feigning injury when she smacked his arm.

"Shut up," she said, trying to hide a smile of her own. She nodded to the brown bag in his lap. "How much did you get? We gotta make anymore stops?"

Juice chuckled softly, shaking his head at her as he flipped through the gash. "Nah, think we're good for now," he replied, putting it back in the bag and shoving it in his pocket. He held out his hand to her. "You ready for this?"

She put her hand in his, feeling comforted by the way her fingers fit perfectly between his. "I dunno. Still not sure this is the best move. Do we really need Alvarez's help? Can't you just...computer magic it?"

"Not enough time. That shit takes _months_ to plan," he said, shaking his head with a frown. "Alvarez runs shit through Mexico all the time. We can just hop on whatever truck he uses and go. It's easy money for him, baby."

"Hmm," she hummed around the lollipop in her mouth. "All right, say it works out and we go to Mexico, right? Then what?"

He shrugged. "_When_ it works out, we'll find a nice beach house with a pool, get Viv to bring down Eves and Ken, and..."

"Live happily ever after?" she supplied on a snort. As good as it sounded, after all they'd been through, it seemed like an unreachable goal. She sighed softly, shaking her head. "I dunno."

"It'll work, Angel," he insisted, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing the top of it. "I'll black out my tats or get 'em removed. Dunno how much it'll cost, but I'll figure it out. Dollar's strong over there, 'n' we got cash once I sell my Clear Passages stock."

"Could always just get a big collection of _sombreros_," she teased, smiling a bit while pushing down the brim of his baseball cap playfully.

Juice reached over a flicked the brim of her hat up. "I'm thinkin' of just growing it all out," he said, taking off his hat and running his hand through the short cropping of hair that was already on his head. "What do ya think?"

She sighed again, thankful for the change in topic. "I'll miss the tats," she admitted on a shrug, "but as long as you don't lose that smile, I think we're good."

His smiled widened before he leaned over to give her a kiss. "Smile's stayin' as long as I got you."

She pushed his face away with a laugh. "Cheeseball," she teased, rolling her eyes. "So what's the plan for when we get there?"

He settled back into his seat, sucking pensively on his lollipop. "Umm. We go in there, see what he can do for us with what we got to give him, and if not," he hesitated a bit, scratching at the back of his neck. "If not, I'll trade intel on the Sons."

Angela pumped the brakes so hard, Juice jerked forward. She cursed under her breath as she pulled over to the side of the road. "Are you fucking serious?" she fumed. "SAMCRO's after you for being a rat and you're going to actually rat? Juice, that's a _terrible _idea!"

"I'm not going to tell them anything important! Just enough to buy our way out. I won't do it unless absolutely necessary, Angel. I promise," he swore, his light brown eyes desperate. "I don't got anything else to give them. Club was all I had 'fore you 'n' Evie. Not about to offer them you two, so…"

Angela breathed in deeply, gripping the steering wheel tighter. She grabbed the door handle, opening it and getting out of the car. Juice scrambled to follow after her, meeting her at the back of it. "We can't do this," she said, her heart pounding in her chest. She pressed her hand to it, trying to will her heart to slow down, but it wouldn't. She was too overwhelmed. Frustrated tears pricked at her eyes as she looked up at Juice. "This isn't going to work."

He set his hands on her shoulders. "Ssh. Baby, breathe," he said, trying to calm her down. "Relax."

She took in a deep breath, raking a hand through her hair. How the hell was she supposed to relax when they were facing what could be the riskiest deal ever made. Alvarez was all about honor. Offering to sell out SAMCRO would _not_ help their case at all. "Promise me you won't sell out the club."

"Angel…"

"Promise!" she insisted, grabbing onto the front of his sweatshirt and tugging to emphasize her point. "Marc won't help a traitor. Its the worse thing you can do in his book. Even if the Mayans need information, he won't take it. There's no honor in that."

Juice hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, baby. Whatever you want."

Angela wasn't so sure he understood the severity of it. It seemed like he was just trying to calm her down, but he didn't know Marcus like she did. "Juice..."

"I'll do what I have to for my family, okay?" he cut her off. He pulled her in close, kissing her forehead. "This is going to work, Angel. We're going to get through this. This time tomorrow, we'll be on the beach in Mexico drinking Sex on the Beach and then having sex on the beach, okay?"

She smiled a bit at that, shaking her head. "Sex on the beach is overrated," she said, playing with the front of his cut. He'd told her he wanted to wear it when they came face to face with the Mayans because he felt it would reaffirm his own belief that he hadn't done anything wrong. "Remember? Sand everywhere?"

He grinned at her and shrugged. "The shower after was fun, though."

"That _is_ true." Her smiled widened as she remembered the one day they got to spend alone at the beach house before the club called him away. She caught his lips in a quick kiss, feeling a little bit stronger as her wrapped his arms around her. "I love you," she whispered as he pulled away.

"Love you too, Angel," he murmured, kissing her again. "C'mon, let's get this show on the road. I'm drivin'."

* * *

><p>Angela swallowed hard as they pulled up to the familiar warehouse. Oso was waiting in front of it by his bike, a few Stockton Mayans she didn't recognize flanking him. Juice looked from them to her, eyebrows raised. "That him?" he asked, nodding to him.<p>

"Yeah," she breathed on a quick nod. Before Esai had even come into the picture, she'd spent a lot of time at Oso's house since he was her best friend, Rosa's, dad. He'd always been kind to her. Said he owed her one for pushing over some kid who made Rosa cry when she'd first come to her school. She'd broken the kid's arm that day but had gained a best friend. She'd already cashed in that favor when she'd asked him to help her get alcohol for Esai's surprise party.

Juice set his hand on hers, pulling her from her thoughts. "It's going to be okay, Angel."

She nodded again, not trusting herself to speak. She sure wished she had that favor to cash in now. Breathing in deeply, she gathered her strength and got out of the car. Oso's small smile was familiar as his eyes landed on her. "_Angelita _Ruiz. All grown up," he said with a nod of approval.

Angela gave him a timid smile, letting him hug her and giving him a half-assed hug back. "Hey Oso," she replied, not about to correct the last name when he was their life line. "This is my husband, Juice Ortiz."

Juice stepped forward, stretching out his hand for Oso to shake. "Nice to meet you."

The older man folded his arms across his chest, nodding his greeting instead. He gave Juice a once over before looking at Angela. "_No puedo creer que después de todo, te casaste con un _Son," he said with a said shake of his head. "_Ven_. Marcus is waiting to talk to you." _(I can't believe that after everything, you married a Son. Come…)_

"Can't help who you love, right?" she asked on a nervous laugh. Oso shook his head in disappointment as he led them towards the entrance. She held tightly to Juice's hand, drawing strength from his touch. The second they entered, she froze, memories hitting her like a freight train. Nothing had changed since the last time she'd been there. Esai's bike was still there, even. Sitting in the middle of everything in the same condition he's left it in. She heard the sound of boots on the concrete floor and held her breath. For a moment, she believed it'd be Esai stepping out around that corner, young and handsome like he'd always been. But it wasn't. It was Marcus, a look on his face that told her he wasn't there to mess around. This wasn't a friendly visit. This was business. She shivered a bit; that didn't bode well for them.

Juice took a step forward, moving so he was slightly in front of her as if to shield her. Marcus looked impressed by the move before his face went back to business. "_Angelita,_" he greeted, his dark eyes warm as they looked her over. _"Que necesitas_?" (_What do you need_?)

Angela swallowed hard, knowing the fact he was asking her and not Juice was also a big red flag. Juice, however, didn't let her answer. "My club wants me dead," he stated, his voice lower and rougher than she'd ever heard it before, sending chills down her spine. "They're puttin' my family in danger. Need you to help us get to Mexico. Safe passage, full IDs."

Marcus looked over at Angela, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes before he hid it quickly. "That's a tall order. What do I get for it in return?"

"Got the 2013 Escalade and a little under two grand in cash," he said, holding out the keys.

Angela held her breath as she watched Marcus consider the offer. "That ain't shit, man," Oso said from behind them. "Could get _her_ out _pero _there's an APB out on _you_."

Her stomach churned as Juice glanced at her over his shoulder, a resigned look in his eyes as they met hers. She watched his shoulders sag a bit, nodding his head as if he'd made some kind of mental decision. He looked back at Marcus. "I'll give you any intel you want on SAMCRO."

Her cringed at the offer, fighting the urge to smack Juice for doing exactly what she'd told him not to. What was he thinking? She looked back at Marcus, a little surprised to see the thoughtful expression on his face. Was he really considering such an offer? Were things that bad between the Mayans and the Sons? "Marc, please. We need your help," she spoke up, hoping it would help their case if he heard it directly from her. "We have no where else to go."

Marcus nodded slowly. "Call your guys. Bring them over here for a meet. We vote this shit tonight," he told Oso before taking a step towards Angela. "_Relajate, mija. Te voy a cuidar." (Relax. I'm going to take care of you.)_

For some reason, she didn't feel as assured by his words as she wanted to. She let him pull her into a hug, anyway. Hugging him back as he kissed her temple, his hand smoothing over her back as he'd done so many times before. This embrace, however, brought her no comfort. It only scared her more. "_Gracias_, Marc," she murmured on a tight smile.

He patted her cheek lovingly before gesturing to the black leather couch behind him. The same leather couch she'd sat on numerous times when she'd come to hang out with Esai. "Come. Sit."

Angela slid her hand into Juice's again as they walked over to the couch. As soon as they were sitting, she leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she tried to relax. He turned his head to kiss the top of hers, his lips lingering there as he breathed in deeply. The rest of the Mayans went back to the card game at the table behind them. Yadri, the father of one of her other childhood friends, gave her a friendly smile before picking up his cards. The other one was new and settled both her and Juice with a cold glare.

Juice squeezed her hand, drawing her attention back to him. With a small smirk, he nodded to the makeshift table of crates, reaching out his free hand to touch the top of it. She realized exactly what he was looking at. A carving of a heart etched deep into the wood with the inscription: _EMA + AIR Forever_. Esai's handiwork.

"Never got around to upgrading this table, huh Marc?" she asked, trying to make light of the situation as she looked at him over her shoulder.

Marcus shrugged a shoulder, still playing it cool. "You know me, _mija_. Too many memories to just give those away."

Angela smiled sadly, starting to think thing might just work out for them. If Marcus was too sentimental to give away the shitty crates with their initials carved into them, maybe, just maybe, he might help them. For old time's sake. Then again, he did have Esai killed for the benefit of his club.

* * *

><p>It was taking far too long for Oso to come back with his crew. Stockton wasn't close by any means, but they'd been there for hours now and had yet to hear anything from anyone. Angela couldn't stop her leg from shaking nervously as she stared straight at the carving. Looking anywhere else just brought back more memories and made her feel worse. She just wanted to get this over with so she could finally breathe. She could tell Juice was on edge too by the way he was smoothing his thumb back and forth over the ring on her finger, his jaw clenched tightly. She squeezed his hand, and their eyes met. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it came out looking more nervous than anything.<p>

She looked back down at the initials etched into the table. A chill ran down her spine as she remembered the last time she'd seen Esai. Her dream. She froze as she remembered his words: _We can't help him. Just you._ "No," she murmured, moving her hand to cover her mouth. She looked over her shoulder at Marcus and the other Mayans her heart beating fast in her chest.

Juice's brows drew together in confusion. "Angel, wha-"

The ringer of Marcus' phone cut off his question. The Mayan President answered it, replying in rapid Spanish. The bad feeling ballooned in her stomach. She didn't know who he was talking to, but she got the gist. Oso was on his way back, and from the sound of it, he wasn't alone. The loud sound of motorcycles that followed told her she'd been right. There were way too many engines for it to be just the Stockton Mayans. She made the connection at the same time Juice did; they'd called SAMCRO. Bile rose to her throat as she stood and turned to face the Mayan President. "Marc-"

"Take her to the closet. She don't need to see this," Marcus interjected, nodding to the other Mayans at the table.

Juice jumped to his feet, standing in front of her again as he faced the other Mayans. "No! You can't take her!" he exclaimed, blocking her from them. He looked back at Marcus. "What the hell is this?"

Yadri stuck a gun in his face. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, ese," he threatened. "Don't matter to me."

Out of nowhere, two other Mayan's grabbed Angela from behind,hauling her up off of her feet while Yadri kept his gun trained on Juice, stopping him from reacting. "No! Marc, please!" she shouted, struggling against their hold, but he ignored her, waving for his men to take her away. She fought against them, thrashing about to try and get them off. "Let me go you fuckin' assholes! Let me go!"

"Angel!" Juice shouted powerless to get to her with a gun shoved in his face. "What the hell is going on?"

She didn't call for him, knowing that it would make him do something rash. The last thing she needed was for him to get shot for no reason other than Marcus decided to move her. The men opened up the back closet and threw her inside none-too-gently. She landed on the ground, lying there for all of a second before she was back on her feet. They shut the door in her face, and she pounded her hands against it. "No! Let me out of here!" she shouted, her hand throbbing after every hit. She gave up after a moment, resting her forehead against the cold metal. Tears of frustration stung her eyes. They'd been so close to getting out. So fucking close.

And yet so far. Sitting on the cold cement floor, she stared at the door, trying her best not to cry. Her eyes landed on the two blue handprints that marked the door. Esai's handprints. She sniffled as she remembered that night. They were kids. Drunk off beers and shots that Marcus and the rest of the Mayans had turned a blind eye to, Esai had hauled her in there, pissed about something or other. In his anger, he thrown around the paint cans, covering both of them in blue paint. She hadn't been able to hold back her laughter at seeing him covered in the stuff. His anger dissipated quickly, and he'd ended up pinning her against the door, having his way with her while he got paint all over the shirt and skirt she'd borrowed from Rosa. Her best friend had been pissed, but it had been worth it.

She smiled sadly at that memory. Things had been so easy back then. Her only worry had been keeping Esai inline and making sure he was happy. Never mind that her home life was in the pits, she'd had another family who loved and took care of her. Sighing, she wiped at her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Esai had warned her in her dream that Marcus wouldn't help Juice. A warning that had fallen on deaf ears. Why hadn't she remembered sooner? Of _course_ Marcus didn't want to help Juice! He had no ties to him other than her. Hell, Marcus didn't even respect Juice. She knew he thought less of Juice because he wasn't big on his Latin roots. Juice had told her Marcus had said he was an embarrassment to Latinos everywhere once. Why had she gone along with this idea? How could she have believed Marcus would help them?

The answer to that was simple: Marcus had always been there for her. He was the only father figure she'd had when she needed one the most. He'd helped her through those hellish high school years, supporting her every step of the way. Hell, he was even there at her high school graduation, cheering her on with Esai and Dia. He'd pulled her aside, given her beautiful emerald stud earrings, and told her how proud of her he was. She kept those earrings tucked in the corner of her underwear drawer, not wanting to get rid of them but not feeling comfortable wearing them around Juice and Happy either. Back in Tacoma, she used to take them out when she was feeling down and remember how happy she'd felt in that moment. How happy the Alvarez family had always made her.

And now here she sat, stuck in the same closet filled with memories, her heart in her throat as she awaited the fate of the person she loved the most. She looked up again, letting out a long breath. "Esai, if you can hear me up there, _please_ tell Marc to take care of us. Of _both_ of us," she pleaded, staring at the handprints on the door. "_Please_."

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><p><strong>Dun dun duuuuunnn...there's a method to my madness. Promise. ;) <strong>

**As always, I would love to hear any thoughts you have! Your reviews always make my day! :D**

**~Love Ink**


	117. End of the Road

**I hate that I have to reiterate this, but if you see my story on another website, _please_ let me know! The person who plagiarized my on Wattpad the first time is saying they're going to do it again, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. I recently posted the first two chapter on Wattpad to prevent it from happening again, but I just want to make sure its not on any other websites. The full story is _only_ on this website. If you see more than two chapters anywhere, it is _not_ me. I spend a lot of time and effort writing. It is my stress reliever, and its really disheartening to see someone repeatedly taking credit for something that I work so hard on.**

**With that in mind, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has stuck with me and has taken the time to read, review, favorite and follow _this_ story! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Mary _**_(You got it! That's exactly what I was going for!) **Hailey (**Thanks for looking out! It's not my story though it does have a similar cover art. I read some of it and while there are a lot of copied lines and similarities, I think I'm just going to let it go. But THANK YOU for telling me! I really, really appreciate it! And I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!), **Darkchild21, **_**_Storylover00, and Guest _**_(I hope you have a wonderful vacation! Hopefully this helps answer some questions...)_

**And a HUGE thanks to _lizmynameis _and _Kupkakes09_ for always helping me get unstuck when I'm stuck. They both have amazing Juice/OC stories that y'all should check out! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Evie! **

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><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 117: End of the Road_

_By Love Ink_

Juice felt like he couldn't breathe as he stood there between Tig and Chibs, listening while Jax and Marcus negotiated a deal centered around them handing him over. It was always business with those two. Never mind that his family's life hung in the balance. He didn't give a shit what Jax did to him once he got him, but he was scared as hell for his wife, for his daughter. He wouldn't put it past the SAMCRO president to hurt him by hurting his family. The deal they were currently making was about drugs and guns as their deals usually were. Both SAMCRO and the Mayans benefited from it. There was no mention made of him or Angela, not until the very end. Marcus cleared his throat. "One last thing," he stated, shifting a bit in his seat. "Your traitor came here with his Old Lady. You can take him, but she stays. Not going to make the same mistake with her that I did with my son. She'll be safer here, with us."

"What?" Tig and Quinn's responses were whispered in unison. Tig looked shocked while Quinn's fists were clenched in outrage.

The rest of his brothers said nothing. Their silence pissed Juice off more than anything. He grit his teeth together, a black rage filling him. "Don't fuckin' touch her!" he spat, lunging for Jax only to have Chibs and Tig hold him back. Angela was the one who was constantly putting her job on the line for them! Anything they needed, she was there! She'd buried their brothers without once complaining about losing money or every turning them away. She'd given whatever she could to the club, and they'd done absolutely nothing to thank her.

Jax ignored his outburst as he thought over the deal. "Easy there, Jackie," Chibs warned, holding onto Juice despite the way he was struggling against them. "Idiot's not the only tie she's got."

_Happy_. A flicker of hope bloomed inside of Juice. He'd forgotten all about the blood tie Angela shared to the club. For the deal to go through, Jax would have to put it to a vote. He did the math inside his head, trying to figure out how the votes would land. It was impossible to tell. Montez and Rat were both unpredictable, but if Happy had anything to do with it, it might just mean his girls got to stay in Charming.

But was that what he wanted? For his girls to go on living in that dangerous town with no one to protect them? He knew for a fact that once they took care of him, Angela and Evie would be excommunicated, left to their own devices in a town that was controlled by SAMCRO. No. He didn't want that. As much as he hated the idea of her being traded as part of a deal, he had to admit, he wanted it to go through. The Mayans genuinely cared for her. He'd seen it first hand in the look on Marcus' face when they'd first walked in. There was no doubt in his mind that Alvarez and his Old Lady would take care of Angela and Evie. Much better care of them than anyone in Charming, that was for sure. Just like that, he was praying like hell that the vote would go through. That his girls would be safe and out of Charming.

Jax seemed to consider Chibs' warning for a moment. "We'll take it to the table. Be back when we got all this shit figured out," he stated, standing to hug Alvarez. He pulled away, glaring at Juice once more. "Take that cut off of him."

Juice didn't fight against the Mayans as they grabbed him by the arms, driving their fists into his stomach. He would've handed the cut over willingly if they'd asked; it didn't mean shit to him anymore.

He felt numb to it all as they dragged him back towards the storage closet they'd so rudely shoved his wife in before. He took in a deep breath as he stood up straighter and tried to think of everything he wanted to tell Angela before they took her away. Before he met his end. He hated that he was going to have to leave her, that everything they'd been through had been for naught. That the vows he'd shared with Angela on their wedding day wouldn't come true. They wouldn't grow old and gray together. This last moment in the storage closet was all the time they had left.

The Mayans opened the door, shoving him inside non-too-gently. He stumbled a bit, quickly regaining his footing and straightening up. Angela scrambled to her feet, her dark eyes filled with worry as she looked up at him, stretching out a hand to caress his cheek. He tilted his head into her touch, closing his eyes and trying to swallow the lump in his throat. Saying goodbye to her was not going to be easy. "I love you," he croaked out, wanting to get that out before anything. He didn't know how much time they had left, and she had to know. "So much, baby. You gotta know that."

Her brows furrowed in confusion as her thumb brushed over his cheekbone. "What happened, Juice?"

"Marcus called Jax," he choked out, setting his hands on her hips. "I'm...he's handing me over to them for some business deal."

"No," she gasped, anger flared in her dark eyes as she shook her head. She took her hand away from his face, grabbing hold of the front of his t-shirt instead. "He can't do that! Who the fuck does he think he is? Trading us like cattle for a fucking _deal_. This is insane!"

"Not us, Angel. Just me_._ Club votes the deal in and Alvarez is keepin' you," he explained softly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Said he wants to keep you safe."

"What? No! Are they serious? Do they think I'm just going to go along with it? Let them take you and-"

"You are," he interjected, knowing if he didn't stop her, she'd ramble on for hours about how stupid this whole thing was. She was right, of course, but he didn't know how much time they had, and he didn't want to waste it. "You're going to go with Alvarez 'n' he's gonna keep you safe."

"What?" she questioned, blinking at him in disbelief. "Juice, don't be ridiculous. I'm not going anywhere without you. We're going to get out this, okay? We're going to be fine."

He smiled sadly at her optimism. "Not this time, baby. This is it for me. End of the road."

"Don't be stupid, Juice," she started to protest.

"Listen to me, Angel. I don't know how long we got 'fore they take me away, and I got a lot to say before then," he begged, stroking the back of his knuckles over her soft cheek. He waited for her to nod before he cleared his throat and told her what he wanted. "I want you to go with Alvarez. Take Evie and Kenny and go live in Oakland for a while 'til you can figure out somewhere else to go. Stay out of Charming as much as you can. It ain't safe for you anymore, baby. You'll be safe with the Mayans. Alvarez'll protect you. He loves you. 's written all over his face."

"And what about you?"

He swallowed hard again, trying to rid himself of the lump in his throat. "They'll take me to the table as a traitor. This time for real. They'll be a Mayhem vote and then..."

"No," her breath caught in her throat. "No. This...this can't be the end, Juice. This is...its just a bump in the road. We'll get through it. We always do."

"You really think Jax is going to forgive me? After everything he thinks I did? You really think he's just going to give me a pardon?"

He could see in her eyes that she didn't think that; she was too smart to believe the SAMCRO President would forgive him so easily. She nodded anyway, trying to be strong for him. "Yes. I think he'll have you do some terrible thing, and then…then he'll let you go and you'll come back to me and we'll live happily ever after. That's what's going to happen."

"Not this time, baby."

Her eyes grew glassy with tears as she stepped closer to him. She ducked her head, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. "Don't say that," she quavered, a tear spilling down her cheek. "Don't give up, Juice. Please. I can't lose you."

Juice put his hands on her cheeks, gently tilting her head back so he could meet her eyes. "You're going to be fine, Angel. I know it. You're strong and smart and you'll be able to move past this. Start a new life somewhere far away without the club and all its bullshit. Somewhere safe where you two can be happy."

"You expect us to be happy without you?" she croaked, a tear falling from her eye and catching on his hand.

He nodded, leaning down to kiss her lips softly. "Yeah, I do," he answered, kissing over her cheek. "I want you to be happy. That's _all_ I want for you and Evie."

Angela shook her head stubbornly. "I can't do that without you," she breathed, holding onto his wrist.

"You can, and you _will_," he insisted, touching his forehead to hers. Her image was blurred through his tears as he struggled to keep it together. "Make sure to tell Evie about me, okay? Make sure she knows how much I love her. That I'll always be there for her like your dad is for you."

"Stop that. You're not going anywhere, Juice," she choked out, shaking her head. "We're going to be okay. We're going to Hawaii or Mexico with the beach and sex on the beach the drink and the act and we won't care about sand because then we'll shower and it'll be…perfect. We're gotta have more babies and get old together. That's what we said. Remember?"

He nodded, smiling a bit at her rambling. "Yeah, I do," he said, kissing her again. He wanted to kiss her as much as he could. "And you can still move to the beach, baby. Collect seashells for me. I'll still be there just…not physically there. You believe in heaven, right? That's where I'll be. With Koz and-and I'll finally meet your dad! We'll hang out and drink beer and shit while we watch you 'n' Eves."

Angela laughed lightly, shaking her head at him. "Goof."

His heart warmed at the nickname; it was something she'd called him for as long as they'd known each other. "I love you," he murmured, enveloping her in his arms and holding her as close as he could. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Honest. You've given me this…amazing life, and I just…I wish I could spend the rest of it with you."

A soft sob escaped her lips as she clung to him, her face buried in his neck. He held her tightly, smoothing a hand over her hair and breathing her in. "I'm sorry, Angel," he whispered, his voice cracking. "So sorry. I love you so much, baby. Don't ever, _ever_ forget that, okay?"

She nodded against him, sniffling slightly as she lifted her head. "Love you too," she replied meekly. She caught his lips with hers in an ardent kiss, her hands sliding under the back of his shirt to caress his skin. He closed his eyes at the feel of it, trying to commit her touch to memory. He pushed her up against the door, his hands sliding under her shirt to touch her soft skin. He wanted to have his hands all over her once more before he met his end.

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><p>Happy stood as the rest of SAMCRO walked back into Redwoody after their meet with the Mayans. He headed straight to Quinn knowing that the other man would tell him the truth. "What's goin' on?" he asked, nodding to where Jax and Chibs were deep in conversation just outside the chapel doors.<p>

"Mayans got Juice 'n' Angie," Quinn explained, a grim look on his face. "Those two pulled a Bonnie 'n' Clyde. Went there wanting to trade some stolen money, an SUV, and SAMCRO secrets for a trip across the border. Alvarez called Jax wanting to make a trade. A traitor for a slice of the guns."

Happy nodded. That made sense. Juice was good leverage especially if he was offering to trade club secrets. If Marcus wanted a deal, he certainly would have Jax's attention using the idiot. There was one person Quinn hadn't mentioned in the deal, though, and it made Happy uneasy. "What about the kid?"

"She's alive. Pissed off, but alive, the little spitfire," he said with a smirk. After a moment, he frowned. "We got a problem though."

Happy raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Alvarez wants to keep her."

He blinked at that sentence for a moment, trying to comprehend what Quinn was saying. "What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as he cocked his head to the side. There was no way he'd heard him right. How could _she _be a part of the deal? She had nothing to do with the Sons or the Mayans. Keeping her wouldn't benefit either side. It was just Alvarez throwing his weight around, trying to make up for what he'd done to his son by bringing back the girl he use to think of as a daughter.

"Part of the deal. Alvarez wants to keep Ang," he explained, frowning slightly.

"What'd Jax say?" he questioned, his fists clenched tightly as he tried to control his anger.

"Hap-"

"What did Jax say?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Quinn frowned, shaking his head. "We're going to vote on it."

Happy was off in seconds, stalking over to Jax and Chibs. In one swift movement, he lifted Jax by the collar of his cut and pinned him against the wall. "The fuck you think you're doin' with my kid?" he growled. He was aware of Chibs calling his name in warning, but he didn't give a shit. Jax wanted to use his _kid _for club business. It was Tig who finally had the balls to haul him off. Happy went willingly but not before he gave Jax a hard shove, giving him a look of disgust.

Jax righted his cut with a roll of his shoulders. "I didn't do shit!" he argued, puffing out his chest in a move to show dominance. It didn't work; Happy would never be afraid of him. The SAMCRO President took in a deep breath through his nose, letting it out slowly to try and contain his anger. _Good_, Happy thought. At least he wasn't dumb enough to get back in his face. "Told Alvarez we'd put it to a vote. Just like we do with everything else, all right?" Jax explained, keeping calm. He looked around at the rest of SAMCRO. "So let's vote. Chapel. Now."

Happy glared at him as he walked by, his hands still clenched into fists. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to find Tig standing at his side. "With you on this one, brother," the wild haired man proclaimed.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise; everyone knew Jax had Tig's balls in a vice after what went down with Pope. Going against the President could put him in serious shit. The fact that he was willing to do that for Angela spoke volumes for their friendship. He nodded slowly. They were the last two to vote, though, and by the time it got to Tig, it'd be easy to see which way the vote was leaning. "Don't do it if it won't change anythin'. No reason to fuck yourself over."

Tig nodded, squeezing his shoulder before heading into the makeshift room they used as a chapel. Happy stared at the doors as they closed behind him, taking in a deep breath. This was the moment Chloe had warned him was coming. He'd have to choose between his kid and his club. He was surprised by how easy that choice came to him. His kid. From here on out, his kid came first.

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><p>Angela held tightly to Juice, her arms wrapped around his waist as they both stood in the small storage closet. He held her close, one hand stroking her hair while the other was tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. He turned his head to press his lips to her forehead, letting them linger for a moment before he cleared his throat. "What do you think she'll be like?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Evie. I mean, I know she'll be beautiful, but what do you think she'll be <em>like<em>? Smart? Funny?"

She felt a lump form in her throat at the idea that he'd never know for sure what their daughter would be like. That Evie would never know him. "She's going to be smart as hell. She already is for her age. Probably on the quiet side. A Daddy's girl," she finished, her breath catching in her throat at the end. She didn't know where it came from, but it felt right. If Evie had the chance to grow up with Juice, there was no doubt in her mind that the little girl would have her daddy wrapped around her finger and that she would adore him. "She would love you so much."

Juice swallowed hard, sniffling a bit as a tear slid down his cheek. "Goddamn, Angel. Don't-don't do that. I can't…you _know_ how much I want to be there."

"I know. I'm sorry," she rasped, putting her lips to his in a quick kiss. She stroked her hand over his cheek, wiping away the tear. There was so much she wanted to say to him, so much she wanted him to know, and yet, she couldn't find the right words to say it. "Do you know how much you mean to me?"

He nodded, sighing softly. "Yeah," he choked out on a nod. "Sorry we got dealt such a shit hand, baby. Would've given you the world if I could've."

Angela smiled softly. "You did. You gave me the best years of my life and a beautiful daughter. I wouldn't trade any of it. Not a single moment. Well, this…this, I'd change, of course. But you and me? Never."

"Love you," he rasped, dipping his head to kiss her. "Don't ever forget that, Angel. Don't let Evie ever forget that."

A soft sob escaped her hold as she nodded. "I won't," she promised, kissing him again. "I love you, Juice. So much. And she'll know it. I promise she'll know it. How could she not?"

"Yeah. Maybe this isn't goodbye, y'know?" he said on a sad chuckle. "Maybe I'll be able to earn my way back. Figure somethin' out with Jax or somethin'. Right?"

Angela knew he was bargaining now, and she was more than willing to go along with it. "Yeah. Exactly," she agreed on a light laugh. "Maybe we're going through all of this sappy shit only to have you come back."

The look in his eyes told her even he didn't believe it, but his lips curved into a small smile anyway. "Yeah, maybe," he murmured, pulling her in closer to his chest again, her head tucked under his chin so that their bodies fit perfectly against each other the way they always had.

They could hear voices getting closer, and she tensed in his hold as the door knob turned. "No," she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. "Not yet. They can't…"

He squeezed her tightly to him, his nose buried into her hair. "_Dame un beso_," he requested with a sad smile. (_Give me a kiss.)_

Her breath caught in her throat at the request. '_Beso'_ was the first word in Spanish she'd ever taught him. The phrase, one of the few ones he got down pat and used often. She tilted her head back to look at him, hating the resigned look in his eyes. He wasn't sad anymore. He'd accepted his fate, and he was going to go out like the strong man she'd always known he was. There'd be no fighting on his part; there was nothing more he could do. She grabbed onto his shirt, holding onto it tightly. "No. Not yet. I don't…" she started, but he cut her off, his lips crashing down on hers. She held on tightly to him, pouring everything she had into that kiss as tears streamed down her face. His tongue slid in her mouth as his hand raked through her hair.

A cool draft came in as the door opened behind her. Juice pulled away, stroking a hand over her cheek, the ghost of a smile on his face. "I love you, Angel," he whispered, prying her hands from the front of his shirt and squeezing them lovingly. "You're going to be okay."

Angela took in a deep breath, nodding her head. "Love you, Juice," she choked out. When Juice went to walk away, she grabbed his wrist, pulling him back in. She recognized one of the Mayans right away. He was an old friend of her and Esai's. "Lino, _un momento mas, por favor." (One moment more, please._)

Paulino hesitated before nodding. "_Bueno_." (_Fine)_

She put her hand on the back of Juice's neck and stood on her toes to press her forehead to his. He smiled a bit at the action, touching his nose to hers as he took a deep breath. "Be strong, Angel," he told her, his voice shaking a bit. "Be strong and be happy. Take care of Monk."

Angela swallowed hard as she nodded. "Always," she promised with a sad smile. She pressed her lips to his in another kiss. "I love you. I love you, I love you," she repeated as many times as she could. "Be strong."

Juice nodded, kissing her forehead before wiping a stray hair from her cheek. "Love you," he said once more before he looked at Paulino. "Take care of my girls."

Paulino straightened up, puffing out his chest a bit before nodding. "You don't got nothin' to worry 'bout. Was watchin' out for her long before you came around."

He bobbed his head in approval, looking at Angela one more time before starting his walk towards the Sons. Angela's heart felt like it was breaking in two as she watched him walk away. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she kept them at bay; no way was she letting Jax or any of those other assholes see her cry. She stood strong, knowing that if she fell apart, Juice would too. She was being strong for him, for their family. Her dark eyes met Jax's ice cold stare as he lingered behind. She glared right back at him, her arms crossed over her chest as she put all her anger into that glare. Coward that he was, Jax looked away first, turning to join his brothers as they took Juice away.

As the sound of their motorcycles faded off into the night, Marcus approached her. He reached out a hand to touch her but she ducked away from his touch. "_No me toques_," she ground out, glowering at him. "Take me to my daughter." (_Don't touch me)_

"She's on her way to my house. Dia will take care of you," he told her, putting his tough guy mask back on. "Lino, why don't you take her over? You can take our new car, no?"

Paulino nodded before looking over at Angela. "C'mon, _chiqui_. _Vamos_."

Angela bristled at the old nickname but followed him anyway. The short car ride to Alvarez's home was awkward as hell. She was doing her best not to keep it all together while he shifted nervously in his seat. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Missed you at the funeral," he stated finally. Her brows furrowed together in confusion; she had no idea what he was talking about. He sighed softly, running his hand through his hair. "E's. Thought you'd a been there. Know he saw you the night before."

"Lino, really?" she asked incredulously. "My husband just got taken away and you want to talk about _Esai__'s funeral_?"

He shrugged, chuckling a bit. "Shit, _chiqui_. _Husband_? _Damn, _its been a long time since I seen you!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. When he realized she wasn't laughing along with him, he frowned. "Look, I'm sorry for all this, Angie. Your man's a strong dude, though. Might pull through. You don't know. That _g__ringo_ biker never said he was goin' to kill him, right?" (_White boy)_

"You know how this biker world works. You make one wrong move 'n' its over," she replied sullenly. "Look at E! Marcus killed him! For what?"

"Who knows?" he asked, though she was sure he did. It was club business, though, and she wasn't privy to it. "So you got a husband that ain't E and a kid that ain't E's, what happened to your guys dream? _Por vida _and all that bullshit." (_For life)_

Angela raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. "How'd you-"

"You didn't think I'd know about the baby?" he asked on a scoff. "Please, our Mama's gossip on the _daily_, Angie! Graci won't shut _up_ about her new _nieta_. Ma has pictures and everything. Eva, right? She's real cute." _(Granddaughter) _

"Thanks," she replied with a sad smile. "What about you? Wife? Kids?"

Lino shrugged a shoulder. "Currently sleeping with the lovely Tiffany. No kids. Just us."

"No shit. Jay's Tiff?" she asked in surprise. Jay had been part of their crew back in the day. He was gorgeous and smart as hell. Tiffany had been his girl for years until he decided to leave for college, and she'd stayed behind and got in with the Mayan _chicas_.

"Ain't Jay's any more, girl! All mine now," he exclaimed, smiling proudly. His smile faded a bit as he pulled into the driveway. "You gonna be okay, Angie?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder as she stared at the familiar house. She breathed in deeply, a lump forming in her throat as she shook her head. "No," she rasped, tears blurring her vision. She stared at the house, trying her best not to let her tears show. "I don't think so."

Paulino sighed sadly. "You really loved him, huh?"

"Yeah," she breathed, hating the tear that escaped her hold. She wiped it away quickly and opened the door. "I'll see you around, Lino."

With that, she slammed the door in his face. There was nothing he could say to make her feel better. She walked quickly towards the house, pulling Juice's hoodie tightly around her shoulders and crossing her arms over her stomach. Ringing the doorbell, she wiped furiously at her cheeks, trying to staunch the tears. "Keep it together, Ang," she murmured to herself.

Diana opened the door, her dark eyes already worried. "Oh, _mija_," she said, stretching out her arms. "C'mere."

Angela's strength crumbled as Dia enveloped her into her arms. "They took him," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking as the sadness overtook her. "He's gone."

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><p>Marcus walked into house feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders. He'd hated seeing Angela fall apart like that. Hated seeing her cry, but he knew it had to be done. Her idiot husband had been rumored to be a rat before and had removed all doubt about his status once he'd offered up information about the Sons in exchange for safe passage to Mexico. As much as he wanted to help Angela, he couldn't in good conscience help her traitorous Old Man. So he'd sold them out. Kept her to protect her from the wrath of SAMCRO. He knew what became of Old Ladies who's Old Men betrayed the club. They were excommunicated, shunned from a family that once loved them so much. He didn't want to see that happen to Angela and her daughter. Not when his family was ready and willing to take them in.<p>

His house was quiet when he walked in, which was fine with him. It was too late for his daughter to be up anyway. He side stepped around Tessa's toys as he stripped off his cut. Diana didn't allow it in the bedroom any more. Not since Esai had died. Once he was gone, she wanted home life and club life separate. No Mayan symbols were allowed upstairs unless they were the ones that were already in Esai's room. He climbed up the stairs as quietly as he could, trying to think of a good argument for Diana; she was bound to be pissed about the way he'd hurt Angela.

He paused in Esai's doorway, surprised to see the door was slightly ajar. Diana hadn't let him touch it after their son's death. She'd left it as some sort of shrine to him. The door was never opened unless Dia was dusting inside or Tessa was on his bed looking through old photo albums. Peeking inside, his heart twisted painfully at the sight before him. A small crib sat next to Esai's big bed; the same one that anyone with the last name Alvarez had used for decades. From his place at the door, Marcus could just make out the small baby inside. He'd yet to meet Angela's daughter, but Diana fawned over her like she was her own granddaughter whenever they got back from their meet ups in San Jose.

Angela was sitting up against Esai's headboard, dressed in his clothes, with Tessa sleeping on her lap. She was awake, her fingers gently stroking over Tessa's hair as she stared at the little crib. If she noticed him there, she ignored him, so he backed away, not ready for that conversation just yet. How could he explain why he'd chosen to turn Juice in but save her? She wouldn't understand.

He walked down the hall to his own bedroom, opening the door to find Dia sitting up in bed, reading. " 'ey," he greeted, catching her attention.

She looked at him over the top of her reading glances, a disapproving look on her face. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Marcus," she stated, setting her book aside. _"Que paso_?" (_What happened?)_

Marcus sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed by his wife's hip. "I couldn't help them both, _Mama_. He was a lost cause _pero_ _Angelita_, I could save. Knew it was something Esai'd want if he was here. Couldn't save him _pero ella si_." (_I couldn't save him, but I could save her.)_

"_Y su marido_? What's to become of him?" (_And her husband?)_

"_No se_," he answered honestly as he pulled off his rings. "He's a rat. He'll get what's coming to him." (_I don't know.)_

Diana frowned slightly as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "_Pobrecito_," she murmured, shaking her head. (Poor thing.)

Marcus shrugged a shoulder. " 'ey, he signed up for this life, _Mami_. It ain't no joke," he stated calmly. "How's she doin'?"

"Not good. Eva was here when Lino dropped her off, and she just picked up her daughter and cried. She kept telling the poor baby she was sorry _como si fuera _her fault," she told him sadly. "And there was nothing you could do?" _(...as if it was...)_

"No. Soon as the idiot offered up club secrets, wasn't anythin' I could do. That shit ain't right. A traitor is a traitor, _sabes?_ Figured saving _Angelita _was the best I could do to help them. Keep her away from those _pendejos_. Make sure she and the little one stay safe." (_You know?...dicks.)_

Diana leaned over and kissed his cheek again, stroking a hand over it. "You have a good heart, Marcus. _Pero esa pobre nena _is not going to get over this. She's going to hate you for a long time." (But that poor girl...)

"I know," he said with a bob of his head. He studied her face for a moment, thinking about when he told her about Esai. About the cold nights he'd spent on the couch for months while she got over the way her son had been killed. If Dia could forgive him for that, Angela would surely come around eventually. "Sorry if we ain't got room for her. I'll find her another place to stay if you want to keep her outta that room."

She scowled at that, shaking her head. "Space isn't the problem. Having her here is like…its like having a piece of _mi hijo_ _otra vez_. _Y tu hija! _Tessa could not be happier that her _'mana_ is here. She's convinced _Angelita's_ her sister and that she's Eva's _Tia, la loca._" (_My son again...and your daughter!...sister, crazy girl.)_

Marcus chuckled softly at his five year old's antics. "In another life, could've turned out that way. _Te imaginas?_" (_Can you imagine?)_

Dia smiled sadly as she nodded. "I think about it all the time."

* * *

><p>Happy stood in the corner of the dingy hotel room where they were holding Juice, listening while Jax explained what the idiot had to do the next morning. The President planned to send him back to Stockton so he could take care of Lin from the inside. It was a shitty idea that Hap was almost positive wouldn't work out well. Rats didn't fare well in prison. Juice, however, seemed to be considering it. "I do this and get out, what happens?" he asked, his voice rough, resigned. "I get back to my girls?"<p>

Jax shrugged a shoulder. "Sure," he said as if it was an easy feat. "You do this, as soon as you get out, you can get back to your girls, and get out of Charming."

"If I don't?"

"Then you'll never see them again," the President replied, a threat in his voice, "and your little girl will grow up knowing her father was a rat and a coward who pussied out on his one chance to get back to her."

Happy clenched his jaw angry at the idea that Jax would poison his niece's thoughts about her father once he was gone. He wouldn't let that happen. Juice was an idiot, but he loved his daughter. No way would he trash his name to her. "Take the deal, Juice," he suggested, hoping his input would convince him. If Juice didn't take the deal, he'd be responsible for killing him. Angela would know that, and she'd never forgive him for it. Happy knew if she lost Juice, he'd lose her, and he wasn't ready for that. "For them."

Juice smiled a little, a soft chuckle escaping his hold as his light brown eyes met his gaze. Clearing his throat, he looked back at Jax, squaring his shoulders in a show of strength. "Yeah, okay," he agreed, bobbing his head.

"All right. This goes down first thing in the morning," Jax said, looking pleased with himself. "Tig, Hap, you stay with him. He runs, you know what to do."

"Roger that," Tig said on a nod as he took a seat on the arm chair in the corner.

"Got it from here, boss," Hap assured him, resting his hand on the hilt of his knife. He had a feeling Juice wasn't going to run, though, not if this deal could lead to him getting back to his family. The rest of SAMCRO filed out after Jax, Chibs lingering behind to give Juice one last, disgusted glare before he closed the door behind him.

Once they were all gone, Juice's shoulders sagged, his elbows resting on his knees as he let his head fall into his hands. He ran his fingers through the short hair on his head, the light in the room making the tattoo and ring on his left hand stand out. He let out a soft sigh before lifting his head again and getting to his feet. He took a step towards the chair where his cut was, his hand reaching out for the leather.

Happy blocked him. "Ain't yours to wear anymore."

Juice nodded in agreement. "Don't want to wear it," he answered sadly. "There's a few pictures in the inner pocket. Just want a reminder of why I'm doin' this. You mind?"

Tig was the one who stood to grab it. He dug his fingers into the inner pocket, pulling out a small stack of pictures and a lacy pair of panties. "Here," he muttered, handing all of them to him. The situation they were in was too severe to joke about the panties, so he stayed quiet.

Happy watched as the idiot quickly tucked the panties into his pocket before he sat back down on the bed. From his place in the corner, Hap had a clear view of the pictures in his hand. All of them were of Angela. Juice traced his finger over her smile, a small one crossing his own face. "You remember the first day I met her?" he asked Tig sadly.

Tig humored him, chuckling a bit. "Yeah. You wouldn't shut up about her. 'member Hap? I called you to tell you we'd made contact with her. That the idiot was interested."

Happy remembered that phone call well. Tig had told him it wasn't a big thing. That it wouldn't last. Neither of them believed that she'd give Juice the time of day, and if she did, they'd all assumed it'd be a one night stand. That they'd get sick of each other. Kozik was the only one who said otherwise. The blonde had been positive that Juice was just her type. They'd met a bet on how long it'd last and everything. Hap had lost withing just a few days. "Told you not to worry about it. Thought the kid wasn't interested in SAMCRO."

"I don't think she ever was," Juice mused as he flipped through the rest of the pictures. "That first time I saw her, I thought she was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. And then we started talkin' and I realized she was smart and witty. Always ready with a one liner, callin' me on my shit. And strong. So fuckin' strong, my Angel. Always there when I needed her. Always had some rose colored way of looking at whatever shit situation I got myself in. And I fell for her without even realizing it. One minute she was just this hot girl leanin' against a hearse and the next…the next she was _my_ girl, my family. Then Evie came into the picture and…that was it. They're what I'd been searching for my whole life."

Juice swallowed hard as he ended on a picture of Evie and Angela. He looked up at his two brothers, his eyes glassy. "Take care of them, please. Protect them," he requested, staring beseechingly at Happy. "Just make sure they're happy. I don't care what happens to me, but make sure they're happy. That's all I want for her. For Evie. Please."

Happy straightened up a bit. Juice's words were eerily similar to Angela's father's the moments before his death. The request was the same. It was as though it was some kind of sign from Victor himself telling him to do the right thing. Gritting his teeth together, he grabbed his gun and aimed it in Juice's face. "Go."

Juice's eyes widened as he stared, slackjawed, at the Tacoma Killer. "What?"

"Run," he growled, nodding to the door. "Bikes in the back, keys are on the table. Take 'em and get out."

"But…Jax, the deal. I can't…my girls…I just want to get back to them. I can do it, Hap. Don't do this."

Happy slid a bullet into the chamber with a click, taking a step closer to Juice. "You'll hurt her more by goin' through with it and gettin' taken out in the process. You go now, you save her a lot of hurt. So start runnin'."

* * *

><p><strong>Dun dun duuuuun...<strong>

**Leave me a review and let me know what you think! Your thoughts, predictions, ideas, etc. are always welcome and appreciated! :)**

**~Love Ink**


	118. Not Real

**This was a crazy tough chapter to write, but I think I like how it came out! **

**GIGANTIC thanks goes to _lizmynameis_ and _Kupkakes09_ for their constant help and support. If you haven't read either of these ladies' stories, you should go check them out. NOW. ;)**

**Thanks also to those who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow. The response for the last chapter was incredible! Made me happy for days! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Guest 1, Mary (_**_Rigor comes back in this chapter! He was hanging out with BOner and Kenny for a bit.), **lilmami**** (**Congrats on your pregnancy! :) Stay tuned for what's in store with the other couples!), **Guest 2**, **Darkchild21** **(**Juice definitely should've listened to his wifey on that one. She knew what she was talking about. Stupid boy. :p), **Guest 3, Redkazi, Sweetsmyla, Guest 4, Guest 5, Dan **(Trying to keep mine up! I love writing this story so as long as people are enjoying reading it, I'll keep writing!), **Storylover00, Moxxi, Guest 6, **and **KalynAlexis! **_**Y'all ROCK! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Evie!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 118: Not Real_

_By Love Ink_

Juice stared down the barrel of Happy's gun, his heart pumping in his chest. Though Hap was telling him to leave, the gun pointed in his face was unnerving and made him reluctant to listen. What he'd done was unforgiveable in Happy's book. He wouldn't put it past him to make him run and then shoot him in the back while he was escaping to spare Angela the heartache of having to wait for him while he was in prison only for him to get killed inside. But he wasn't going to die inside, not when he had so much to live for. He'd do what Jax wanted him to do and get out. "Hap, don't. I can do this. I know I can. Just let me prove it to Jax."

But the Tacoma killer wouldn't listen. "Take off your rings and get the fuck out of here," Happy insisted, gesturing to the table with his gun. "Your bike's outside, keys are on the table. Take it 'n' get outta here."

"No. Hap, please. I got this chance. Don't..."

"Ain't fuckin' killin' you, idiot," he growled in response.

A knowing look filled Tig's eyes as he looked between them. "I get it," he stated with a sly grin. "We'll let him go. Tell Jax 'n' the rest of the guys that he ran and we killed him. Put a bullet through the cut, maybe some blood. Rings'll be proof that you're dead, and you'll get away. Get you back to those girls."

Juice still couldn't wrap his head around what they were saying. Had they both gone crazy? Staging his death just to let him go free? It didn't feel right coming from the most loyal member of the club and the one Jax had enough blackmail on so that he could be brought to the table for a Mayhem vote at any time. Betraying Jax like this was one hell of a risk, and he was having a hard time believing either of the men would take it just for his if they were sincere in their offer, Angela couldn't convincingly play off his death to Jax. She wasn't that great of an actress, and Jax knew the agony that came with losing his other half first hand; he'd know she was faking it right away. "Angel's not that good of an actress. She may be able to convince the others, but no way will she fool Jax or Chibs."

"So we don't tell her," Tig shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing. "We let her thing you're a goner 'til all this shit's blown over. Once Jax gets off her ass, we'll find a window and get her and the kids out to you. It'll hurt her, of course, but think of the end game, brother. You'll all be together."

He raised his eyebrows at the term of endearment. How could Tig call him his 'brother'? Didn't they all see him as a traitor? What sort of sick game were they playing, giving him hope only to kill him later. "I don't…the APB…"

"Ain't no APB," Happy interjected with a scowl. "Fuckin' cop lady throwin' her weight around. Tryin' to spook ya. If it was legit, cops woulda got you already. You ain't that slick."

"Plus with all that damn hair, you're unrecognizable," Tig put in, gesturing to Juice's full head of hair. "They'll be lookin' for the tats. You ain't got 'em."

Juice shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting towards the door. He didn't like this idea. Not one bit, but if it meant he could avoid jail time and eventually get back to his girls…maybe it was the best option. "So what, I just leave? Then what? Where do I go?"

"Somewhere far, far away," Happy replied.

He breathed in deeply, running a hand over his short hair. He couldn't comprehend why they were doing this. Tig had never showed him any kindness, and he'd been under the impression that Hap wanted him six feet under a long time ago. "Why are you guys doing this?"

Happy lowered his gun, jerking his head towards the pictures of Angela that were still lying on the top of the bed. "For her," he stated simply. " 'n' for the brat. They deserve better."

* * *

><p>Angela drove to Charming with her window down, the music playing at a lower volume than usual since Evie was sitting in the back seat. If the situation was different, she'd have the music blasting with all the windows down to drown out the noise in her head as she drove at breakneck speeds. But she couldn't do that now, not with Evie in the car. She looked up at the rearview mirror, checking on her daughter. She was staring out the window, her toes wiggling along to the music while she sucked calmly on her pacifier. "Daddy's gonna be okay, Evie-doll," she said, catching her attention. "He'll find a way back to us. He always does. Then we'll move far, far away from here."<p>

She wasn't supposed to go back to Charming. Dia had tried to stop her, but she insisted. It'd been a few days since she'd last talked to Bones, Kenny, and Ally, since she'd last seen her dog. Even Marcus couldn't argue with that one. He'd told her to be safe and to come back as soon as she could, reiterating that Charming wasn't safe. As much as she hated him for what he'd done, she couldn't deny that he was right. Like Dia had said, his heart was in the right place and honestly, Angela didn't have anywhere better to go. Her mother's house was out of the question. Staying there meant she might run into Hap and that was a risk she didn't want to take. Not after everything that had happened the day before.

Her heart rose to her throat as Dubrowski's came into view. It really was the place that had started it all. It was where she'd met Juice, where she'd buried Koz, where she'd started her own little family. "We're home, Monk," she proclaimed, getting out of the car. Once she opened Evie's door, she smiled as the baby held out her hand to her. "Hi beautiful girl! You ready to go visit with your brother and uncle?"

Evie kicked her legs out in response, cooing happily as Angela picked her up. She ran a hand over her daughter's soft hair. "You have no idea what's goin' on, huh Monk?" she asked, pressing her lips to Evie's forehead. "Lucky girl."

She heard Rigor barking excitedly and grinned as her beautiful dog came bounding towards her, happy as can be. "Hi Rigs!" she exclaimed, rubbing a hand over his head. "Hey beautiful boy. Were you good for Boner?"

Kenny walked out of the garage behind him, his hands tucked deep into the pockets of his black jeans, his dad's black beanie on covering most of his hair save for a bit of his bangs. "Why are you back?" he asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. "You're supposed to be with Juice. Getting out. Ms. Viv said she'd get us out to you when she got the chance."

Angela smiled sadly. She wasn't surprised Vivica had reached out to him; she probably offered him a place to stay as well. Despite her intimidating behavior, Vivica had a heart of gold when it came to her family and friends. "Didn't work out," she told him softly.

He frowned, his expression looking so much like Opie's that it made Angela even sadder. Kenny had already lost so much because of the club; she hoped he wouldn't have to lose anymore. "Shit. Sorry, Mama," he said, fussing with his beanie. Evie reached for him with an excited squeal, and he took her easily from Angela, giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "Sup, Monk? You're gettin' bigger on me, sis."

Her heart warmed at the sight of the young teenager with the baby girl. There was no doubt in her mind that Kenny was going to be one hell of a big brother as Evie grew up. "How're the adoption papers comin' along?" she asked as she stooped down to give Rigor more attention.

"Lyla says they're almost done. Apparently, they had to send out letters to all my family's close friends so…Gemma got one," he replied, shifting nervously. "She uh…she wants to talk to you."

Angela clenched her teeth together; Gemma was the last person on earth she wanted to talk to. "Awesome," she replied flatly. "We busy here?"

"Nah. Pretty dead. Boner's been spinning around in his desk chair for an hour," he answered on a shrug. He shifted nervously, ignoring Evie as she grabbed for his beanie. He let her tug on it without a single comment. Clearly, he had other things on his mind. "Is um…what happened with Juice?"

She sighed as she straightened up, giving him a sad smile. "He's uh…not so good. The Sons got him so…I don't really know what's going to happen, but I uh…I'm stayin' up in Oakland with some of my Mayan friends, so I'll only be here for work. Thinks its best we stay out of Charming for now."

"Well, that sucks," he muttered as they headed inside. "Can I come?"

Angela furrowed her brows in confusion. As far as she knew, he still thought the Mayans were responsible for his mother's death. "You _want_ to come?"

"Mayans didn't kill my Mom. I know that. Pop told me 'fore he died that it wasn't them," he explained on a shrug. "He wouldn't say who did it, though, and I don't want to know at this point. 's not going to bring her back."

She looked him over for a moment, feeling proud as hell of him for having such a mature outlook on what had happened. "You're amazing, kid. You know that?" she asked, kissing his cheek.

Kenny shrugged again, a small blush rising to his cheeks. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, waving her off. "I'm with you on this, though. If you 'n' Monk are there, then I should be too. We're a family, right?"

She gave him a warm smile as she nodded. "Yeah, kiddo. We're family."

* * *

><p>After making sure everything was running smoothly at Dubrowski's. Angela decided to pack up her kids and head home to pack more items she and Evie needed if they were going to be spending mre time in Oakland. As she pulled up to the front of her house, a sense of foreboding filled her. Something had happened; she could feel it in her gut. Kenny was at her side in the passenger's seat. She'd taken the short time from the funeral home to her house to explain exactly what had happened the day before deciding not to sugar coat anything so that he would understand it fully. She could feel his eyes on her as she stared up at the house, reluctant to get out of the car and go inside. "It'll be okay, Ang," he said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "Just a house. No one's there."<p>

She smiled at him as she inhaled deeply. "Thanks, Ken. Why don't you get Rigs out 'n' I'll grab Evie?"

He nodded, opening the Mazda's car door and jogging around the back. Angela got out slowly, moving over to the back seat to pick up her daughter. Evie smiled up at her, that smile of hers breaking her heart just a little more. "You look so much like your Dad, Eves," she murmured, kissing her chubby cheek. "Love you. C'mon, baby girl. Back home we go."

Her hand shook as she put her keys in the door. Rigor sped in before here, his tail wagging excitedly. She watched him run around, a lump rising to her throat. It all just looked so normal. Everything was where she'd left it as if nothing had changed. As if, at any minute, Juice would walk right back through the door to greet them. Even Evie seemed happy to be home, her legs kicking out, head turning this way and that as if she were looking for him.

Kenny reached out his hands out to the baby girl, and she immediately reached back, arching her body towards him, a huge smile on her face. He took her easily, blowing a raspberry into her cheek to make her giggle. "I'ma take her back to her room. Let you…process."

Angela mussed his beanie lovingly. "You're the best, Ken."

She followed them down the hall, walking by Evie's room on her way towards hers, her finger slowly dragging along the wall. Juice had chased her down this hall countless times after he came home from a long run, catching her around the waist when he was close enough, and carrying her back to their bed, both of them laughing between kisses. A few times they didn't even make it to the bed; he'd taken her right there in the hallway. But that had been before everything had turned to shit. When Juice still smiled at the drop of a hat, when anything could make him laugh, and when they still felt happy and safe in their small little Charming home. They'd never have that kind of easy, spontaneous relationship again. He'd never come home again.

Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath trying to steel herself against those thoughts. She couldn't lose hope. Not yet. There was still a chance he'd come home. She opened the door to her room and let out the air in her lungs slowly. It'd been awhile since Juice had actually slept there, but the memories still lingered. Her stuff was all over the place in a way he would've hated; she was always messier when he wasn't home.

Taking another deep breath, she went to their bathroom and washed her face in an attempt to ward off tears. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to ignore how tired she looked. Sleep had eluded her the night before, not because she wasn't sleep or because she was uncomfortable in Alvarez's house but because she was afraid of what might be waiting for her in her nightmares. She'd seen Juice die in one before, and she hadn't wanted to see it again. Not when it was so close to being reality. "You can do this," she told herself. "Be strong. For Evie, for Kenny."

Nodding, she went back in the room and pulled out her old suitcase. She stuffed things inside of it at random, not paying that much attention to what she was doing but avoiding Juice's drawers at all costs. It wasn't until she opened her underwear drawer and saw the brightly colored panties inside of it that it all really hit her. Juice's obsession with her panties made it hard for her to even look at them, let alone touch them. Quickly, she slammed the drawer shut, running a hand through her hair as she walked back and forth in front of the bureau. "Fuck!" she exclaimed in frustration, her breathing harder than usual. "I can't…"

Her words were cut off by the sound of motorcycles pulling up to the front of the house. She grimaced at the noise knowing it couldn't mean anything good. Slowly, she opened one of Juice's drawers and unlocked the gun safe inside to pull out the Glock Happy had given her on her sixteenth birthday. She looked over the handle of it in her hand, running her thumb over the details in the grip. It was a beautiful piece, to be sure, something she'd always treasure even if she was gradually starting to despise the man who'd given it to her.

Gritting her teeth together, she slid a bullet into the gun's chamber and walked out of the room with it clutched tightly in her hand, taking care to keep it low and aimed at the ground. She wasn't in the mood to deal with the Sons. If they were going to come her about Juice, she'd see to it that their challenge didn't go unmet.

She checked through the peephole to find Tig, Chibs, and Happy walking towards her. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door just as Tig was raising his hand to knock. She raised her gun, aiming it directly at Chibs' heart. Everything that happened was his fault. If he'd only just been there for Juice, if he'd helped guide him a little more, none of this would be happening. "The _fuck_ do you want?" she growled, glaring at them.

"Put the gun down, Angie-girl," Chibs said admonishingly, not even bothering to put his hands up. "We mean ye no harm."

"Fuck you," she replied, not moving a muscle. She was damn serious about shooting him, whether he believed it or not. "What do you _want_?"

Though Chibs didn't think she'd shoot him, Happy seemed to understand that she wasn't joking around. He stepped in front of the Scot, something clutched tightly in his blood-stained hand. Her eyes widened as he lifted his hand, unfurling his fingers to reveal two blood stained rings. Juice's rings. Rings that he swore he'd wear until his dying day…yet there they were in Happy's hand, covered in blood. Her breath caught in her throat at what that could possibly mean. Shaking her head, she refused to believe it. "Where did you get those?" she demanded, hating the tear she felt slipping down her face.

"Put down the gun, kid," Happy coaxed softly, taking a step towards her. "Won't tell you shit 'til you put it down."

Angela's hold on the gun faltered for a moment as she considered her options. Tell them to get the fuck out or lower it and actually hear them out. Deep down, she already knew what they were going to tell her, but it wouldn't be real until Happy told her himself. She lowered the gun slowly, her hands shaking as she set it on the side table beside the door. Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, she met the Tacoma Killer's gaze. "What happened?" she asked, sounding calmer than she felt.

Chibs cleared his throat, to catch her attention. Her eyes met his and his once cold brown eyes softened just a little bit, a glimmer of sadness in them. "He ran, Angie-girl," the VP explained in his Scottish drawl. "Gave him a chance to redeem himself 'n' he chose to run. Had to put him down 'fore he could do any more damage."

"Put him down," she repeated slowly, the words leaving a bad taste in her mouth. How could he talk about Juice like he was some sort of unwanted dog that they put out of his misery?

"He ran, we chased after him, 'n' he laid down his bike on the road," he elaborated as if that would help her understand.

Happy held out the rings to her in an offer, but she took a step away. If she took them from him, it made it all real. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to stop the tears that were pricking at the corners of her eyes. "No. That's not…where is he?" she asked, hating the way her voice shook.

"He's gone," Happy replied. If the rings and Chibs' explanation hadn't confirmed it, Happy sure as hell had. He'd never lied to her.

He reached out a hand to touch her, and she slapped it away. "Don't _touch_ me," she growled through clenched teeth. She pressed a hand to her chest, willing her heart to slow down. She took in a deep breath, wiping furiously at her cheeks, cursing her traitorous tears for escaping her hold in front of the Sons. Happy had killed Juice. The man who'd worked tirelessly to ensure that she was safe, that she was happy since the day she was born had singlehandedly caused her whole world to cave in. "Where. Is. He? I need to _see_ him. I need to…to take _care_ of him."

" 's not happenin', love," Chibs stated, a cold look in his dark eyes. " 'e was burned 'n' buried like the traitor he was."

Before she could stop herself, she launched a fist into Chibs' face. "You fucking asshole!" she roared, going to swing again only to be restrained by Tig. She struggled against him, ready to claw Chibs' face off. "He came to you for help! He wanted to get out! You were his sponsor! You were supposed to help him! You were supposed to…" She couldn't finish her sentence, she could barely breathe. A sob caught in her throat as she shook her head. "You were supposed to be his brother."

Tig let go of her then, setting his hand on her shoulder instead. "I'm sorry, doll," he murmured, squeezing her shoulder. " 's not how I wanted it to go down."

"Get out," she told them softly. Happy took a step forward now, reaching out to touch her only to have her slap his hand away. "Don't fucking touch me! Just get the fuck out!"

Chibs nodded his head, taking a step out of the house without so much as a sorry. Happy lingered behind, his dark eyes holding just the smallest amount of sadness. "Kid, listen-"

She gritted her teeth together, lifting her head to meet his gaze, anger surging through her veins. "No! You _killed_ the man I _love_ and _burned _and buried him somewhere that I can't get to," she ground out furiously. Happy knew how much it meant for her to have a gravesite to visit. Not only had he killed the man she loved, he'd robbed her of the closure that would've come with preparing him, with laying him down to rest peacefully. "How could you do that to me? To Eves? How could you take him away?"

Happy looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He blinked at her for a moment before the pain left his face and that familiar cold as stone mask of the Tacoma Killer appeared. "Had to be done, kid."

His words hurt like a stab to the chest. Tears slid down her cheeks as she stared at the man she'd always loved. After everything they'd been through, she expected some sort of remorse from him. Some kind of apology for how badly he'd hurt her, but she got nothing. That hurt worst of all. "Get out," she spat in disgust. "I don't want you anywhere near me or my daughter. I don't want to see you ever again. Just get the fuck out and _never _come back."

He paused, his dark eyes studying her face. For a moment, she thought he might apologize, but instead, he set the two heavy rings down on the side table before turning his back on her and walking out the door. A pained gasp left her lips as the door closed behind him, leaving her alone in the living room with Tig. She turned to him, trying to swallow back her tears. "Why are you still here?" she asked, wiping at her eyes.

Tig lifted a metal lockbox from the couch. She hadn't even noticed he'd come in with it. He must've tossed it there when he went to grab her. "He uh…he left this in his saddlebag. Rest of his stuff is in his locker, but I thought you'd want this soon as possible," he explained, sniffling a bit as he ran his hand over the silver surface. He lifted his head, his clear blue eyes meeting hers. "I'm really sorry, doll. This ain't what I wanted."

She stared at the box knowing exactly what was in it. Kozik had just an envelope; Juice had a whole box. "Thanks, Tig," she sniffled as she took the box from his hand. It was lighter than she expected it to be. "Was it fast?"

"Aww, dollface, don't go there. Best you don't know."

Angela shook her head slowly, holding back a sob. "How could this happen? He didn't deserve this," she said, sinking down onto the couch. "He deserved so much better."

Tig sat down next to her, rubbing a hand over her back. "I know, baby girl. I know," he said, trying his best to soothe her. "But you're gonna be okay, y'know? You're a strong lady, Angie. 's why he loved you. You gotta keep it together for the kid."

"I know," she gasped, struggling to breathe. "God, I know. Poor Evie."

"Ang?" Kenny's voice came from the hallway. "What's going on?"

Angela quickly wiped at her face, looking over her shoulder to see him holding Evie. "Shit, sorry, kiddo," she mumbled, sniffling a bit. "I uh…he's…"

Tig kissed her temple quickly before getting to his feet. He headed over to where Kenny was, gesturing a hand down the hall. "C'mon, kid. I'll explain. Give her a minute."

She looked back down at the rings in her hands, rubbing her thumb over their wedding ring. "I'm sorry, baby," she murmured, her heart breaking as tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

><p>Tig's eyes followed the youngest Winston as he set Evie down in her crib. The boy could only be around fourteen years old yet he had the air of someone who was much, much older. The deaths of his loved ones at such a young age had made him grow up long before he was supposed to. His boyhood was not the carefree one of riding around on bikes and melting things with magnifying glasses. No, his childhood was shadowed by the deaths of three people he loved the most. Two of which Tig blamed himself for. He'd shot Donna accidentally and was the reason Pope had indicted him, Chibs, Jax, and Opie. If it wasn't for him, the young boy in front of him would still have both his parents. He'd get a normal childhood. Now, here he stood, ready to tell him that yet another one of his loved ones was dead. Tig wasn't sure how close Kenny and Juice had gotten, but if their bond was anything like the boy's bond with Angela, this death was going to hit him hard.<p>

Kenny turned to him, his hazel eyes meeting his gaze briefly. Tig grimaced and looked away; he had Opie's eyes both in color and expression. The kid shifted nervously in front of him, tugging down on his beanie before clearing his throat. "So? What's goin' on? Where's Juice?"

"He's…he's not comin' back," Tig replied carefully.

He blinked at him, clearly trying to process what he'd just said. "He ran away?"

"Club gave him a chance to redeem himself, he chose to run. Had to take him out."

"_What_?" he snapped incredulously. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Tig sighed as he nodded. "Sorry, kid."

Sadness filled the young man's features for a brief moment before he clenched his jaw, anger replacing it. "That's bull shit! You just killed him? Just like that?" His breathing was coming faster now as he continued, "You fucking…he ran away to get to his family and you fucking gunned him down like…like some asshole gangster! Like what happened to my Mom?"

Tig's heart broke at the way the kid's voice cracked at the end. He hadn't thought of how similar Juice's so-called death was to Donna's. It had never crossed his mind. Briefly, he wondered if Kenny knew who killed his mother, but he ruled it out in that same instant. There was no way he'd be even talking to him if he knew. " 'm sorry. Didn't want it to go down this way, Ken. Club's-"

"Fuck the club!" Kenny spat, his whole body tensed. "Your fuckin' club just destroys _everything_! Juice was a good guy! He didn't do anything wrong! He…he wanted to get us out! All of us! How could you just kill him like that? Wasn't he your brother? Didn't you love him?"

He hung his head, the weight of his words settling on his shoulders. "I did," he admitted on a small nod. A part of him wanted to tell Kenny how they'd let him go. How, for once, he'd made the right decision, but he stopped himself, unsure of how trustworthy the teenager was.

"Then why? What was the reason to take a father away from his daughter?"

Tig swallowed hard as he felt tears creep up on him. This poor kid had already been through so much, and yet he still was more concerned for Evie than anyone. "Just the way it is."

"Was that why they killed my mom? My dad? Grandpa? 'cause that's 'just the way it is'?" he mocked with a scowl. "That's bullshit! God, I used to worship you assholes! I wanted to _be _one of you, but all you do is cause pain and destruction everywhere you go! You're supposed to be a family! You're supposed to watch each other's backs! Not kill each other! What kind of a brotherhood is that? What kind of monster did my Grandpa create?"

"You're right, Ken. You're absolutely right," Tig conceded with a frown. "But the club Piney started ain't what it is now. What he started was good. This shit…this shit is far from the idea he had in mind."

Kenny shook his head slowly. "Juice was a good guy. He didn't deserve this," he repeated softly, a tear escaping his hold. "He just wanted his family. He wanted out. Just like my mom and my Pops. They wanted out 'n' you guys took them out 'fore they even got a chance to try. It's not right. It's not _fair_. This fuckin' club ruins _every_thing."

Tig nodded in agreement. It'd been a long time since he'd seen the good in the club. A long time since he believed in what it stood for. With Jax on his revenge warpath, every little rule and everything they were supposed to be went flying out the window. Before, he'd corrected anyone who'd deigned to call SAMCRO a 'gang', now, he was starting to agree with them. What they were doing was less outlaw motorcycle club and more gangland warfare. Sure, they'd had their moments with Clay at the helm, but it'd never been this bad. "I'm sorry, Ken. Not much more I can say. Wasn't what I wanted."

"Then why didn't you stop it?"

The question hung heavy in the air for a moment. Again, Tig was tempted to confess what had happened with Juice, but he kept quiet. " 'cause I've done some shitty things too, 'n' followin' my president is the only thing keeping me breathing," he answered honestly. "Don't got much, but I ain't ready to die yet."

"That's fucked up," he muttered, his hazel eyes falling on Evie for a brief moment.

Tig looked over his shoulder at the baby girl who'd pulled herself up in her crib and was holding onto the railing, bouncing slightly. She grinned at him, showing off two tiny teeth. There was no doubt about it that her smile was Juice's. Seeing it made him remember why he'd let the idiot go. Getting that little girl back to her daddy was the end game, and he was going to work like hell to make that happen. "Yeah," he agreed, reaching out a hand to touch Evie's hair.

"Don't fucking touch her," Kenny seethed, getting up to go over to the crib. He scooped her up into his arms and stepped as far out of his reach. "You killed her dad! Killed him before he could even really be her dad! Just get the fuck out. Leave us alone so I can go take care of my family."

Tig nodded slowly, his hands held up in defeat. "Sorry," he apologized, his heart heavy as he looked from Kenny to Evie. He could see the bond between them as Evie held on tightly to his t-shirt, her little head resting against his shoulder. "You need anythin', call me, Ken. Know you're mad now, but you tell me anythin' they need, 'n' I'll get it."

"Fine," he ground out, rocking Evie against him. "Just go."

"All right." He gave them both one last look. If only Opie could see his son now. He'd be damn proud of him. There was no doubt in his mind that Ken would take care of both Evie and Angela. They were in safe hands with him around. "Ope and Piney, they'd be proud a ya, kid. Thought you should know."

Kenny seemed interested for all of a second, before that mask of anger clicked back into place. "Yeah, well, thanks to your fuckin' club, I'll never know for sure. Now leave 'fore I grab a gun and make them _really_ proud."

Tig bit back a chuckle at the idle threat. That fire was all Donna. Opie could get riled up and angry, but he wasn't one to make snide remarks like that. Donna was the one that was always threatening something or other. He'd heard her fighting with Opie more than enough times to recognize it. Backing out of the room, he looked to Evie once more. "Take care a her and Angie, all right? They need you."

Kenny set him with a glare as he pushed by him, heading down the hall to Angela's room. Tig watched him disappear inside the room and shook his head. He hope that Hap's crazy plan would work out. Not just for Angela and Evie's sake, but for Kenny's too. That kid deserved a happy ending more than anyone and Tig was going to make sure he got it. It would be his way of saying sorry for the sins he committed in the past.

* * *

><p>Angela's room was dark save for the soft light coming from the laptop on the bed, illuminating her face. She was wearing one of Juice's sweatshirts, his pillow cuddled closely to her chest. Kenny could see the trails of tears on her face, the numb look in her eyes. It was a look he realized. For days after his mom was killed, he'd find his dad staring numbly at pictures of her, blind to everything and everyone around him. It wasn't until his Grandpa came in and all but forced him to go on a run that Opie even showed he was still alive.<p>

Evie whined when she saw her mother, squirming in his arms as she reached out for her. Angela's dark eyes left the screen and settled on her daughter. "Hey," she rasped, wiping at her eyes quickly before beckoning him in with her hand.

Kenny walked in, handing Evie to over Angela. His eyes stayed on his guardian's face, watching as the numb look faded away and was replaced with a loving, sad look. It relieved him somewhat. Hid dad could never pull himself out of his numb state. "Hey Mama," he replied, sitting down on the edge of her bed. He looked over at the laptop's screen and frowned when he saw a paused video of Juice's face. "How're you?"

She shrugged a shoulder, dropping a kiss to the top of Evie's head. "He left me over fifty videos," she stated, dodging his question as she gestured to the computer screen. "_Fifty. _Each with an explanation of when to watch. Evie's sixteenth birthday, her graduation from all the different schooling levels, her wedding day. All perfectly labelled and edited on that thumb drive. There's a whole other memory stick for Evie, too."

Kenny looked at the lockbox sitting open next to the computer. "Wow, busy guy," he said, trying to play it cool. If she wanted to have a normal conversation, he'd go along with it. He didn't want to talk about his feelings either.

"Don't know when he found the time to do it all," she commented softly. She reached out and grabbed a stuffed bull dog, giving it to Evie to play with before reaching into the lockbox and handing him an envelope. "He wrote you something."

He stared at the envelope in her hand for a brief moment, a sudden sadness washing over him. He hadn't thought he was even a blip on Juice's radar. All of the Sons ignored him. Always had. And while Juice would talk to him sometimes, he was never overtly interested in him for more than just a video game partner.

With a shaking hand, he took the envelope from her. Carefully, he stuck his finger under the lip of the envelope, opening it up gently so as not to rip anything. He unfolded it slowly and stared at the neat handwriting. It started off simply enough. Him apologizing for what had happened to his parents and Piney, giving instructions for how to access his online crap and get money out of his bank accounts. The last few lines were what got him, though. His vision blurred as he read: _You're a great kid. I'm sorry I didn't get to see the adoption shit through. Take care of my girls. You're the man of the house now. Love you, dude. I would've been proud to call you my son."_

Kenny laughed sadly, a tear falling from his face onto the paper. Wiping at his eyes, he looked over at Angela who was busy making the stuffed bull dog dance along Evie's chubby thighs while the little girl giggled. "Angie?"

"Hmm?" she asked, meeting his gaze, a worried look in her eyes. She was worried about him. She'd just lost everything, and she was worried about _him_.

It was moments like these that he knew asking her to adopt him was the right choice. It might not have been what his dad wanted for him, but he had a feeling his mother was smiling down on them. "We're going to be okay," he assured her, trying to give her a smile.

Angela sighed sadly. "You really think so?"

"I _know_ so, Angie," he replied, kissing her cheek. "We'll move somewhere and make a new life away from all this bullshit."

"I hope so, Ken. I really, really hope so."

* * *

><p><strong>So this was a hard chapter to write...but bear with me readers. I swear, I know what I'm doing. ;) <strong>

**As always, your reviews are like gold! Forever treasured! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	119. Aftershock

**Sorry for the delay in updating. This one was a toughie! **

**I cannot thank _lizmynameis _and _Kupkakes09 _enough for their constant support and for reading over my ideas and helping me improve these chapters! They're the BEST! And their stories ROCK! If you haven't read them yet, what are you waiting for?! Go read! **

**Thanks to those of you who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to** **most of you but thanks also to: _stordec23, Guest 1, Guest 2_**_ (You'll see what happens with Juice at the end of this chapter...you're totally on the right track though. ;))__, **Guest 3, **_**_ Storylover00, _and _Guest 4 _**_(The Claddagh ring and all of its awesome symbolism has always intrigued me! Love how every little detail means something, though I doubt Juice was aware of all of it before he gave it to Angela way back then. ;))_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Evie!**

* * *

><p><strong>Hands All Over<strong>

_Chapter 119: Aftershock_

_By Love Ink_

Kenny was sitting in the Alvarez's kitchen bright and early, feeding Evie from a bowl of warm rice cereal with Tessa Alvarez talking his ear off at his side. Angela hadn't been able to stay in her house the night before. As soon as she'd packed more of her and Evie's stuff, along with her laptop, she'd made them all get into the car and go to Oakland. She was bottling up everything she was feeling inside, keeping it all to herself in an attempt to be strong. He knew it wasn't the best way for her to deal with the pain, but it was better than her abandoning her kids to "clear her head" like his Pops had done after him Mom was murdered. At least Angela was hanging around.

He heard a throat clear over his shoulder and turned to find Marcus Alvarez himself walking into the kitchen. The older man looked him over, raising an eyebrow. "Who're you?"

He opened his mouth to answer but started stuttering instead. Alvarez intimidated the crap out of him. He'd met him once at his dad's wedding, but it'd been quick and in passing, but there was no forgetting who he was. "I uh…I'm uh…"

"He's Angie's son," Tessa put in, swinging her legs happily. "I'm his _Tia_, right, Kendo?"

Kenny let out a sigh of relief, thankful for Tessa's rambling. She'd been talking about how he was her new nephew for hours now and though she was annoying as hell, he couldn't help but smile at the little girl. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "We uh…we kinda met at my dad's wedding. He uh…he was…"

"Opie," Alvarez finished on a sad frown. "Good guy. Sorry about the way he went out."

For some reason, Alvarez's apology felt more real to him than any apology he'd ever gotten from a Son. "Thanks," he said, nodding his head. "Ang kinda…took me in."

He nodded in approval. "And the Sons don't mind that you're here?"

Kenny wrinkled his nose in distaste. "The Sons can go..." he paused, censoring himself. While Angela didn't mind people swearing in front of Evie, he had a feeling Diana and Marcus would mind him cursing in front of Tessa. "They're not really a part of my life. All they do is kill people I care about."

He looked impressed for a brief moment, bobbing his head. "Wasn't expecting such an honest answer from you."

"Don't want you thinking I'm here to spy or somethin'."

"He's a good boy, Marc," Diana said as she rushed in, setting a plate in front of him. She ruffled his hair lovingly. "Helped me with breakfast."

Marcus nodded slowly, his dark eyes landing on Evie and warming considerably. He walked over and rubbed a hand over her head. "_Hola tesoro," _he said, stroking her chubby cheek. Evie, ever the friendly baby, grinned back up at him. "She's beautiful. Looks just like her Mama." (_Hello, treasure)_

Kenny knew Angela would correct him for that. While Evie had a lot of her features, there was no hiding who her father was. "Thanks for taking me in, Mr. Alvarez. Know you don't owe me nothin'," he said, hoping like hell it got him on Alvarez's good side.

"Don't worry about it, _mijo_," he replied, sitting down at the table. "How's she doin'?"

"I'm fine." Angela walked in then looking freshly showered and dressed for the day. If it wasn't for the bags under her eyes, it'd be hard to see something was wrong. She kissed Evie's cheek before ruffling Tessa's hair lovingly. "I'm actually going to uh…head over to TM. Pick up the rest of…his stuff."

Kenny didn't miss the way she avoided saying Juice's name; she hadn't said it since they told her what had happened almost as if she thought saying it would make it real. "You think that's a good idea?"

She shrugged a shoulder as she poured herself some coffee. "Got nothin' else to do today. The boys won't let me work."

"Got a meet with Nero later," Marcus stated from his seat, his eyes worried as they looked at Angela. "Business deal. You always had a head for numbers. Could use those smarts to look over it."

Her back tensed a bit before she shook her head. "No thanks."

"Want me to come with you to TM? Run some interference?" Kenny offered, following Alvarez's lead. It was clear no one wanted her to be alone after everything that had happened.

"I'll be fine, Ken," she assured him with a sad smile. "This is somethin' I got to do on my own."

"Leave Eva with me, _mija_. You go do your stuff," Diana suggested, pushing Angela towards the table and waiting until she sat to put a plate of food in front of her.

Angela ran a hand through her hair, staring at the food for a moment. "Sure. Thanks, D."

Kenny watched her pick at the food without putting a single bite in her mouth. She wasn't fooling anyone, though. "Eat," he stated. At her glare, he quickly grabbed a spoonful of the rice cereal and pretended he was talking to Evie. "C'mon Monk. You gotta eat."

He met Marcus' gaze and the Mayan nodded in understanding. His demanded didn't mean much, but he knew she'd listen to the Mayan President. "_Come, Angelita_," Marcus ordered. "For your own good." (_Eat)_

Angela sighed softly and brought a piece of bacon to her lips. She took a single bite and set it back down before pushing away from the table. "I gotta go. Want to get there before the Queen shows up."

She kissed Evie's cheek, murmuring a sad 'I love you' before grabbing her keys. Kenny stood up quickly. "I need a ride to Charming, Ang," he blurted out. There was no way in hell he was going to let her go anywhere alone. By the approving look on Marcus' face, he felt the same way. "I…I can't drive yet, 'n' I can't stay here since Bones probably needs help at the funeral home with you gone."

"Good call. Let's go, dude."

They sat in silence for most of the trip before he cleared his throat. "Ang..."

Angela's hands gripped the wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white. "Ken, please. Don't...don't bring him up. Just let me deal. I'm doing the best I can, kiddo."

Kenny frowned, playing idly with his phone. "I know. Just want you to know I'm here. 'm not a kid any more. I can help you though it. My dad went through it 'n' he never really got out of it."

She reached over and grabbed his hand as they pulled into the funeral home's parking lot. "I am not your dad, Ken," she assured him, squeezing hard. "I'm going to get through this. It'll take some time, but I'll find a way. Not goin' to leave you 'n' Eves alone. My mom did that to me, and I know how shitty it feels. Not about to repeat that sad cycle."

He nodded, letting out a shaky breath. "Thanks, Mama Bear. Good luck today," he said, feeling a lot better about the whole situation. "You're stronger than anyone I know 'n' I...love you."

A small smile crossed her face, and she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Love you too, Ken."

* * *

><p>Angela pulled into Teller-Morrow keenly aware that Gemma Teller was not only there, but she was standing right outside, deep in conversation with Unser. She stopped her Mazda, trying to be as inconspicuous as possibly while getting out of it. Ducking her head, she power walked to the garage bays. The mechanics working there ignored her. She knew most of them, but clearly her husband's status was one they were well aware of. He'd been dead for all of a day, and she was already being ostracized. <em>Good<em>, she thought. The farther away from SAMCRO and its cronies, the better.

Approaching the lockers, she hesitated at the sight of the work shirts hanging on a rod between them. All of the boys' shirts were hanging there since none of them were at the garage. Her Old Man's shirt was the easiest to find; it was the only one that didn't have any motor oil stains on the sleeves. She knew because she'd watched him scrub them out using a stain remover he'd concocted that stunk to high heaven but could get any stain out of anything. Her hand shook as she reached for it, pulling off its hanger in one swift tug.

She brought it to her nose, breathing in the soapy smell for a moment as tears blurred her vision. This wasn't a good idea, she realized too late. She'd was doing her best to keep her emotions at bay but being confronted with his stuff like this was putting cracks in her armor. Shaking her head, she wiped at her eyes and draped the shirt over her shoulder. "Stay strong. You can do this," she muttered to herself. Bending over, she grabbed the lock on his locker and stared at the numbers there. His combination, like Happy's, was her birthday because he never wanted to forget it. She unlocked it and took a deep breath before pulling it open.

The inside of the door was covered in pictures of every shape and size. All of them were of her. Every single one. Pictures of her in her bikini, in her sweats, in work out gear, candids she didn't even know existed. The only picture she was not in was the first sonogram Chloe had printed out for them after everything that happened with Mel.

A wave of pain hit her like a freight train, and she slowly sank to her knees. "Shit, baby," she murmured, pressing her hand to her chest as she breathed in deeply. Gathering herself together, she sat up on her knees and pretended like she'd knelt to get a better view instead of because she was on the verge of breaking down. No, she was stronger than that. She had to be. Sniffling, she decided looking through each individual item wasn't the smartest idea ever, so she stuck her arm inside and shoved everything into the backpack at her feet. The pictures were next, she took the sonogram off easily enough. Then came a picture that put everything to a screeching halt. "Goddamn," she cursed, raking her hand through her hair as she sat back on her heels. It was the two of them, just sitting on the picnic table outside of the clubhouse, talking, so engrossed in each other, they didn't even realize someone had snapped the shot. His hand was on her thigh, and he was leaning into her with that adoring look in his eyes and that huge smile on his face that gave her butterflies every time. And she was smiling right back, her hands in the air as if she was telling a story. No doubt, she was in the middle of some funny story. It was them in a nutshell.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Angela jumped at the interruption to her thoughts. Quickly, she wiped at her eyes and sucked in a quick breath before turning around to find Gemma standing there, her hands on her hips. "Yeah, well, someone has to clean this," she explained, turning back to face the locker. "Didn't want anyone to trash it."

"I'm sorry about what happened, baby," Gemma murmured, setting a hand on Angela's shoulder. "Juice was a good guy. Loved his girls 'n' his club a lot."

Her whole body tensed in response to her touch. Rolling her shoulder like a petulant teenager, she got the Queen of SAMCRO to release her. "Yeah," she repeated for lack of a better thing to say.

"Anything we can do for you, we will, sweetheart. Juice may be gone, but you're still part of our family. You're still Happy's cousin," she assured her.

If it wasn't Gemma saying those words, Angela would've slapped her. That "family" Gemma was saying she was a part of was the same "family" that had murdered her _husband_. No _way_ was she ever going to turn to them for help. Never again. "Only thing I ask is for you and your 'family' to stay the fuck away from me and mine," she seethed, getting to her feet and turning around.

"That include Kenny Winston?" Gemma asked, a challenge in her voice. "What? You get tired of your little baby and decide to adopt another one?"

Angela blinked at the rapid change in demeanor, but she fired back quickly. "No. Kenny was the one who wanted out of this piece of shit family and asked _me_ to adopt _him _because I'm the _only_ one that gave him the time of day after Donna was killed."

Gemma laughed, shaking her head at her. "That's bullshit."

"Oh no? What's his favorite book? His favorite movie, video game, color? What kind of grades does he get? Does he like school? When he's mad where does he go? How do you cheer him up when he's sad?" she shot off, ready and willing to answer each of the questions.

"I don't need to know that shit to prove he's family."

"All right. I'll give you an easy one. You get it right, and I'll forfeit the application," she challenged with an eyebrow raised. "When's his birthday?"

Gemma clenched her jaw, clearly annoyed by the question. "I was _there_ the day he was born, Little Miss Undertaker."

"Great! You should know it then! What day is it?" she insisted, throwing all of her pent up anger into this little discussion.

"August tenth," she replied confidently.

"July thirteenth. It was a Friday. _My _kid was born Friday the thirteenth, and he blames all of the shit luck he's had on _that_. He doesn't have a favorite book because he hates to read no matter how may books I throw his way, he'd rather spend time trying to beat every fuckin' level of any Zelda game he can get his hands on because those _are_ his favorites. When he's mad or sad, he goes out to the cemetery and talks to his Mom. He gets happy if you let him kick your ass at Mario Kart, which to be honest, isn't hard because that kid is fuckin' amazing at that game," she took a deep breath, more comfortable talking about Kenny than about…_him_. "And, like most kids his age, he _hates_ school but mostly because none of those fuckers will talk to him anymore after everything that's happened with his family. They're _afraid_ of him which is why he wants to get out. Just like me. I love that kid, Gemma. Him _and_ his sister. I will _always_ treat them like my own. Kenny just wants to make it official. You goin' to deny that kid something he wants? After everything this club has put him through?"

Her hazel eyes swept over her for a moment as she crossed her arms over her chest, her lips pressed together angrily. Then the anger faded and that familiar smug grin appeared. "You surprise me, undertaker," she drawled mockingly. "Here you are all concerned about a kid that's not yours while your Old Man's lyin' dead somewhere. You're keepin' it together pretty damn well for someone who was supposedly head over heels for him. Maybe you didn't love him as much as you claimed to."

It was a low blow that perfect hit its mark. Angela clenched her jaw, her hands curling into fists. She wanted to smack her. Grab the nearest wrench and just pound it into her face, but she knew once she started, she wouldn't be able to stop and that was something she did not want on her conscience. "Says the woman who had her last two husbands _killed_," she ground out. She went to leave, ready to get the hell away from Gemma before she did or said something she'd regret. The Queen blocked her way, staring down her nose at her. Angela didn't back down, though. She'd never been afraid of Gemma, and she wasn't going to start now. "Get _out_ of my way."

Gemma pushed her chest out, squaring her shoulders. "Or what?"

She felt a heavy hand fall on her shoulder and immediately tensed. She in now way wanted to be touched at the moment, but she refused to drop Gemma's stare. "What's goin' on here?" a gruff voice said from behind her.

The Queen of SAMCRO's hazel eyes flicked over to Happy's face. "Oh, we were just talkin'. I was expressing my condolences."

Angela scoffed at that, moving her arm out from under Happy's touch. His dark eyes were worried as they scrutinized her face. "What's goin' on, kid?"

As much as she wanted to lean into him, to gather strength from him like she had since she was little; she forced herself to stand strong. The man in front of her was not the same man that held her after her father died, this was the man who murdered her husband. "I'm not your kid anymore," she spat, glaring at him. "Leave me the fuck alone."

The wounded look in his eyes made her feel a certain kind of triumph. Good. Let him hurt. He deserved it after everything he'd put her through. Before she could make it to her car, however, Rat stepped in her way. His brown eyes were sympathetic as he met her gaze. "Hey Angie," Rat greeted, a sad tone to his voice. "Sorry 'bout everything. How you doin'?"

She didn't have time for his kindness, though. Despite how genuine he seemed, she had no kindness to extend to him. "Fan-_fucking_-tastic," she growled, hitching the bag on her shoulder higher. He stayed standing in front of her as if there was something else he wanted to say until Happy barked his name and he went skittering over.

Before anyone could stop her, she got in her car and sped out of the TM lot. She headed out to the outskirts of Charming, driving up a road she knew too well. It didn't take long for her to get to the familiar spot. Her vision blurred with tears as she pulled to as stop. Pushing open her door, she stepped out and stared at the familiar view, his work shirt clutched tightly in her hand.

Staring at the view, she closed her eyes and tried to feel him the way she could feel her father, her uncle, and Kozik. "C'mon, baby," she urged, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Just let me know it'll be okay, please. I need you."

She stood there for what felt like hours, the cold air whipping around her, and yet, she felt nothing. That emptiness hurt like knife to the chest. How could she go on without knowing he was okay? That he was around? He'd promised he'd stay with her, that he'd watch over her, but she couldn't sense him. Not only did she not have the closure that came with laying him to rest in a cemetery, but she felt no trace of him. No finality to what had happened. How could she let him go and move on when it didn't even feel like he was gone?

"Please, baby," she begged, looking back up at the sky with fresh tears falling down her cheeks. "Please. Tell me you're okay. Give me something. I need you."

* * *

><p>After driving for nearly two days, Juice pulled the small truck he'd traded his motorcycle for up to the front of the average size house in the middle of a suburban sprawl. The brick houses were all the same, just in different shades of reds and browns. He stared at the one before him, double checking the number on his text message to make sure he had the right one. Taking a deep breath, he got out of the truck and stepped into the humid Texan night.<p>

Reaching across the seat, he grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder before starting his walk up to the front of the house. Most of the lights were off save for one in the kitchen. He hoped he didn't wake anyone. His hand shook as he reached out for the doorbell. He hesitated, his finger hovering over it awkwardly. He'd called her from a payphone he'd stumbled upon in the middle of nowhere, shocked when she'd told him she'd moved out to Austin. He was relieved, though. Texas was a hell of a lot closer than New York. That and New York, like Charming, was forbidden territory for him while Texas was a surprise safe haven. There wasn't even a Sons charter there to bother him.

He chose to knock instead and held his breath, letting it out when he heard the locks sliding on the other side. The door opened and there stood his big sister. It'd been years since he'd last laid eyes on her, but she looked the exact same. Long dark hair, hip cocked to the side, arms crossed over her chest. Her light brown eyes, the same color as his, looked him over for a moment before she her trademark smirk pulled at the corner of her lips. "C'mere, idiot," she murmured, pulling him into a tight hug. When he pulled away, she caught his chin in her hand. "The fuck you doin' here, Wonka? Last I heard you were on the lamb."

"Long story," he answered, smiling bashfully at his old nickname. "You got a place for me?"

She nodded. "Always," she said, stepping back and letting him in. "Come sit. You want a beer or somethin'?"

Juice shifted uncomfortably, still surprised by the warm welcome he received even after not seeing her for over ten years. The only other person that had ever showed him this kind of kindness had been Angela. Even Gemma had initially treated him like shit. He'd been a hang around and had accidentally kicked over a can of motor oil. Gemma had read him the riot act, called him an idiot. It hadn't been until he was upgraded to Prospect that Gemma had treated him with some shred of decency. "Love one," he answered, his voice cracking a bit.

"Put down your bag, bro. _Mi casa es su casa_," she said gesturing to the neat living room. He knew what that phrase meant. Remembered the day Angela had explained it to him. She'd been about to move in with him, and he'd said it to her without really understanding what it meant. That sweet memory was enough to make tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He set down his bag before grabbing Jo again and hugging her tightly. Jo's hand ran over his head in a soothing motion she'd done when he was younger and in need of some comfort. "What the hell happened to you, Juan?"

Juice pulled away and shrugged a shoulder, letting out a long breath. "I don't even know where to start."

Jo grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly before tugging him towards the kitchen. "C'mon, buddy. Let's get you a beer and you can start at the beginning."

* * *

><p><strong>Relatively short chapter, sorry! But I have the next one mostly written so it should be up sooner than later, I promise! <strong>

**As always, your thoughts, critiques, ideas, etc. are always welcome and appreciated! :) **

**~Love Ink**


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